The Multi-National Division (South-West) was a military formation which formed part of IFOR, a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996, and then formed part of SFOR, another NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force, from 20 December 1996 until June 2004.
| Multi-National Division (South-West) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1995–2004 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Type | Command |
| Part of | IFOR SFOR |
| Garrison/HQ | Banja Luka |
Role
editThe division's role, passed down to it by IFOR, was to implement the military Annexes of The General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina – specifically in the South-West Sector.[1] From December 1996, the role passed down by SFOR was to "deter hostilities and stabilise the peace, contribute to a secure environment by providing a continued military presence in the Area Of Responsibility (AOR), target and coordinate SFOR support to key areas including primary civil implementation organisations, and progress towards a lasting consolidation of peace, without further need for NATO-led forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina" – again specifically in the South-West Sector.[2]
Component units
editThe division was based at Banja Luka and was British led: the British codename for its involvement in IFOR was Operation Resolute[3] and for its involvement in SFOR was Operation Lodestar.[4] Multi-National Division (South-West) included a British brigade (4th Mechanized Brigade from October 1995,[5] 1st Mechanized Brigade from April 1996,[6] 20th Armoured Brigade from October 1996[7] and 7th Armoured Brigade from April 1997)[8] as well as Canadian and Dutch units.[9]
Division headquarters was provided by 3 (UK) Division from December 1995 until June 1996[10] and again in January 1998 to August 1998;[11] Division headquarters was provided by 1st (UK) Armoured Division from June 1996 to December 1996[7] and again from August 1998 to March 1999.[12]
Commanders
edit
Commanders were as follows:
- December 1995 – June 1996 Major-General Mike Jackson[10]
- June 1996 – December 1996 Major-General John Kiszely[13]
- December 1996 – May 1997 Major-General Evelyn Webb-Carter[14]
- May 1997 – November 1997 Major-General Angus Ramsay[14]
- November 1997 – January 1998 Major-General Andrew Pringle[15]
- January 1998 – August 1998 Major-General Cedric Delves[11]
- August 1998 – March 1999 Major-General Redmond Watt[12]
- March 1999 – January 2000 Major-General Freddie Viggers[14]
- January 2000 – September 2000 Major-General Robin Brims[14]
- September 2000 – September 2001 Major-General Rick Hillier[14]
- September 2001 – September 2002 Major-General Tony van Diepenbrugge[14]
References
edit- ^ The General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- ^ "SFOR MISSION". SFOR HQ Sarajevo: NATO. 14 January 2003. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
- ^ Croft, AM; Hopkins, JP (1997). "Medical repatriations from Operation Resolute (Bosnia)". J R Army Med Corps. 143 (1): 39–43. doi:10.1136/jramc-143-01-08. PMID 9089551.
- ^ Britain's small wars Archived 11 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Blue Beret (December 2000/January 2001) Archived 26 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "History of 1st Mechanized Brigade" (PDF). Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ^ a b Lord, p. 304
- ^ Fact file: 7th Armoured Brigade BBC, 20 January 2003
- ^ "British Forces Bosnia". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 18 July 1996. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Army senior appointments". United Kingdom Government News. 23 July 2002. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ^ a b Conrad, John (2011). Scarce Heard Amid the Guns: An Inside Look at Canadian Peacekeeping. Natural Heritage Books. ISBN 978-1554889815.
- ^ a b 1 (UK) Armoured Division Global Security
- ^ "Major-General John Kiszely". SFOR. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "Previous Commanders". SFOR. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ^ "No. 54952". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 November 1997. p. 12931.
Sources
edit- Lord, Cliff (2004). Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents. Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1874622925.