BOSNIA REPORT: Task Force Eagle's Armor and Cavalry Operations in Bosnia

LT Parnell and SFC Frederickson of B Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cav with newly acquired M973A1 SUSV. The Swedish articulated vehicle and the Russian BMD-2, both under 8 tons, are well suited to Bosnia’s limited road net. ARMOR — 9 Armored Division for their upcoming deployment to Bosnia. I was told by the Swedish Embassy in Washington that only 17 BV-206S vehicles could be made available to meet the deployment of TF Eagle in December or January. I felt that all 17 BV-206S vehicles should be in one provisional cavalry troop so that a single commander would be responsible for training, maintenance, and logistic support. This did not preclude detaching scout squads or sections to other units as needed. I suggested that the cavalry troop be manned by the crews of some tanks left behind in Germany. The O&O concept was prepared and coordinated in December, with BG James P. (Pat) O’Neal, 1st AD ADC-Support in Bad Kreuznach; COL John Batiste, Cdr, 2d Bde in Baumholder; and LTC Tony Harriman, Cdr, 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry in Schweinfurt, whose squadron was detached from the 3d Infantry Division and attached to the 2d Brigade of the 1st AD for TF Eagle. The O&O plan was well received and BG O’Neal said that all 17 BV-206S vehicles could be employed by the 2d Brigade, the unit assigned to cover the mountainous terrain south and east of Tuzla. However, when MG Nash, CG, 1st AD, reviewed the plan, he felt that he could not justify the expense of buying 17 BV-206S vehicles from Sweden; instead, he decided to requisition 20 M973A1 SUSVs (unarmored versions of the BV-206S) from U. S. Army stocks in Italy.

These visits with the 1st Armored Division enabled me to understand TF Eagle’s upcoming mission in Bosnia and review the extensive training and preparation prior to deployment. I also conducted extensive research with the elements of the Swedish brigade, who have been operating in Bosnia and Macedonia for the past few years. Colonel Jan-G Isberg, former commander of the 1st Nordic Battalion, stated in his report dated February 15, 1994: “We were entirely dependent on the BV-206 to supply the positions, patrol the borders and to reconnoiter patrol tracks and locations for additional positions. All our BV-206 were exposed to heavy strain, both in stony and very rocky terrain in valleys and along steep mountainsides, where other types of vehicles could not pass at any time of the year. The BV-206 came up to all expectations. Thanks to them we were able to keep the operation running, and at no time we had to decrease our ambitions with the mission in spite of the extremely difficult terrain.”

Operations in Bosnia The entire area of TF Eagle was previously the responsibility of the Swedish battalion, which now is responsible for only the NW sector of TF Eagle (see map, above). I stayed with the Swedes from 14 to 19 March 1996 and was accompanied in my travels by MAJ Claes Wolgast, Deputy Chief of Staff SWEBAT, and LT Christof Reychman, interpreter. I was impressed by the professional capabilities of the Swedes and their extensive knowledge of Bosnia.

As the Germans found out in World War II, TF Eagle also knows that Bosnia is not ideal “tank country.” However, the decision to send the 1st Armored Division to Bosnia, rather than an infantry or mechanized infantry division, has had a profound effect. The awesome presence of a reinforced armored division can leave little doubt in the minds of the Serbians, Croatians, and Bosnians that the United States and its NATO allies mean business in implementing the Dayton Agreement. A platoon of Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles at a checkpoint is a strong reminder of the hundreds more that are also quite visible in the camps of the 1st Armored Division. There are some areas of Bosnia that are more like classic “tank country,” such as the critical Posavina corridor in the 1st Brigade’s sector. However, mud can be a real problem even in this relatively flat area.

M1A1 tanks with mine rollers have proved their worth in clearing roads of deadly antitank mines. Mine roller tanks could have prevented the serious accident which happened to the Danish tank company in the Swedish sector. This was a unique mine encounter in which three TMM-1 antitank mines, connected with detonating cord, went off simultaneously under a Leopard-1 tank. The bottom photo on Page 45 shows a road wheel arm sheared off by one of the mines.

ARMOR — Continued on Page 45