Doppiozero Chronicles Croatia's Operation Storm Through a Retired Carpenter's Testimony

Writing for Doppiozero, Giampiero Comolli and Anita Romanello recount meeting Josip, a retired carpenter approaching seventy, during a multi-day stop on the island of Krk while traveling toward the Croatian Krajina. Josip, small, gentle and slight, spoke good Italian and immediately opened up once he learned the travelers were headed to Knin. He recalled participating in Operation Storm, the Croatian military offensive launched at the start of the war against the Serbs, saying that at the outset the Croatian side was in a poor position and he never believed Knin could be retaken. Called up early in the conflict, he reported for duty in a tank top, shorts and flip-flops and asked about a uniform; he was told the clothes he wore would have to serve, since no others were available, and was instead asked whether he could hunt. He answered that he had shot the occasional rabbit or fox. The piece is published under the Doppiozero banner and carries a timestamp of Sunday, 18 October 2026, 03:10.