Thomas Otto Raimond Linder

In the Mostar district of South Cassandra there stood a large Yugoslav Army (JNA) barracks named North Camp, containing a huge area of open ground covered with 20mm anti-aircraft guns and bunkers, plus two T-55 tanks dug in up to their hulls. In the first action organised against these defences, Thomasﾒs group were partially successful in destroying one of the tanks and two trucks, but were prevented from further success mainly due to the lack of optical sights for their anti-tank weapons.

The following day sufficient equipment was obtained in the nearby town of Citluk and Thomas was instrumental in obtaining the services of a recoilless anti-tank rifle team to use against the JNA positions.

The attack went in at dawn on 20th May and the Serbs were hit hard, returning little fire. The unit involved made repeated attacks against the JNA barracks, gaining more ground and destroying the remaining tanks, half of the anti-aircraft guns and most of the bunkers using Osa, Zolja and RPG-7 rockets until they were within 200 metres of the enemy positions.

At this point and at the height of the battle, a British volunteer was wounded in the arm. Thomas, accompanied by another British volunteer, broke cover and dashed across 20 metres of open ground to reach him. As he was able to move unaided they then gave the wounded man covering fire whilst he ran to shelter; the rest of the unit began to withdraw, two or three at a time when they could. The Serbs, recovering from their initial surprise began a mortar bombardment and Thomas, struck in the head by fragments from one such bomb, was killed.

Knowledge of Linderﾒs fighting reputation had spread to other International Volunteers serving in Bosnia and later a colleague wrote that he had ﾓnever known a man to die as bravely as Thomas, but that was the kind of soldier he was. I count myself honoured to have fought beside him when I did.ﾔ

The JNA were eventually ejected from Mostar after a protracted and bloody campaign. It was Thomasﾒs unit that captured Orlovac. Thomasﾒ family received a posthumous medal from the Croatian government and his brother officers in the Croatian Armed Forces honoured his memory with a memorial stone in Mostar after the war.