The operation involved the Croatian Air Force, special forces members, and HGSS. The injured individual was safely transported and handed over to hospital staff in Knin in the evening hours.
Just 45 minutes after taking off from the "Knez Trpimir" barracks in Divulje, a Croatian Air Force helicopter had already handed over an injured German citizen to hospital staff in Knin on Saturday, August 8, 2026. This joint operation, conducted in the extremely inaccessible terrain of Dinara, involved the flight crew, special forces, and mountain rescuers.
The four-member crew of the Mi-171Sh, an aircraft from the 395th Transport Helicopter Squadron of the 93rd Wing, took off at 7:40 PM, accompanied by two members of the Special Forces Command. Upon landing in Knin, two HGSS members joined the team, whose knowledge of the demanding mountain terrain, as the Ministry noted, was crucial for locating the injured individual.
The joint team headed to the location of the injured citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany, safely retrieved him from a hard-to-reach part of Dinara, and loaded him onto the helicopter. Transport to Knin began immediately, and the entire operation was carried out with constant coordination among all involved. The helicopter arrived at its destination at 8:25 PM, 45 minutes after taking off from Divulje, after which the injured man was handed over to hospital staff for further care. The Ministry of Defense did not disclose details about the nature of his injuries or the circumstances of the incident.
"The most important thing was to reach the injured person as quickly as possible, safely retrieve them, and transport them to the hospital. Thanks to the good coordination of all participants, the operation was carried out quickly and efficiently," said the helicopter captain after the operation concluded.
The operation once again demonstrated the readiness of Croatian military and civilian rescue services to respond to the most demanding challenges in the shortest possible time, even in terrains where every minute of hesitation can be fatal.
