Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, Cold War

Battle of Vukovar

Battle of Vukovar was a battle fought on 25 August 1991 at Vukovar, in what is now Croatia; it lasted 3 months. It was part of the Croatian War of Independence, which ran from 1991 to 1995. Recorded strength: 36,000 against 1,800.

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A forlorn Yugoslav flag in an utterly destroyed town. One of a set here
A forlorn Yugoslav flag in an utterly destroyed town. One of a set here. Peter Denton, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought25 August 1991lasted 3 months
WhereVukovar, Croatia45.374N, 18.962E
OutcomePyrrhic Yugoslav People's Army victory; Expulsion of Croat and other non-Serb civilians from Vukovar; Vukovar incorporated into SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia
BelligerentsYugoslavia; SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western SyrmiaagainstCroatia
Part ofCroatian War of Independence1991 to 1995

Where it sits in the Croatian War of Independence

Pakrac clash, 19911991 Siege of Kijevo, 1991Battle of Borovo Selo, 1991Battle of Glina, 1991Battle of Osijek, 1991Battle of Vukovar, 1991Battle of Gospić, 1991Battle of Kusonje, 1991Battle of the Barracks, 1991Siege of Bjelovar Barracks, 1991Siege of Varaždin Barracks, 1991Battle of Šibenik, 1991Battle of Zadar, 1991Siege of Dubrovnik, 1991Operation Swath-10, 1991Battle of the Dalmatian channels, 199119911991Battle of Vukovar, 1991
16 placed engagements of the Croatian War of Independence in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date25 August 1991
to 18 November 1991
PlaceVukovar, Croatia
45.374N, 18.962E
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength36,0001,800
Casualties and losses1,103 killed, 2,500 wounded; 110 tanks and armoured vehicles, and 3 aircraft destroyed879 killed, 770 wounded; 1,131 civilians killed, 550 civilians missing
Commanders
  • Života Panić
  • Mile Mrkšić
  • Veselin Šljivančanin
  • Mladen Bratić
  • Andrija Biorčević
  • Goran Hadžić
  • Blago Zadro
  • Mile Dedaković
  • Branko Borković
  • Marko Babić (soldier)
  • Anton Tus
Battle of VukovarBattle of VukovarBattle of Borovo SeloBattle of CibalaeBattle of OsijekBattle of Mursa MajorSiege of EszczykBattle of CibalaeBattle of OsijekBattle of Mursa MajorBelgradeTimișoaraNovi SadBanja LukaSzegedPécsTuzlaKaposvár100 km45.374N, 18.962E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Vukovar
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Vukovar today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-10-20. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 88 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 121 m, 121 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 37% cropland, 31% tree cover, 12% built-up.

cropland: 37%tree cover: 31%built-up: 12%grassland: 11%water: 9%cropland 37%tree cover 31%built-up 12%grassland 11%water 9%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 94 mnorth to south, 10.0 km80 to 104 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1991

Battle of Vukovar is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 99 in present-day Croatia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q505939, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Vukovar, revision 1384039843, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.