Operation Bollebank, one of UN open fights in Yugoslavia part II

After quickly recognizing the position of the enemy, the order was to Destroy enemy anti-tank position. At the same time, UNPROFOR's command refuses the air support, as the risk of the aircraft being shot down by an anti-aircraft net covering the besieging Sarajewo was high.

The fight lasted about 40 minutes. While the platoon of Moeller and the platoon under company commander Rasmussen bound the Serbs to fight, the last of the platoons merged with Tango 2. Then the attacks on the Tango 2 position ceased, and the Swedish armored personnel carrier took over the soldiers to evacuate them to Tuzla.

The Danes shot accurately - apart from good training, they also had a technological advantage in the form of excellent night-vision and thermovision equipment, laser rangefinders and fire computers in their Leopards. On the other hand, the launchers of Malutka, operate recoilless and anti-tank guns D-44 and T-12 had to be based on ordinary mechanical devices. The Danes extinguished one position after another, pushing the Serbs away from the road near Sera.

During the entire exchange of fire, the Danes fired a total of 72 missiles for 105mm L7 guns. In response to the sudden armored threat, the Serbs brought three T-55 tanks into the area. And here there is a certain discrepancy.

According to ROE (rules of engagement), UN forces were entitled to attack tanks of factions fighting in Yugoslavia only when they fought in battles. Meanwhile, the Danish sources say that the T-55 did not finally participate in the battle - their cannons remained cold in the thermal imaging sights, which led the shooters to ignore them as targets.

Marco Leofrigio says otherwise, according to which Rasmussen himself had to say (off-record) that the tank guns were hot and they were to be attacked. Most probably also eliminated. Serbs do not confirm this. Sources mostly tend to say that during the battles in Saraci there was no direct tank vs. tank battle.

I leave the rating to you - readers. I will just add that all sources agree that after the battle of 29 April, 19 pieces of anti-tank missiles disappeared from Danish logistics :)

The Serbs ultimately stopped when Lieutenant Moeller's tank hit an indefinite target of causing a massive explosion visible from far away and shaking the entire countryside. The tanks stopped contact and before 1am they finally returned to Tuzla.

Unfortunately, we do not have data on Serbian losses. In the end, Tango 2 was evacuated, also independent sources lost their "eyes" to the battlefield when the day rose. Most probably, Leopard's got a set of artillery ammunition used to fire at Sarajevo, which caused massive damage to the Serbs. The Serbs confirmed that they had lost 9 people that night; however, humanitarian sources and local residents were to say that the Serbs had buried even 150 bodies. The status of T-55 remains uncertain until now, although undoubtedly in the event of their destruction none of the cars was in a state of irrevocable - wrecks do not stand in the area of ​​Saraci.

The Danes withdrew without own loses. One of the Leopards was slightly damaged, probably a hit from an anti-tank cannon. Apart from Moeller's beard, there were no losses in people and dignity.

It was the first ever Leopers 1 fight. These tanks proved that although in the 90's they were otherwise aged, they were able to bite with good crews. The Danes acted as dynamically as the situation and ROE allowed them to do so. This is especially important in this regard, that the crews have never participated in the fight before and it was their baptism of battle.

The Danish Leopards served as part of the UNPROFOR mission until its end. If there were no fights with tanks in Saraci, it was undoubtedly repaired on October 25, 1994 near Gradać - about six months after the Saraci incident, named in the Danish press "Operation Bollebank" - literally "Beating bandits";)

Leopards were again used in battle only by Canada in Afghanistan after 2010 - but only as mobile fire bunkers, so it was not a real battle test. At the moment, the Leopard battalions reportedly shield the actions of Turkish troops in Syria, although to my knowledge they did not take part in the fighting, giving away to their sons, Leopard 2. So, undoubtedly, the incident "Bollebank" was a baptism and the only real battle of Leopard 1