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1st class Sgt ZARKO PETROVIC reserve member of the 549. brigade
Todas is the 11th day at attacks on Gorozup border post area,
all the way from the river Drim up to the peak of Pastrik mountain.
During these 11 days, there were plenty of attacks
against our units defending our positions, and all the attack
were fenced off, with minimum casualties.
Foreign media launched information that all my fighters got killed
on the first line of defense. This is simply not accurate
and all my fighters are right here by my side
on the first line of defense of our fatherland.
MILOVAN DRECUN Gorozup border post, June 1999
Class of recruits that completed military training in March carried
huge burden in defending our country against NATO and Albanian aggression.
You are just 18 yrs old. How much battle experience do you have?
- A year already. I was in Prizren at the regular training and now here at the Gorozup border post.
What's your name? - Mojasevic Momcilo from Podgorica.
Born in Podgorica? - Yes.
Tell me, how does a an 18-year-old feel when he comes to the frontlines
where such intense fighting takes place? - It's bearable.
It's not easy, but it's not that hard as well.
Us, Montenegrins, were never traitors nor ever will be.
We were always together with the Serbs.
Tell me also, what do you think about the aggressor's leaflets that they
throw from their planes these days, saying that more than 13000 Serbian soldiers
deserted their postions and motivating the others to do the same?
- Yes, they still throw the leaflets daily. Here, I have a few. I'll show you...
And what do you think about it?
- Nothing. What could I say? They lie, nothing is true about it...
Well, they call you, the fighters, to surrender. According to it, to those stories, some of you deserted...?
- Nobody deserted, we don't run. We can only go forward not backwards, no way.
You can see many leaflets here, they say lots of stuff...
Is this more like a souvenir to you? - (others) Haha, right. These are just souvenirs for these fighters...
No-one out of these guys will try to desert...
If it was true that almost 13000 troops deserted and that 300 tanks
was destroyed as they say, then it seems like almost no-one should be here.
- (laughter) Yes, non of us should be here... Here, he is from Montenegro as well.
There is about 6-7 of us.
Are you from the class of March as well? - Yes. - And where from are you?
- I was born in Pljevlja on 7th of March 1977. My father and my brother were also in wars,
now, time has come for me to follow their path. Fate is like that.
It only matters to endure all this in good health.
What's your name? - Savic, Miomir.
Well, you are descendants of glorious Serbian warriors.
Again, there is the battle at Kosovo, after more than 6 centuries...
We then lost, but now? - We shouldn't.
Now, we can only go forward. We don't have where to go back.
You just demonstrated that here. How was it during this attack?
- It wasn't easy. We had several wounded and guys 3 got killed,
but I think that the guys got even as well.
How do younger soldiers feel when the night comes?
You've been here for a while. - They were a little nervous
in the beginning, because they first had to see how one should act, move quietly or shoot
in conditions like that, but now everything is OK.
We have full control of the situation.
- They fly above you all the time? Yes, they are. Albanian artillery acts also,
and they keep trying with combined attacks
but we manage to defend our positions successfully.
- They don't succeed? - No, not so far.
There, on the horizon, you can see the bunker.
By its left side, recoilless cannons are stationed,
and they can act any second now. On the right, there are cannons and mortars
that keep firing at us constantly.
From the mid May onwards, besides the existing NFL and NVA Kosovo bombing zones,
NATO strategists introduced the third one, covering the area
from Pastrik to Prizren.
That zone, that NATO named the Pig Lair, was formed during preparations
for the operation "Arrow".
In it, all types of aircrafts were used, especially the strategic bombers B-52,
used for massive carpet bombing intended to clear the Pig Lair and
to destroy the entire Pristina corps in that area.
In desperate attempts to enable Albanian terrorists to breach
the defense line in the area of Gorozup and Pastrik,
NATO strategists had the positions of the 549. brigade
covered by bombs and rockets, day and night.
In those attacks, they used extremely dangerous Appache helicopters also.
Gen. Clark confirmed this as well. He said: "On Saturday May 29th,
KLA's offensive was brought to a standstill.
The Serbs played some dangerous game, in order
to avoid exposure to our airforces.
The Appache would've been a great tool for attacking
heavy Serbian equipment set up during night-time
by the trees, when our arial attack was least efficient,
as acknowledged by Michael Shor.
Obviously, Clark didn't know that our fighters at the frontlines
didn't have any heavy equipment. Only infantry weaponry
and a big heart and determination to fight to the last.
Not even NATO aviation and Appache helicopters
couldn't make them go away.
Pvt MILAN AVRAMOVIC member of the 549. brigade
When the war began, during the first Appache attack,
Capt Misic asked who had been in charge to use the
"Black Arrow" sniper rifle (Crna strela), 12.7 mm cal.
I answered, since I had been using it during my regular military training.
He then asked me if I had the gutts to shoot an Appache,
bearing in mind that I would have only 20 sec to fire and move away.
because the helicopter would then return fire immediatelly.
Then we dug a hole some 20 meters away from the place
where I would be lying with my sniper, the location where the Appache were likely
to come to attack our boys.
One night, during the very first week of the war,
one Appache was hovering near the ground to attack,
while the others circled around to protect it.
When an Appache attacks, it first hovers in one position
and than opens fire at everything from the left to the right and vice verca.
The others watch it and open covering fire if necessary.
In the dark, you can only see it when it flashes while firing.
Otherwise, you can't see it.
I shot at it with my Black Arrow, and only saw when a sparkle flashed,
It was probably the moment when I hit it.
I immediatelly moved away, with my heavy sniper and took cover in the hole.
Capt Misic was right. After 20 sec, they started firing
all their weapons at that spot.
Nontheless, I completed my objective, i.e. to draw their attention away from our border post.
Being unable to breach our line of defense,
in the morning of May 29th, the aggressor used strategic
aviation for the first time over the village of Planeja.
Two strategic bombers B-52 discharged several dozens of tons
of lethal materials in an area sized 300x300 meters.
Footage showing Planeja after B-52 bomb raid, May 1999
However, our forces had already moved away from there,
so there were no losses.
During the campaign, strategic bombers flew
all the way from Great Britain, across Italy, Adriatic Sea and Albania,
and entered our airspace above the delta of the river Bojana,
and released their deadly cargo on third zone of Pastrik,
from hights of 12-13 000 meters.
Strategic bombers, each of them being able to carry around 30 tons
of various lethal projectiles, were always under protection
of other planes.
Every day they performed carpet-bombing using the MK-82 bombs,
and occasionally the M-117 general-purpose bombs as well.
On May 31st, around 6:30 a.m., the most intense ground attack
from Albania began.
It turned out to have been crucial for the "Arrow" operation's outcome.
The attack lasted for 7 hours straight, in waves.
At 10:00 p.m., NATO aviation entered the battle as well.