The laying of wreaths and the lighting of candles marked All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day and the anniversary of the "Trokut-Novska" military event in Dubrava today. A delegation from the Municipality of Dubrava, the Croatian Officers' Corps Vrbovec and the Association of Croatian War Veterans (HVIDR-a) Vrbovec, in cooperation with pupils and staff from Dubrava Primary School, paid tribute at the "Monument to Fallen Defenders in the Homeland War" memorial in the centre of Dubrava.
Tributes were also paid to all fallen Croatian defenders of the Western Slavonia battlefield at the Trokut memorial area in Novska. The Municipality of Dubrava stated: "Thank you to everyone who joined in prayer and remembrance of those who gave the most for our homeland. May they have eternal glory and thanks."
In Vrbovec this morning, tribute was paid to fallen Croatian defenders from the City of Vrbovec area to mark the 35th anniversary of "Trokut-Novska" and All Saints' Day. Those gathered observed a minute's silence for the Croatian defenders, after which wreaths were laid and candles lit. Tribute was paid by Deputy Mayor Marko Belošević and representatives of city services, City Council President Krunoslav Sohora and city councillors, representatives of veterans' associations and pupils from Marija Jurić Zagorke Primary School.
After the tribute in Vrbovec, participants travelled to Novska, where the commemoration of the 35th anniversary of "Trokut-Novska" continues. This marks the 35th anniversary of Operation Orkan 91, carried out by Croatian Army and police units under the command of the Posavina Operational Group. It was the first operational-level offensive operation in the Homeland War.
Croatian defenders in Western Slavonia liberated a large part of the region through their successfully executed offensive operations Orkan '91, Otkos 10 and Papuk '91 in the autumn and winter of 1991. In the liberation operations on the Western Slavonia battlefield during 1991, on the Novska front, 314 defenders gave their lives, including five from the Vrbovec area – Dubravko Smolec, Damir Rubenčić, Dražen Granoša, Damir Cimaš and Krunoslav Lončarić.
