Welcome To Hell’s Rec Room Nato Tanks Roar Into Corridor Linking Serbia And Bosnia

Rag-tag Serb troops stared sullenly at NATO tanks thundering across the Posavina Corridor on Saturday for a first look at Route Michigan, an American gateway to Bosnia.

It was the first time in 3-1/2 years that foreign troops traveled the old Yugoslav Highway M-17 across the strip of land that links Serbia and Serb-dominated parts of western Bosnia.

“Yeah, some Serbs didn’t seem too happy to see us,” said Master Sgt. Richard Williams, one of two U.S. liaisons who rode to the Sava River with the Danish and Swedish armored column. “But a lot did.”

The Americans, along with Nordic officers, inspected the dynamited bridge at Bosanski Samac, nervously eyeing mines and booby traps. Then they drank coffee with Serb commanders.

Nordic engineers are still uncertain whether small bridges will support the Americans’ 67-ton Abrams tanks.

The ride up Route Michigan in Danish Leopard tanks amounted to a peace-on-earth tour of hell’s rec room, across the corridor which Serbs fought to widen. Muslims held them back in long, bloody battles.

As the mud-spattered Leopards crossed the Serbs’ 10-mile corridor between Gradadac and the Sava River, farmers, old women and kids waved friendly greetings. A few soldiers smiled and flashed peace signs.

Most Serb troops watched in silence, however, some glowering with hard-set faces.

A sampling of Serbs interviewed suggested that few are happy to give up the fight to widen the crucial access from the remains of Yugoslavia to Serb areas of western Bosnia.

“So-so,” replied Borislav Tovirac, a Serb soldier in civvies, when asked what he thought of the impending peace.

“Maybe good, maybe bad,” said his uncle, Zoran Boganovic, who was in uniform.

“It is good,” chimed in Borislav’s 10-year-old son, Bojan, and both adults shot him nasty looks.

On the Sava River, Serb soldiers guided the NATO officers across the twisted girders, pointing out mine clusters and telltale tripwires to boobytraps.

As the tanks prepared to return to Tuzla, the local Serb commander roared up in a jeep. He identified himself only as Jovic. After talking briefly with the NATO officers, he laughed.

“The Americans seemed to be afraid of us,” he said.

Asked what he thought, Williams also laughed. “I don’t think so.”

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