Black Swans (special forces)


The Black Swans was a special forces unit within the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a Patriotic League unit formed in 1992 in Sapna, under the 2nd Corps which eventually numbered 800 men. It earned a reputation for battlefield bravery. The first commander, Senad Mehdin Hodžić, was a former member of the Special anti-terrorist unit of the Yugoslav Ministry of Internal Affairs. When he took command of the Black Swans, he would be known as "Kapetan Labud" or Captain Swan. Captain Hajro Mešić then went on to take the commanding position for a while. The most successful and lasting commander was Brigadier Hase Tirić. The Black Swans' areas of operation included Konjic, Igman and Jablanica.
The Black Swans wore black and/or woodland camouflage equipment and uniforms and with their respective unit patch on the right sleeve with the ARBIH patch often worn on the left sleeve. However, some members wore the Black Swans patch on their left sleeve, one of the chest pockets or even on their vests instead. Also, civilian clothing items seems to have been common as well. A wide array of berets, scarves, headbands, bandanas, camouflage caps and civilian caps were worn as well. US surplus M1 helmets complete with ERDL pattern or M81 U.S. Woodland helmet covers were also common. Many fighters of the unit also fought with bare heads.
A selection of the armament used by the unit:
Zastava M70,
Heckler & Koch MP5,
Heckler & Koch G3,
FN FAL,
AKM,
FAMAS, and
Milkor MGL.