Banka

Bosno-Croatian Border, Summer 1993

Chapter 1-The Barn
After escaping a Croatian held village a few miles away two VRS soldiers came out of a UAZ with a Croat officer. “Vidić where the hell have you been?” asked Boro the platoon sergeant who just had stood out of a barn. “A bit of scouting, you know how it is” Vidić replied with. Boro took a few seconds to respond “Scouting? Since when does Scouting mean brining back Ustasha officers?” Vidić replied “Then a grab and run, he’s with intelligence anyway, might help”. Running into the barn Boro asked Vidić “How did Ioannidis get in on this?” and Vidić responded “Simple, the kid doesn’t even speak Serbian so he doesn’t realise I was demoted”.

Vidić sat the Croatian officer down and picked up a bottle of Rakia, Grobarvić gave out “Hej Vidić we need that for win we win the trophy tonight, don’t give it to the Ustasha” and Vidić replied with “Give it a break the only person here who drowns themselves over football is you Dalmatian”. While Vidić poured the Rakia and sat down the officer asked him “That man, in the Partizan jersey he’s Dalmatian?” and Vidić answered “Yeah he’s from Zadar why?” which the officer told him “I’m from there as well, Zadar but I support Hajduk obviously I’m no Chetnik”. Vidić took a drink from his cup and jokingly replied with “We’ve got a common enemy you and I pukovnik…” “Petrić” the officer told his name and Vidić continued “as I said a common enemy, Zagreb”. “Now pukovnik, I want to know the location of all Croatian positions, encampments etc.” Vidić asked and was told “I refuse to tell a Chetnik anything” before Boro butted in and shouted “We’ve got a enough problems of our own Petrić, for one we’ve got General Mladić continually pushing us back into the frying pan, to the left the Yugoslavian army, to right our own artillery then we’ve got you guys and the Turks everywhere else. We know the Croatian army is the weakest around here that’s why we went for you because maybe breaking your neck hold would give us more breathing room” but finally the officer said something “Look gentlemen the Croatian army is planning a massive counterattack, I’d advise you to get out now when you still can”

A soldier ran into the barn looking for Boro. “Boro the captain wants to speak to you” and Boro replied “Tell him to do his own dirty work for a change wouldn’t you” the soldier then told him “But Boro it’s urgent” and Boro sighed and followed the solider. “Where is he Ivanović?” the soldier then said to him “He’s in the mill and don’t call me Ivanović” “That’s your name isn’t it?” replied Boro and the soldier then told him “But it’s Ivović”. Boro then told him “If you don’t shut up I’ll christen you your mother’s name”.

In the mill house Boro met with Captain Mađarice. “You wanted me sir?” Boro asked and Mađarice told him “Look Boro I need you stay about here for a while”. “Stay here, for the Ustashas to make trophies of our skulls? They’re planning on a huge counterattack, no Chetnik or Turk would be left alive” Boro told the captain who replied with “I’m aware of that zastavnik but I need to go to Belgrade in a few days. Anyway how do you like the boat outside?” Boro hit his face and left the mill house, telling Ivović “He’s just like the captain out of Kelly’s Heroes, if not worse”

Back in the barn the officer had become intoxicated. “I’m scared Vidić, if the Ustashas come we’re all dead, all dead man, dead and if I survive I’m double dead. I’m Dalmatian and they want all us Dalmatian Serbs dead” Grobarvić said going out of control and Vidić said to him “Calm down, no one’s dying, just be like Ioannidis relax” but it didn’t really help and Grobarvić responded “Yeah that’s easy for Ioannidis considering he only speaks Greek, Italian and English but not Serbian or Croatian”. Looking at the officer’s bag Vidić noticed a lead bar, or so it seemed. Looking further at it he noticed of what appeared to be a bit of gold paint. He then started rubbing the bar and it was revealed that it wasn’t lead and there was no gold paint. “Petrić how many of these is there?” Vidić asked and the drunken officer replied “Not telling you” Vidić told him “Come on do it for Brotherhood and Unity” which triggered Petrić to tell him “There’s 14…, 14,000 in a bank at Čuma”. “Grobarvić know anything about Čuma?” Vidić asked and Grobarvić took his guide book “Here Čuma, predominantly Muslim village and it’s about a day away from here, why?” Vidić just told him “I was only wondering”.

When Boro and Ivović walked into the barn a major on the radio announced all Bosnian Serb troops to leave the general area immediately. “Thank god we’re getting out of this hell hole, alright everyone move, come on Vidić, leave the Ustasha” Boro ordered “If we leave the Ustasha we’re not getting the gold” replied Vidić and Boro asked “What gold?” before ordering further “Ioannidis, Grobarvić head over the bridge west of here!” Vidić then said to him while lifting Petrić “It’s in a bank in Čuma” and Boro shouted “Čuma, that’s behind Croat lines!” and then turned his attention to the self-propelled gun crew “What the hell are you two inbred goat lovers still doing here?”

Vidić and Boro were the last along with Petrić to leave the barn, the UAZ had been destroyed so they ran towards Ioannidis and Grobarvić’s position. The three men fell but Vidić and Boro managed to get up in time. They ran over to Ioannidis who was firing his assault rifle at the advancing Croatian soldiers. Eventually Petrić got up but was shot by a Croatian tank’s machine gun. Noticing his death the three soldiers got into the jeep with Grobarvić and drove off.