Fallen airmen honoured in Sinj

In the presence of the families of deceased veterans, wartime friends and commanders, troops of the 93rd Air Force Base and the Guards Motorised Brigade, representatives of local authorities of Split-Dalmatia County, the city of Sinj, and veterans association, wreaths were laid and candles lit in front of the memorial “Slomljeno Krilo” in Šimici. On behalf of the 93rd Air Force Base Commander Lieutenant Colonel Karol Lučan paid tribute to fallen soldiers.

Holy Mass for the deceased aviators was served at the Shrine of Our Miraculous Lady Sinjska by the Guardian of the Sinj Shrine, Fra Petar Klapež, in communion with the military chaplain patter Ivo Topalović.

Sinj and Split are the cradle of the first Croatian Air Force units resulting in Dalmatia, which at the time were part of the 4th Guards Brigade, and later its members contributed through actions of established units within the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence in Divulje. The platoon conducted air reconnaissance, transporting men and equipment, and seizing of arms and ammunition from storage of enemy forces, and in early June 1991 they performed first combat flight.

For the purposes of 4th Brigade, members of the Platoon produced mobile radar with range of 25 miles, and incorporated the OSA rocket launcher and night vision equipment on UTVA-75 plane.

Although the first operations of this Air Force unit were limited due to lack of equipment, in the psychological and moral terms their effects were far greater and were key drivers in the creation and development of the first Air Force and Air Defence troops during the Homeland War.