Confession of the Commander of the First Tank to Enter Knin
Vladimir Miljenović, Bronx recalled the chaotic scenes and the historic moment when his T-55 tank thundered through the streets of the liberated city.
Vladimir Miljenović, Bronx recalled the chaotic scenes and the historic moment when his T-55 tank thundered through the streets of the liberated city.
On this day, August 5, we mark the 31st anniversary of the liberation of Knin during the military-police operation Storm. On this occasion, the portal Dnevno.hr brings the harrowing testimony of Vladimir Miljenović, known as Bronx, the man who commanded the first Croatian Army tank to enter the city.
Miljenović, commander of the 2nd Tank Platoon of the 2nd Tank Company of the Armored Mechanized Battalion of the 7th Guards Brigade Pume, recalls that already on August 5, 1995, the second day of the operation, his T-55 tank had fought its way to Knin. The scenes that greeted him were surreal.
"When we entered Knin with the first tanks, we became aware of the scale of chaos in which the Serbian army found itself. The best indicator of their hasty departure was the abandoned weaponry. I saw a completely empty city and only two UNPROFOR armored vehicles. It was like in apocalyptic movies. Only the wind carried the dust," Miljenović told Dnevno.hr.
His testimony reveals that the enemy forces had no idea that Croatian units had already entered the heart of their para-state entity.
Bronx also described the only significant conflict immediately after entering the city. "The only clash we had was with their stragglers who came from the direction of Drniš, whose members had no idea that Knin was already ours," he said. He added that afterward, other units, the 1st Tank Company and part of the 2nd Tank Company, had more substantial engagements.
The road to Knin was not without danger. Descending from the Crvena Zemlja area, their tank came under fire from positions on Sivi Put. "One shell landed under our tank and wounded the infantry, so we got off the tanks and continued on foot toward the city," recalls this Croatian veteran.
Although they were overjoyed, Miljenović emphasizes that at the time they were not fully aware of the historical weight of the events. "Of course, we were immensely happy, but we were primarily focused on our task. It took a few days to realize that these were historic moments," he said.
In addition to Knin itself, by 10:00 AM on that August 5, 1995, the 7th Guards Brigade Pume had taken control of the entire area and raised the Croatian flag on the Knin Fortress. That day also saw the liberation of numerous other settlements, including Ljubovo, Žitnić, Lovinac, Gračac, Drniš, Obrovac, Benkovac, Škabrnja, Saborsko, Rakovicu, and many other places across Lika, Dalmatia, and Kordun.
