FAMOUS MITROVDAN BATTLES WERE CRUCIAL TO DEFENCE OF HERZEGOVINA

BILEĆA, NOVEMBER 6 /SRNA/ – The famous Mitrovdan battles near Nevesinje in 1992 and 1994 were crucial to the defence of the entire eastern Herzegovina region, as other parts of Herzegovina were also under threat, historian Predrag Lozo told SRNA.

"These days, at the beginning of November, we should remember those events and the soldiers who took part in them, in order to highlight the sacrifices made for the freedom we enjoy today and what Republika Srpska represents," Lozo said ahead of the history lesson entitled "The Mitrovdan Offensives and the Great Victories of the Serb Army in 1992 and 1994", held in Bileća.

He stressed that such history lessons were extremely important, particularly for secondary school students, but also for primary school pupils, so that they would understand the great personal sacrifices made by Serb soldiers for freedom and the existence of Republika Srpska.

"Family education and passing down accounts of these events in Herzegovina are also very important, as is teaching young people about the significance of the courage and struggle of our ancestors for the freedom we enjoy today," Lozo emphasised.

Nikola Tomanović, director of the Golub Kureš Secondary School Centre in Bileća, said that the Mitrovdan offensives near Nevesinje in 1992 and 1994 were not merely dates in the history of Serbs, but represented a defensive bulwark that secured eastern Herzegovina.

He pointed out that this had safeguarded the right of the Serb people to live in their ancestral homes and pointed to an obligation to preserve these events from falling into oblivion and to speak about the heroic victories of the soldiers, so that future generations would understand the price paid for peace and freedom.

"If the Greeks have Thermopylae and the Americans have the Alamo, we have the bloody Mitrovdan battles of 1992 and 1994 near Nevesinje, the volunteers and Vranjevići, and we have every reason to be proud because the enemy did not advance any further," Tomanović said.

He emphasised that the task of an educational institution was not only to teach young people lessons from textbooks, but also lessons about life, honour and patriotism, noting that the event was a history lesson dedicated to remembrance, gratitude and pride.

The history lesson, organised by the Golub Kureš Secondary School Centre, was held at the Jevto Dedijer Cultural Centre in Bileća, attended by numerous former soldiers, students, teachers and local residents. Students from the Bileća secondary school and young gusle performers also took part in the programme.

During the First Mitrovdan Offensive, which lasted from November 8 to 14, 1992, 41 members of the Republika Srpska Army and one civilian were killed, while more than 100 soldiers and five civilians were wounded.

The Second Mitrovdan Battle was fought in November 1994 and ended with the defeat of forces of the so-called Army of BiH. A total of 26 soldiers were killed and 68 wounded, 42 of them seriously, while four civilians were killed.