Film 'Hvala' to Screen at Edison Cinema on Thursday
The screening brings the story of August 1995 and the role of the 110th Home Guard Regiment, with testimonies from commander Ivan Kolenc about the fierce battles and the final victory.
The screening brings the story of August 1995 and the role of the 110th Home Guard Regiment, with testimonies from commander Ivan Kolenc about the fierce battles and the final victory.
Edison Cinema in Karlovac will screen the documentary film "Hvala" on Thursday, taking viewers back to the days when the city celebrated the arrival of Croatian liberators. The screening, starting at 4 PM, features footage from the Croatian Radio and Television Karlovac crew, and admission is free. Those interested can pick up their tickets from 8 AM at the cinema box office or via the Entrio platform.
The film depicts moments deeply etched into the city's collective memory, and its screening coincides with the anniversary of the military-police operation "Storm." It was precisely in the Karlovac area that this operation played a strategically crucial role, with the 110th Home Guard Regiment bearing the brunt of the fighting.
The 110th Home Guard Regiment was formed just before "Storm" by merging the 110th Brigade and the 13th Home Guard Regiment. According to battalion commander Ivan Kolenc, it was the youngest unit in the area, only a month old in that composition. "I remember that time well. We were young, some might say even reckless, but with a clear goal. I got involved back in 1991, and I stayed with the 110th the whole time," Kolenc recalls.
Mobilization was difficult because part of the experienced cadre had been demobilized, and the turnout was below expectations. Despite this, the command worked intensively on training. Special emphasis was placed on exercises for forced crossings of water obstacles, which proved crucial. The exercise "Dobra 94," conducted under nearly impossible conditions, was rated with the highest marks. "The water was incredibly fast, spilling half a meter onto the meadows. We considered postponing, but we decided to carry out the exercise with safety ropes tied to trees," Kolenc describes, adding that this success gave them incredible confidence for what lay ahead.
The operation began on August 4, 1995, at 5:00 AM without artillery preparation. The first day was extremely tough: six members were killed in the Slunj hills, one in Turanj, and two in Brođani, with as many as 58 soldiers wounded. Among the fallen was platoon commander Davor Joha, who was killed by an anti-personnel mine.
In the midst of the heaviest fighting, General Budimir visited the Turanj line. The arrival was dramatic. "He had just parked his car when four 120mm mortar shells fell, one on the roof, two in the yard, right next to the bunker," Kolenc recalls. When the general entered and asked about casualties, Kolenc openly told him why they couldn't simply launch an assault: "General, do you see these trenches? We spent four years building and reinforcing them. Not even an atomic bomb could easily break through. We could push forward by force, but then we'd have a cemetery instead of positions. That wasn't an option."
The enemy, whose 21st Kordun Corps had been fortifying positions for four years, had tank trenches up to two kilometers long. "We knew the Turanj frontline was the toughest," Kolenc explains. The situation changed with the breakthrough of the 1st Guards Brigade (Tigers) through Lička Jesenica and the entry of the 137th Brigade toward Krnjak. On August 7, 1995, the enemy organized a withdrawal from the Turanj frontline.
Forces of the 110th Home Guard Regiment, led by Major Ivan Bočić and Major Ivan Kolenc, advanced toward Vojnić. According to Kolenc's memory, they entered the town around 1:30 PM, while the chronology states 1:45 PM. They encountered the armor of the 1st Guards Brigade. "I saw my friend Andrija Kolobarić on a tank and current General Stojković. We entered the center of Vojnić from our side almost simultaneously as they did from the direction of Kolarić," Kolenc says. In Skakavac, they liberated about twenty civilians.
Despite the intensity of the fighting, the command insisted on strict discipline. "Every order stated, Geneva Convention. We always told our soldiers: no killing civilians or prisoners. You can kill a soldier in combat, but the moment he drops his weapon, he's a prisoner and has his rights," Kolenc emphasizes.
The operation for the 110th Home Guard Regiment ended on August 9, 1995, with reaching the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cost was high: 10 killed and 83 wounded members. "We must understand that Karlovac was defended by the local 'reserve.' If the line had been broken here, there would have been no Zagreb or state. I am proud of every one of our soldiers," Kolenc concludes.
