Operation Grom: Heroic Fight by Sarajevo Fighters Prevented Aggressor from Cutting the City!

(Patria) - On this day in 1992, one of the decisive actions for the defense of Sarajevo was successfully carried out.

In the operation codenamed Grom, the aggressor was prevented from attempting to cut the city in two by connecting Pofalići with the then-besieged Grbavica.

The aggressor's plan was to cut the city along the line Vogošća-Žuč-Pofalići-Marshal Tito Barracks-Grbavica.

However, in the early morning of May 16, 1992, an hour earlier than the aggressors expected, the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina thwarted this intention by defeating the aggressors.

Thanks to the Municipal Territorial Defense Staff Novo Sarajevo, units and patriots, the Regional Staff, and the coordination between the Municipal Staff, Supreme Command, and units, the cutting of the city was prevented.

The defenders of Sarajevo managed to break through to the famous Plavi Granap and stopped around 11 AM due to strong resistance. After several hours of uncertainty, the fighters from Pofalići and Velešići consolidated and destroyed a strong machine-gun nest at Cvijetića pekari. In the final phase of the Pofalići battle, 11 fighters who came to assist, commanded by Samir Pezo, played a significant role. In the early evening hours, the company of Alija Prazine was successfully unblocked.

Serbian soldiers retreated via Orlić and Žuč towards Vogošća and Rajlovac, and some removed their uniforms and managed to escape to Vraca via Dolac Malta. During the night, most of the participants of the Pofalići battle returned home, so only a small number of Pofalići fighters guarded the liberated positions. Had they known this, Lazo Bojanić's soldiers could have easily recaptured the lost positions during the night in a counteroffensive.

Sarajevo defenders Edin Krako Deba, Miralem Miradžija, and Muris Đelkić Čičak were killed in the Pofalići battle.

The ARBiH fighters were opposed by the Pofalići Brigade of the VRS, which numbered about 1,700 members, the paramilitary formation White Eagles with 380 members, about 100 "Serbian policemen," and a group from the paramilitary formation Vukodlaci.

Serbian forces suffered a heavy defeat in the settlement of Pofalići, and conditions were created for the ARBiH to advance towards the strategically important Žuč plateau north of Sarajevo.

The Battle for Žuč hill took place on June 8, 1992, and was one of the first victories of the ARBiH. It confirmed the success of the Pofalići battle and created preconditions for further advancement by liberating Kote 850, Vis, and Golo brdo.

A documentary film about the Pofalići battle was made by Avdo Huseinović.