3rd Guards Brigade (Croatia)

3rd Guards Brigade

Active| 1991–2003
Disbanded| 2003
Country| Croatia
Branch| Ground Army
Nickname(s)| Kune (Martens)
Engagements| Croatian War of Independence

Military unit

The 3rd Guards Brigade (Croatian: 3\. gardijska brigada), nicknamed Kune ("Martens"), was a guards brigade of the Croatian Army, formed on 29 April 1991, in Vinkovci. During the Croatian War of Independence, the 3rd Guards Brigade primarily operated in the regions of Slavonia and Baranja in eastern Croatia.

## History

[edit]

Originally formed as the 3rd "A" Brigade of the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) in 1991, the 3rd Guards Brigade initially consisted of four battalions stationed in Osijek, Vinkovci, Slavonski Brod and Vukovar.[1]

During the war, approximately 10,000 men served with the brigade, which includes 369 killed, 1,088 injured and 17 missing in action.

Between 1991 and 1995, the 3rd Guards Brigade was involved in numerous engagements including:[2][3]

* Battle of Vukovar (1991; 4th Battalion)
* Battle of Osijek (1991–92)
* Operation Maslenica (1993)
* Operation Flash (1995)

During Operation Storm in August 1995, the 3rd Guards Brigade was deployed to defend the city of Osijek, and did not see any combat.[citation needed]

## Post-war

[edit]

In 2003 most of the brigade was disbanded, with remnants merged with the 5th Guards Brigade to form the 3rd Armoured Guards Brigade (3.GOMBR).

In 2007, the 3.GOMBR itself was reformed to become the present-day Guards Armoured Mechanized Brigade (GOMBR)), a unit of mechanized infantry based in Vinkovci.[4]

The legacy and the name of the historic brigade survives through the Tank Battalion "Kune", which is part of the modern-day GOMBR.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Povjesnica 3.gbr" [Background of the 3rd Guards Brigade] (in Croatian). Osijek, Croatia: Association of Veterans of the 3rd Guards Brigade. Retrieved 17 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
2. ^ Šebetovsky, Mario (July 2002). "The Battle of Vukovar: The Battle That Saved Croatia" (PDF). Quantico, VA: United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Marine Corps University. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
3. ^ Marijan, Davor (October 2002). "Bitka za Vukovar 1991" [The Battle of Vukovar, 1991] (PDF). Scrinia Slavonica (in Croatian). 2 (1). Slavonski Brod: Croatian Historical Institute - Department of History of Slavonia, Srijem and Baranja: 367–402. ISSN 1332-4853. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
4. ^ Hrvatske, MORH Ministarstvo obrane Republike (12 February 2018), 3\. GARDIJSKA BRIGADA KUNE, retrieved 13 January 2020