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of the Belgrade Coup
Editor & Webmaster
Leon Chame - 2008
Yugoslav Associates:
- Zoran Radojicic
- Dejan Vukelic
- George Orwell
Contributing Websites:
- Original Sorces
- Transnational (TFF)
- Fair sources
- WSWS
avgust 20, 2008
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Attack of Yugoslavian aircraft on Rinas
airport near Tirana, Albania on April 26th, 1999
Reference:
http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/ggromozeka/aviation/rinasattack01.htm
Few details are available on this attack, but I decided to share with you what I know
at this moment (05-05-99) about this extraordinary operation. I will add more information
as it becomes available.
For several days in April Yugoslavian G-4 Super Galebs were taking off from an airfield
near Podgorica, Montenegro, and flew toward the Albanian border, but would abruptly turn
back at the last moment before crossing the border. The planes were never fired upon.
Podgorica and nearby airfields were never attacked by NATO aircraft on any significant
scale (if ever).
On April 26th, a pair of G-4 Super Galeb strike aircraft took off from the Golubovci
airbase near Podgorica and once again set course toward the Albanian border. Only this
time the planes did cross the border and went directly for the Rinas airport used
by NATO troops and aircraft. The Rinas airport and nearby
facilities are believed to be used by the American task force Hawk, which
includes the Apache attack helicopters, flown there from Italy several days
earlier. A KLA training facility is also believed to be
situated at or nearby the Rinas airport. This is one of two major KLA
training camps where NATO military instructors train KLA fighters. Reuters report
mentioned that "...ethnic Albanian volunteers train in Durres, Albania, before
heading into Kosovo for service with the Kosovo Liberation Army. The volunteers arrived at
Rinas airport on a special charter flight from the United States to sign up to fight with
the KLA." Another such camp was
located near Kamenica in the northern Albania, near the Yugoslavian border. This camp was
attacked and destroyed by Yugoslavian troops on April 13th. A second group of seven Apaches
were flown flown from Italy to Rinas just one day before the attack on the
airport on April 26th.
The two G-4 Super Galebs were never detected by airport's limited air defenses
and dropped their load of cluster bombs, presumably, on the Apache helicopter
base lass then 20 minutes after taking off from Golubovci. According
to several private sources, at least nine Apaches were heavily damaged or destroyed.
The G-4s quickly turned around and left Albanian airspace at high speed. The planes did
not land at the Golubovci airbase, fearing that it may be attacked by NATO
planes, but proceeded to the Ponikve airbase near the town of Uzice some 270km
from the Rinas airport. The Ponikve airbase has reinforced underground
hangars and was the origin of an earlier attack against the Tuzla airport in Bosnia on
April 18th.
Immediately after the attack, NATO planes and cruise missiles
delivered three massive strikes against Podgorica and nearby military sites. There
were three separate NATO attacks against Podgorica in one day. Prior to these attacks NATO
tried to avoid targeting any sites in Montenegro. A few days later NATO delivered a second
massive strike against Uzice and Ponikve airbase. This was the second such
attack: Uzice and Ponikve base were heavily bombed by NATO shortly after a group
of nine Yugoslavian planes attacked an airport in Tuzla on April 18th.
NATO forces in Albania closed off Rinas airport
shortly after the attack without giving any explanation. NATO denied the use of the
airport to the Italian Interior Minister, who was returning to Italy from a meeting in
Tirana. Not even Albanian president could use the airport for his return from a European
Council meeting in Strasburg. NATO officials only said that the
airport was closed due to "a rapidly deteriorating situation in the Adriatic."
On the day of the attack on Rinas (04-26-99), one American Apache crashed in a
"training exercise". Another Apache crashed on May 4th, also while
"training."
Venik
May 05, 1999
P.S. I will add more information as it becomes available. Don't ask me for the sources
of this information: if I could have shared them with you I certainly would have. The materials on this page are simply "for your information," so
you should feel free to believe it or ignore it. Information I received in regard
to this attack was so consistent and overwhelming that I simply couldn't sit on it much
longer.
NEW: According to some sources, there might have been two more Yugoslavian aircraft
participating in this attack. These two aircraft flew the mission from a different airbase
(in Pristina, according to some information I have) and joined the two G-4s from the
Golubovci base. Up to 12 Apaches were damaged or destroyed, as well
as some NATO transport planes. Two of the Yugoslavian planes
might have been hit by NATO SAMs, but the pilots survived and have either ejected of
crash-landed their planes. I have information that some details of this attack were
reported by an Italian television news channel. I am still looking for more information
about this attack and will update this page as soon as any more substantial details become
available.
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