Back to Bosnia

Keyboard Warriors   I am careful to use the word “stigmatization” because is already too often used by all kind of groups. However, I have seen some bad experience when I left the Army in 1995. I was combat engineer for Support Command, which was the supporting and logistical part of Dutchbat. As many of you know Dutchbat was the taskforce based in the enclave Srebrenica which dramatically felt in July 1995. In my book “United Nothing” which is under construction and will be published in spring 2020 (25 year after the fall of Srebrenica), I wrote also a chapter about the published news and public opinion about Dutchbat after the fall.     Dutchbat was from the beginning undermanned, investigations and analyses advised around 5000 soldiers, but the Dutch government sent only a 500 strong unit. During the fall around 400 soldiers were still in the enclave. Only 150 were combat soldiers, the rest were medics, drivers, mechanics, engineers etc. Tens of the ...

Jablinica and Mostar For todays bright side of Mostar see: www.thebrightsideofbosnia.blogspot.com Mostar After the visit of the museum we traveled to Mostar. Presently the road along the Neretva is still a very scenic road and even in 1994 it was quiet impressive, however most of the bridges were destroyed and UNPROFOR built some floating pontoon bridges. Destroyed bridge and pontoon bridge over the Neretva in 1994     Same location 2018 1995-Gravel road to the ponton 2018 - even the gravelroad to the pontoons is still there   1995 - This demolition failed and with some mitigation this bridge could be operate 2018 - The same location with the bridge repaired   Mostar 1994 To reach the Lukavac compound, one of the routes from Croatia was through Mostar. Due to the war the trip from Croatia to Lukavac was a 2 day trip and during my first trip to Lukavac we started in Split and we passed Mostar on the first...

Visegrad & the dark hidden secrets of the Bajna Basta hydro-electric dam Very in the beginning of the Bosnian war the Serbs already started with massacres and ethnic cleansing in East Bosnia which ultimately ends in the Srebrenica massacre. During the Bosnian war I had never the opportunity to travel through East Bosnia, but presently it is safe to pass the former war zones between the Serbian and Bosnian parts. Only some signs are presenting that we passed the former battle zones. Visegrad The Višegrad Bridge was commissioned by Grand Vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolović, who exercised power over a long period at the summit of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of three sultans as a tribute to his native region and a symbol of trade and prosperity. Construction of the bridge took place between 1571 and 1577. Major renovations of the bridge have taken place in 1664, 1875, 1911, 1940 and 1950–52. Three of its 11 arches were destroyed during World War I and five were damaged duri...

  Santici, Busovaca and Ahmici During a few months in 1995 I was based in Santici. It was decided to merge the Support Command of Dutch Bat compound Lukavac together with the existing Transport battalion in both Busovaca and Santici. Due to the fact that after the Danish tank battle (beginning 1994) with the Serbs close to Tuzla (see also blog 8), the road from Tuzla to Srebenica was closed by the Serbs it was impossible for Support Command to drive from Tuzla to Srebrenica and the available route was via Sarajevo. Therefor it seemed more sufficient to move Support Command closer to Sarajevo however the history showed that after the move also nearly zero logistics to Srebrenica was allowed by the Serbs so this move hadn’t a lot of impact.   Destroyed village at the other side of the compound fence   Life line to home (1 DM/minute)     Hundreds of both volunteering conscription soldiers and the more professional m...