Helion & Company- The Bosnian Serb Army at War 1992-95

Book Specifics

Author: Bojan Dimitrijević

Europe@War Series No. 54

Price: $29.95

ISBN 978-1-804513-69-9

Softcover, 98 Pages, 8.3 x 11.7 in, 43 black and white photos, 125 color photos, 24 color profiles, 5 color maps

What's Inside

Back in 2008, my wife and I were part of a team heading to Bosnia for 2 weeks to build relationships and help out struggling communities. I wasn't really an armor modeler at the time but military history interested me and this was my first time visiting a country that had been generationally war-torn over the course of history. Visiting cities like Sarajevo, Zenica, and Mostar exposed us to folks who had endured the war from 1992-95 and to see the damage present on building facades and mortar and artillery scars on the pavement we walked on was truly eye-opening. When I did start building armor, the first one I did in 1/35 was a Bosnian AMX-30 tank and I remember having trouble finding any great photos for reference.

This new entry in the Europe@War series by Helion is filled with excellent photos of armor used during the conflict from the Serbian side of things (VRS- Vojska Republike Srpske). Some of the AFVs and supporting vehicles that changed hands and sides throughout the war include the T-34/85 (designated the T-34B), Polish and Czech T-55s, T-72s, Yugoslav M-84s, and numerous APCs and technicals. Even American M18 Hellcats and M36B2 Jacksons made an appearance. The chapters of the book include:

The politics and finer details of the conflict are varied and complex- but informative nonetheless. It all started with the breakup of Yugoslavia and the more one reads, the more one understands that there are no clear cut good and bad sides here-- atrocities were committed by all factions- Catholic Croats, Bosniak Muslims, and Orthodox Serbians. All sides had stakes in obtaining territory and defending their people- but it wasn't going all that well for either side in the war and it took NATO involvement in 1994 with United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) and Implementation Force (IFOR) troops to bring about an unsteady end to the war with the Dayton Peace Agreement initialed on November 21, 1995 and formally signed December 14,1995 in Paris. 

Each chapter in the book examines specific operations and offensives throughout the war leading up to NATO and UN forces undertaking Operation Deliberate Force in 1995 to bring about the end of the war. The color photos throughout show these actions in vivid color and the color profile art done by Anderson Subtil, Davis Bocquelet, and Tom Cooper bring the Serbian uniforms, AFVs and other vehicles to life. It really gives the Serbian perspective of the war while still staying true to the overall narrative of a very complicated war. The maps throughout the book also provide a clear picture of the constant shifting territories from all sides in the region- with war's end bringing the BiH territorial division to a 51:49 percent quota. 

Conclusion

This was a challenging read to be sure as there were a lot of different factions to keep track of and no clear-cut right side in the war. I learned quite a bit about the country I visited and feel I understand the folks I met there from all sides a bit better. I hope, like the War in Ukraine series, to see more volumes from the various perspectives from this war- specifically the ARBiH (Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina) side as well. The tank and vehicle images really focus on the Serbian side of things as the book title suggests- but there is plenty of great reference photos to dive into.

Highly Recommended for anyone looking to understand more about the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.

Thanks goes out to Casemate Publishing for this review sample.

Reviewed by Michael Reeves

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