Battle of Orašje

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Battle of Orašje

The Battle of Orašje took place from 5 May to 10 June 1995 during the Bosnian War. The fighting occurred around the town of Orašje, on the south side of the Sava River in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town was held by the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) with help from the Croatian Army, while the attackers were the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) of the Bosnian Serbs, supported by units of the VRS command.

The VRS launched Operation Flame-95 to capture Orašje. The fighting happened in bursts, with lulls of a few days between attacks. The fiercest fighting came on 14–15 May, when the VRS briefly broke through some HVO defenses near Vidovice, but the HVO and Croatian artillery held the line and recovered the ground.

Throughout the battle the VRS bombarded Orašje while trying to breach the front from the center and the left flank. The HVO, reinforced by artillery from across the Sava River in Croatia, resisted stubbornly. UN observers reported thousands of explosions and intense fighting, but the front line did not change overall.

By 10 June the VRS had called off the operation. The battle ended with no territory changing hands. Both sides suffered casualties, including civilians, and intermittent fighting continued for some time after the battle.

The clash showed that by 1995 the VRS could no longer win battles simply by relying on heavy weapons; well-organized defenders with artillery support from Croatia were able to hold their positions.