We recently received photographs in the mail showing the site where the tragedy took place, as well as images from some memorial gatherings. But what actually happened there?
The Tango 23 observation post was part of a line of observation posts between hostile Croatia and the Republic of Serbian Krajina. The crew consisted of members of the 1st Company, 3rd Battalion of the peacekeeping forces—CZEBATT—of the Czech Armed Forces. In August 1995, mortar shells struck the post.
According to the Military History Institute: “Shrapnel inflicted fatal wounds on Sergeant Luděk Zeman and Corporal Petr Valeš, while Sergeant Roman Čelanský, Corporal Jiří Suda, and Corporal Jiří Hubáček suffered minor injuries. Although the Croats who had occupied the Czech outpost had a doctor who treated the wounded soldiers, they refused to allow the injured Czechs to be evacuated to the Serbian zone. In addition, most of the base’s infrastructure was destroyed, and as a result of the fire, both the service and personal equipment of the observation post’s crew were burned.”
A historical view of the base on Repetitor Hill
The telecommunications equipment that gave the hill its name
A gathering at the official memorial to the battles in the Repetitor area