River Flotilla of the Serbian Armed Forces

River Flotilla of Serbian Armed Forces Rečna Flotila
River Flotilla Unit Emblem and Flag
Active	March 30, 1833 - current
Type	River Flotilla
Role	Defense of Serbian rivers and support for Land Forces
Size	900 sailors, 15 ships and boats (brigade size)
Part of	Serbian Army
Garrison/HQ	Novi Sad
Anniversaries	August 6
Engagements	World War I World War II
Commanders
Current commander	Battleship Captain Nebojša Joksimović
Insignia
Naval Ensign

The Serbian River flotilla (Serbian: Речна Флотила, Rečna Flotila) is the specific unit of the Serbian Land Forces with the task of keeping and optimum operational regime of sailing and of protection of Serbian interests in interior sailing corridors, which consists of rivers and canals with a total length of 1,626 km. The unit is composed of the Command ship "Kozara", river minesweepers and assault loading boats.

The command of River Flotilla is based in Novi Sad, like the most of its units, except for a few of them based in Belgrade and Šabac.

History

Origins

Serbian river patrol boat "Jadar"

Alexander the Great had the first fleet on the Danube basin, according to written documents. The Romans were the first to have a Danube river flotilla.

Huns, Avars, Goths, Gepids, Mongols and others formed similar units.

After their arrival at the Balkan peninsula, Serbs and other Slavs used rivers and became very skilled at making ships.

The last Serbian Despot, Pavle Bakić's Šajkaši flotilla fought against the Ottomans.

On March 30, 1833, the "Serbia" set sail. It was built at shipyard Dubravica by Greek Nikola Kefala by order of Knjaz Miloš (TT information: length 24m, breadth 7m, draughts 3,5m, carrying capacity 250t). In April 1840, the Knjaz Mihailo was constructed in Brza Palanka (TT information: length 65m, breadth 7,5m, draughts 4,5m, armament of ship was 12 cannons).

Serbia received its first true warship, the patrol boat "Jadar", on August 6, 1915. It was built in Čukarica. The ship was armed and used for mine laying on the Sava river.

Kingdom of Yugoslavia and April war

Model of Warship "Drava", type of ironclad monitor, 1941. Monitor Drava was the only warship of Kingdom of Yugoslavia that fought against Nazi German army on the river Danube

The Royal Yugoslav Navy in its organization it had River flotilla composed from "Cer" based in Novi Sad command ship, one monitor group in Dubovac, four mining-barrage groups in Bezdan, Stara Kanjiza and Senta, Sremski Karlovci and Smederevo and Đerdap sector command in Tekija and Donji Milanovac. The main vessels were four large, heavily armed and armoured river monitors in its river flotilla. They were used to patrol the Danube, Drava and Sava rivers in the northern parts of Yugoslavia and its border with Hungary. These monitors, the "Drava", "Sava", "Morava" and "Vardar" had been inherited from the Austro-Hungarian Navy at the end of First World War. All were of around 400-500t with a main armament of two 120mm guns, two or three 66mm guns, 120mm mortars, 40mm AA guns and machine guns. The River fleet also had two river patrol boats built in 1929, "Graničar" and "Stražar", and three river tugs.

At the start of the April War river monitors had carried out offensive operations by shelling the airfield at Mohács in Hungary on the 6th of April and again two days later, but had to begin withdrawing towards Novi Sad by the 11th of April after coming under repeated attack by German dive-bombers. Early in the morning of 12 April, a squadron of German Junkers Ju 87 dive-bombers attacked the Yugoslav monitors on the Danube. The "Drava" was hit by several of them but they were unable to penetrate the "Drava's" 300mm thick deck armour, until, by chance, one put a bomb straight down the funnel, killing 54 of the 67 man crew. During the attack anti-aircraft gunners on the monitors claimed 3 dive-bombers shot down. The remaining 3 monitors were scuttled by their crews later on 12 April as German and Hungarian forces had occupied the bases and the river systems upon which they operated.^[1]

River flotilla of Yugoslav Partisans

On September 11, 1944, in Neštin, by Order of General staff of NOV i PO in Vojvodina, the Naval company was formed, the first official naval unit for militant fights at Danube and Sava, which came into composition of 11th Vojvodina NOV brigade. The troop was made at a crew of ship "Zagreb", signal-corps troop of General staff of Vojvodina and soldiers from different units who were earlier serving at navy. Its first commander was Kara Dimitrijević from Ledinci, deputy commander was Dragutin Iskra, political commissary Svetozar Milovanović, and deputy of political commissary Rada Prodanović.

Ship "Zagreb" was a passenger ship rearranged for mine disposal at subwater mines. Crew of "Zagreb" came into 'partizans' after they captured German part of crew. Action was led by deputy commander of "Zagreb" Dragutin Iskra. The crew brought all light arms and ship anti-aircraft cannon 20mm with them.

The troop had 70 to 80 soldiers and it had a duty to attack enemy river traffic and to do transports at Danube. It was based on 3 places at Fruška Gora: at Testera, near Neštin and Krčedin.

On November 20, 1944, a navy base was formed in Novi Sad, and this troop was a part of the base. After a little bit more than two months of existence, the troop made a hard damage on 5 and light damage on 43 enemy boats and killed or injured a lot of enemy soldiers. At the same time, it transported 220,000 soldiers over Danube, about 2,000 cannons, 3,000 trucks and more thousands of different material.

In March, 1945, command of river units had flotilla of armed boats of 7 patrol boats, 9 motor boats and 7 assault boats, located in naval bases. By mid-April, it was reinforced with 5 more ships and command ship "Cer". From ships and boats from base in Sremska Mitrovica was formed Sava flotilla on 20 March 1945, and from ships and boats from Novi Sad base on 14 April was formed Danube flotilla.

After the World War II

In a period from 1944 to 1965, river flotilla was organized in a few detachment of river armor boats, river assault ships, river auxiliary ships and minesweepers squadron as part of Yugoslav Navy (JRM).

From 1960 River flotilla was excluded from Navy and subordinated to command of 1st Army, but later after reorganization has again become part of Navy.

A period since 1965 to 1984 was characteristic because of technical modernization and perfecting of tactics of using RF. Minesweepers type 319 and 307 and assault ships type 401 were reconstructed, a new minesweepers type 331 were built, station for demagnetization of ships and the ships were armed with new arms.

The last combat operation of River flotilla was on November 8, 1991, during the war in Croatia, when minesweeper 308 was send to Kopački Rit due the information that Czechoslovak ship "Šariš" was there smuggling arms to Croats. The minesweeper was ambushed by Croatian National Guard forces, and it was hit with Zolja and Armbrust ant-tank rockets. 1st class Warrant Officers, Lampret Kristijan i Marković Stevan were killed while commander, Zoran Marković was wounded due it was hit by sniper. Although seriously wounded, he managed to stranded boat to shore with the help of several sailors and save the crew and the ship from sinking.

Recently after reorganization of Military of Serbia, River Flotilla was organizationally subordinated to Land Forces, as the military didn't had Navy anymore as branch. Flotilla is now organized as Brigade-size unit, and two pontoon battalions from 1st Land Force Brigade subordinated to River Flotilla.

Role and tasks

River flotilla is intended for keeping the operative regime of sailing and protection of interests of Serbia at inner sailing corridors (ISC). Assignments execute independent, in cooperation with units of Serbian Army, Air Forces and AD and in cooperation with forces of Police.

Assignments:

• Transporting includes transport of personnel and technicians across the river and along rivers and canals.

• Anti-terrorist actions include a protection of objects and ships at base regions, in cooperation with unites of Army at discovering of terrorist groups (TG) at grasp of ISC.

• Security of sailing and rescuing at ISC is providing a security of sailing and rescuing at river.

• Taking a part in international missions

Organization

• River Flotilla
  • Command - Novi Sad
  • Command Company - Novi Sad
  • Logistic Company - Novi Sad
  • 1st River Squad - Novi Sad
  • 2nd River Squad - Belgrade
  • 1st Pontoon Battalion - Šabac
  • 2nd Pontoon Battalion - Novi Sad
  • 93rd River Center - Novi Sad

93rd River Center main tasks are: reconnaissance, demolition and all diving work in rivers and waters inside Serbia. It includes frogmen. The unit was formed on 1 June 1972. 93rd RC has trained more than 1500 scuba divers for all water-based activities, on a level corresponding to that of similar units of this type worldwide. They have standard weapons and diver equipment, mostly of Russian origin, although some hail from Germany, France and Sweden.

Fleet

The station for degauss RSRB-36 "Šabac"

Assault boat DČJ-412

RPČ-214 patrol boat

PTS-M

Command ship

• • RPB-30 "Kozara"  Austria

Station for degauss

• • RSRB-36 "Šabac"  Yugoslavia

River minesweepers

• Neštin class  Yugoslavia
  • RML-331 "Neštin"
  • RML-332 "Motajica"
  • RML-335 "Vučedol"
  • RML-336 "Đerdap"
  • RML-341 "Novi Sad"

Assault ships

• 441 class  Yugoslavia
  • DJČ-411
  • DJČ-412

Patrol boats

• • ČMP-22  Yugoslavia
  • ČMP-23  Yugoslavia
  • ČMP-24  Yugoslavia
  • RPČ-111  Yugoslavia
  • RPČ-213  Yugoslavia
  • RPČ-214  Yugoslavia
  • RPČ-216  Yugoslavia

Other Equipment

• PTS-M amphibious vehicle
• GSP amphibious transport ferry
• PM M71 floating bridge

See also

• Military of Serbia
• Serbian Army
• SFR Yugoslav Navy
• Yugoslav Royal Navy
• Brown-water navy
• Navies of landlocked countries

References

1. ^ Shores, et al, 1987, p. 224.

External links

• Official website