The 3rd Guards Brigade (), nicknamed ''Kune'' ("

Marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...

s"), was a guards brigade of the

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( or HKoV) is the land force branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is numerically the largest of the three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces. The HKoV is the main force for the defense of the country against external threa ...

, formed on 29 April 1991, in

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...

. During the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

, the 3rd Guards Brigade primarily operated in the regions of

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

and Baranja in eastern Croatia.

History

Originally formed as the 3rd "A" Brigade of the

Croatian National Guard The Croatian National Guard ( or ZNG) was an armed force established by Croatia in April and May 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although it was established within the framework of the Ministry of the Interior for legal reasons, th ...

(ZNG) in 1991, the 3rd Guards Brigade initially consisted of four battalions stationed in

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (, ), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod is the 7th lar ...

and

Vukovar Vukovar (; sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, , ) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern Regions of Croatia, regions of Syrmia and Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka (river), Vuka and the Danube. Vukova ...

. During the war, approximately 10,000 men served with the brigade, which includes 369 killed, 1,088 injured and 17 missing in action. Between 1991 and 1995, the 3rd Guards Brigade was involved in numerous engagements including: *

Battle of Vukovar The Battle of Vukovar was an 87-day siege of Vukovar in eastern Croatia by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various paramilitary forces from Serbia, between August and November 1991. Before the Croatian War of Independence the Bar ...

(1991; 4th Battalion) *

Battle of Osijek The Battle of Osijek () was the artillery bombardment of the Croatian city of Osijek by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) which took place from August 1991 to June 1992 during the Croatian War of Independence. Shelling peaked in late November an ...

(1991–92) * Operation Maslenica (1993) *

Operation Flash Operation Flash ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Bljesak, separator=" / ", Операција Бљесак) was a brief Croatian Army (HV) offensive conducted against the forces of the self-declared proto-state Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) from ...

(1995) During

Operation Storm Operation Storm ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Oluja, separator=" / ", Операција Олуја) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory f ...

in August 1995, the 3rd Guards Brigade was deployed to defend the city of Osijek, and did not see any combat.

Post-war

In 2003 most of the brigade was disbanded, with remnants merged with the 5th Guards Brigade to form the 3rd Armoured Guards Brigade (3.GOMBR). In 2007, the 3.GOMBR itself was reformed to become the present-day Guards Armoured Mechanized Brigade (GOMBR)), a unit of mechanized infantry based in Vinkovci. The legacy and the name of the historic brigade survives through the Tank Battalion "Kune", which is part of the modern-day GOMBR.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Guards Brigade Kune (Croatia) Military units and formations established in 1991 Military units and formations disestablished in 2003 Brigades of Croatia Military units and formations of the Croatian War of Independence 1991 establishments in Croatia