June 27th 1991, Slovenia on baricades

[Betonov]

Belgrade underestimated the scale of the independece movement. The goals of the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) were securing border crossings, airports and supply warehouses. They believed the rebelion would die out on its own. But they wasted no time.
1:15 in the morning the first armoured column from Karlovac (croatia) crossed the border at Metlika to secure the road to Ljubljana. It's composed of armoured anti-aircraft vehicles (BOV) and supply trucks.
2:40 the 1st armoured battalion set off to take Brnik airport. M-84 tanks, the workhorse of the JNA are taking the streets. The stockades are already full of JNA officers of all nationalities, that refuse to carry out orders. Conscripts have no idea what is happening, some are even told we're being invaded by Italy and Austria.
10:30 the armoured column from Karlovac is stoped at Poganci and the first shots of the war are fired. The column breaks trough but is again stoped at 15:45 at Medvedjek. Territoria defense od Slovenia (TO) targets officers and a situation occurs where the high command starts to threaten junior officers that they will be trialed if they refuse the promotion. The clumn is stoped and besieged


The column and two ambushing TO soldiers and a truck baricade that became a trademark of the war, at Medvedjek

The tanks from Vrhnika reach Ljubljana and are met with the entire capital on baricades, made from trucks, buses, scrap metal and even cars. Cars were voluntarily donated to the cause by the owners. There is no amred resistance in the capital, but the tanks are still harased by angry civilians with sticks and stones and really bad words. JNA treats them as nuisance and no one is hurt. But the JNA find out that it's a nation wide rebelion.



Ljubljana

By noon small JNA forces recaptured the border crossings and started to mount the old border signs back. Border crossings were retaken without a shot fired. TO and police forces fell back and surounded the JNA forces. The JNA were cut off. Austria refused to let suplies to reach them trough their territory.



18:00 tanks from Vrhnika reach airport Brnik. TO is dug in. The tanks pull back after one of them is hit by a missile from TO and destroyed.
19:20 the Ig incident. JNA was warned that any aicraft flying over Ljubljana would be shot down. TO kept their word a JNA helicopter (Mi-8) is shot down over Ig (part of Ljubljana) while making its second flyby over the Slovenian presidency. Both pilots are killed, both Slovenian conscripts still serving. Helicopter was loaded with bread for the toops.



Sporadic fighting contiued trough the night. Once a baricade was breached, it was repaired as soon as the army went trough. JNA was being blocked on all sides. TO was determined they would not let them retreat. They needed the equpment.


A TO squad

Yugoslav high command demanded a general mobilisation from all the republics, but a consent was needed from the high council. While the counsil was being assembled, darker forces within it were breweing.