Operation Mistral

Operation Mistral (Bosnian and Croatian: Operacija Maestral named after the Mistral wind) were two linked military offensives of the Croatian Army, the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Defence Council launched in Western Bosnia and Herzegovina during September 1995 as part of the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War. It ended with a decisive victory for the Croatian and Bosnian forces.

At the same time, NATO began its bombings of Serb-held territory in (Operation Deliberate Force), which further demoralized and weakened the Serb position.

Background
Following successful operations during the Summer of 1995 and the August overtaking of Krajina during Operation Storm, Croatian forces crossed over into Bosnian territory to continue the pursuit of Serb forces which were routed after Storm.

Operation
Two elite Croatian brigades, which captured Knin during Storm, the 4th Guards Brigade and the 7th Guards Brigade, entered Bosnian territory and attacked north from the area around Bosansko Grahovo, which had been captured during the summer.

The first phase of the Operation (Maestral 1) began on 8 September and the first Serb lines were broken quickly. Opposing the Croatians were 7 light infantry brigades, one motorized brigade and two armored battalions of the Serb forces. The city of Šipovo fell quickly and the 7th Guards Brigade captured the strategically important mountain pass of Mliništa. Jajce was captured on 13 September and the first phase ended on that day at 18:00 hours, at which time about 2,000 square kilometers had changed hands.

Following this, began the second phase of the operation, Maestral 2, during which Drvar was captured on September 14, and the operation ended on 30 September. When it ended, only the city of Mrkonjić Grad remained between Croat forces and the Serb capital of Banja Luka. Mrkonjić Grad was captured soon after, during Operation Južni potez (8-12 Oct 1995.)

At the same time, the Fifth Corps of the Bosnian Army from Bihać, on the left wing of the Croatian advance, launched its own simultaneous offensive and captured Krupa, Bosanski Petrovac and Ključ and began advancing on Prijedor, located west of Banja Luka. Although such Bosnian actions were not part of Operation Maestral, the advancement of the two armies were coordinated as part of a general offensive in western Bosnia.

Aftermath
Following the collapse of Serb resistance in west Bosnia, Serb forces regrouped and launched a counteroffensive which was repulsed by Croat and Bosniak forces. This enabled the ARBiH's Fifth Corps to launch Operation Sana in October 1995, pushing further east; simultaneously Croat forces advanced further northeast.

The success of the Croat and Bosniak post-Storm offensives meant that the entire region of western Bosnia was now in their hands. The vital Serb center of Banja Luka was now a realistic next objective, whose capture would mean total defeat for Serb forces in Bosnia at the hands of the Croats and Bosniaks. This new situation finally convinced the Bosnian Serb leadership to agree to negotiate and the Dayton Agreement was reached only one month after Mistral, ending the Bosnian War.