Balkan war history

  Until the mid-1950s, Yugoslav People's Army units were equipped with air defense equipment of trophy origin, along with air defense equipment of Soviet and American origin. In the mid-fifties, the modernization of the first LPAA LPAA (light anti-aircraft artillery) began, which is most represented in the units of the Yugoslav People's Army. A 20/3 mm PAT license was purchased from the Swiss company Hispano. At the end of the fifties, a license for PAT 40 mm L70 with ammunition was purchased from the Swedish company Bofors. However, that program was abandoned at that time. As the speed of fighter jets increased significantly in the early 1960s, the focus of LPAA modernization shifted to new targets as well as devices to increase the ability to track fast targets. With old devices, it was simply no longer possible to follow fast planes, especially in sweeping flights. A mechanical sighting device for AA gun 40 mm M1 was developed, followed by a sighting device of the same t...

Machine gun M87 - naval version is formed by mounting of machine gun M87 to rotating the base that is placed on a bell-shaped mount. It is mounted on a vessel or vehicle by connecting the mount to the foundation with bolts. Quick and easy change of height is achieved with elevation system placed in rotating base. The design of the machine gun provides reliable function, without stoppages, in all environments. It is a gas operated weapon, with sliding block breech as the locking system. The barrel is cold forged, with a chrome plated interior, which provides long service life with unchanged ballistic characteristics. The barrel is disassembled from the machine gun quickly and easily, so in heavy duty, it is possible to cool it quickly or replace it with the spare one.  The machine gun is fed from a belt,  placed in the ammunition box with the capacity of 60 rounds. After firing, cartridge cases are ejected forward, which increases the safety of th...

Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun BOV-3 BOV-3 - Yugoslav production is intended for action on targets in the airspace under conditions of optical visibility and can be effectively used for actions on unshielded and lightly armored targets on the ground and water surfaces. The BOV-3 vehicle was armed with a triple-barreled anti-aircraft gun M55A4B1 20 mm. The BOV has a capacity of 10, including a driver, gunner, and eight infantrymen. The vehicle has a four-wheel drive and is powered by the Deutz type F 6L 413 F six-cylinder diesel engine developing 150 hp (110 kW) at 2650 rpm. The theoretical gun shooting speed is 1950 to 2250 bullets per minute. The allowed burst length is 180 rounds per tube, whereby the tube is heated to 250 ° C, so a break of 5-10 minutes is necessary for cooling. An air defense armored fighting vehicle BOV-3, exhibited in Medvedjek (located between Ljubljana and Novo Mesto). It was exhibited on June 25, 2011, to commemorate a battle in 1991 betwee...

In the factory "Torpedo" Rijeka in 1992 started the development of light armored vehicles LOV - 4x4, for the purpose of equipping the Croatian Armed Forces. The basic variant of the vehicle - armored carrier LOV-OP (General Supports) has been produced since 1993 and was first publicly displayed on the military parade in 1995. As a basis for the project LOV served chassis trucks Torpedo HV 4x4 TK-130 T-7, and the use of commercial components in the struc ture has significantly reduced the price of development, production, and maintenance of cars. Armored body is made by welding plates of reinforced steel, which provide protection against armored missiles 7.62 mm fired from a distance of 30 meters artillery shell fragments and anti-personnel mines. The armament consists of a machine gun Browning M2HB 12.7 mm set in the turret which provides only partial protection for the gunner. The combat kit contains a total of 250 bullets. Eight of smoke charge l...

During the Second World War, two tank brigades were formed from the allied aid at NOVJ. They were the First and the Second Tank Brigade, which made a significant contribution to the final struggle for the liberation of the country. At the end of the war, the two brigades found themselves in the northwest region of Yugoslavia. At the end of May 1945, the first tank was in the old area of Trieste, and the second tank brigade was sent to Zagreb on May 17, which was effectively broken through Trieste on 21 May. In May 1945, a decision was made about the formation of a Tank army, based on positive experiences with tank brigades and the influence of Soviet doctrine. The basis for the formation of this army was the two existing tank brigades, which turned into divisions after joining a single mechanized and artillery brigade. Stuart tank in JA In late July, in addition to two tank divisions, the composition of the First Tank Army entered one tank, artillery, mechanized, ant...

Yugoslavian SKS M5966 with the muzzle formed into a spigot-type grenade launcher and folded down grenade sight Papovka ( Semiautomatic rifle 7.62 mm M.59) was a Yugoslav semi-automatic rifle that uses a charge of 7.62x39. After 11 years in the Yugoslav People's Army replaced the erstwhile military rifle Zastava M48. Papovka PAP M59/66 In the mid-fifties in the Yugoslav military circles launched the idea of developing new semi-automatic rifle. For the final manufacturer of the new semi-automatic rifle factory "Crvena Zastava" from Kragujevac was selected. At the moment when the documentation was almost completed, there is an improvement in relations between the USSR and Yugoslavia. The new relations also included military cooperation, so the JNA switched to the purchase of a license for the production of the Soviet SKS rifle (Samozaryadny Karabin  Simonova). Yugoslav PAP M59/66 Yugoslav experts did not hold the concept of SKS rifle in gene...