Civil War Survival Experience (Bosnia)

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

I am from Bosnia and you know that there was hell from 1992 to 1995. For a year I lived and survived in a city of 60,000 people without water, electricity, gasoline, medical care, civil defense, food distribution systems and other municipal services, without any form of centralized management.

Our city was blockaded by the army for a whole year, and life in it was real shit. We had no police or army, there were armed groups, and those who were armed defended their homes and families.

When it all started, some of us were better prepared, but most of the neighboring families only had a few days' worth of food. Some of us had pistols and only a very few had AK47s and shotguns.

After 1-2 months, gangs began to operate in the city, they destroyed everything, for example, hospitals very soon turned into real massacres. The police no longer existed, and 80% of the hospital staff did not go to work.

I was lucky that my family was large at that time - 15 people in a big house, 6 pistols, 3 AK47s. Therefore, we survived, at least most of us.

The Americans dropped our rations every 10 days to help the surrounded city, but that was not enough. Some, very few, houses had vegetable gardens. After 3 months, the first rumors spread about death from hunger and cold.

We removed all the doors and window frames from the abandoned houses, dismantled our parquet flooring and burned all the furniture in order to keep warm.

Many died of disease, especially because of the water (two of my family), since we drank mainly rainwater. I also had to eat pigeons and even rats.

Currency very quickly became nothing, and we returned to barter exchange. Women gave up for a can of stew. It's hard to talk about it, but it's true - most of the women who traded themselves were desperate mothers.

Firearms, ammunition, candles, lighters, antibiotics, gasoline, batteries, food - this is what we fought like animals for. In such a situation, everything changes - most people turn into monsters. It was disgusting.

Strength was in numbers. If you live alone in a house, it was only a matter of time before being killed and robbed, no matter how well armed you were.

Today my family and I are well prepared - we have supplies, I am well armed and I have experience. It doesn't matter what happens - an earthquake, war, tsunami, aliens, terrorists, scarcity, economic collapse, riots … What matters is that something happens.

The conclusion from my experience is that you cannot survive alone, strength is in numbers, in the right choice of reliable friends, in the unity of the family and its preparation.

1. Did you move safely around the city?

The city was divided into communities along the streets. There were 15-20 houses on our street and we organized a patrol of 5 armed men every evening to keep an eye on the gangs and our enemies.

All exchanges took place only on the street. There was a whole street for exchange 5 kilometers away from us, everything was organized, but because of the snipers it was too dangerous to walk there.

In addition, on the way there it was possible to run into bandits and be robbed. I myself went there only 2 times when I needed something really special and important (medicines, mainly antibiotics).

Nobody used cars - the streets were blocked by rubble, rubbish, abandoned cars, and gasoline was at the price of gold.

If it was necessary to go somewhere, then it was done only at night. You cannot walk alone, you cannot walk in too large a group, only 2-3 people. Everyone should be well armed, you need to move very quickly, in the shade, through the ruins of houses, and not along the streets.

There were many gangs of 10-15 people, sometimes their number reached 50. But there were also many normal people - like you and me, fathers, grandfathers, who killed and robbed. There were no "heroes" and "villains". Most were somewhere in between and ready for anything.

2. And the trees, it seems to me that there are many forests around the city, why did you burn your furniture and doors?

There was no big forest around my town. It was a very beautiful city - with restaurants, cinemas, schools, airport and cultural centers. We had a park in the city, fruit trees, but all this was cut down in less than two months.

When there is no electricity to cook food and keep warm, you have to burn everything that comes to hand - furniture, doors, parquet …. And it all burns very quickly.

We had no access to the suburbs and suburban farms - there was an enemy in the suburbs, we were surrounded. And in the city you never know who your enemy is.

3. What knowledge was useful to you during this period?

You must imagine that this was actually a throwback to the Stone Age! For example, I had a gas cylinder. But I didn't use it for heating and cooking, it was too expensive! I adapted it for refueling lighters - lighters were priceless! Someone brought me an empty lighter, I charged it and took a can of canned food or candles for it.

I myself am a medical assistant by profession and in these conditions my knowledge was my capital. At such a time, knowledge and skills, for example, the ability to fix things, are worth more than gold. Things and supplies will run out, this is inevitable, and your knowledge and skills are an opportunity to earn your living.

I want to say - learn to fix things, shoes or people. My neighbor, for example, knew how to make kerosene for lamps. He never went hungry.

4. If you had 3 months to prepare today, what would you do?

3 months to get ready? HM…. I would run abroad! (joke)

Today I know that things can change very quickly. I have a supply of food, hygiene products, batteries … Supply for 6 months. I live in an apartment with a good level of security, I have a house with a refuge in a village 5 km from my apartment, the house also has a supply for 6 months. This is a small village, most of its inhabitants are well prepared, they are trained in war.

I have 4 types of firearms and 2,000 rounds for each.

I have a nice house with a garden, and I know gardening.

Besides, I don't want to feel like crap anymore - when everyone around them says that everything will be fine, I already know that everything will collapse.

Now I have the strength to do everything in order to survive and protect my family. When things fall apart, you need to be prepared to do unpleasant things to save your children. I just want my family to survive.

There is practically no chance of surviving alone (this is my opinion), even if you are armed and prepared, ultimately, if you are alone, you will die. I've seen this many times. Well-trained large groups and families with diverse skills and knowledge is the best option.

5. What makes sense to stock up on?

It depends. If you want to survive by robbery, then all you need is a lot of weapons and ammunition.

In addition to ammunition, food, hygiene products, batteries, batteries, pay attention to simple things to exchange - knives, lighters, soap, flints. And also alcohol, which can be stored for a long time - whiskey (brand does not matter), even the cheapest one, is a very good commodity to exchange.

Many died due to unsanitary conditions. You will need very simple things, but in very large quantities, for example, a lot of garbage bags. And duct tape. Disposable plates and glasses, plastic or cardboard, you will need a lot of them. I know this because we have not stocked up on it. In my opinion, the supply of hygiene products is more important than the supply of food.

You can easily shoot a pigeon, find edible plants, but you cannot find or shoot a disinfectant, for example. You must have a lot of detergents, disinfectants, soap, gloves, masks … all disposable.

In addition, you need first aid skills, you need to know how to wash wounds, burns or even a gunshot wound, because there is no hospital. And even if you find a doctor, he may not have a pain reliever or you will have nothing to pay him with. Learn to use antibiotics and stock up on them.

Weapons should be simple. Now I wear a Glock.45 because I like it, but this caliber is not common here, so I have two more 7.62mm Russian TTs. There are many such weapons and ammunition here. I don't like the Kalashnikov assault rifle, but everyone has it, so …

You need small and inconspicuous things, for example, it is good to have a generator, but it is better to have 1000 BIC lighters. The generator makes noise and attracts attention during operation, and 1000 lighters are inexpensive, take up little space, and can always be exchanged for something.

We mainly used rainwater - we collected it in 4 large barrels, and then boiled it. There was a river nearby, but the water in it very soon became dirty. Water tanks are also very important. You should have barrels, buckets and containers for storing and transporting water.

6. Did gold, silver help you?

Yes. Personally, I exchanged all the gold for ammunition. Sometimes we could use money (stamps and dollars) to buy some things, but these cases were rare and the prices exorbitant. For example, a can of beans cost $ 30-40. The local currency collapsed quickly, in other words, we were constantly exchanging.

7. Was salt expensive?

Expensive, but cheaper than coffee and cigarettes. I had a lot of alcohol and I exchanged it without any problem. Alcohol consumption increased more than 10 times than usual.

Now it's probably better to stock up on cigarettes, lighters and batteries for bartering, because they take up less space.

I was not ready at the time, I did not have time to prepare. Days before the "shit hit the fan," politicians kept repeating on TV that everything was fine.

And when the sky fell on our heads, we just took what we could.

8. Was it difficult to get firearms that could be exchanged for weapons and ammunition?

After the war, weapons were in every home. The police confiscated many weapons at the start of the war, but most people hid the weapons. I have legal weapons (with licenses), by law this is called the "Temporary Collection". In the event of a riot, the government has the right to temporarily confiscate all weapons … so keep that in mind. You know, there are people who have legal weapons, but they also have illegal ones, in case of possible confiscation.

If you have good things to exchange, then finding a weapon is not difficult. But you must remember that the first days will be the most dangerous because of chaos and panic. It is possible that you will not have time to find weapons to protect your family. Being unarmed in times of chaos, panic and unrest is very bad.

In my case, there was a man who needed a car battery for his radio, and he had a gun, and I changed the battery for two guns.

I sometimes traded ammunition for food, and after a few weeks I exchanged food for ammunition. I have never exchanged anything at home and never in large quantities. Only a very few people (my neighbors) knew how much I had in my house.

The trick is to store as much space and money as possible. Then, you will figure out what is most in demand.

I'll clarify - ammunition and weapons are still my main position, but who knows, maybe in second place, I will put gas masks and filters.

9. What about security?

The defense was very primitive. I repeat - we were not ready and we used what we could.

The windows were smashed, the roof was in a terrible state due to the bombing. All windows were blocked with sandbags and stones. I propped up the gate to the garden with rubbish and used an aluminum ladder to climb over the fence. When I returned home, I asked to be handed it over to me.

There was a guy on our street who completely barricaded his house. He made a hole in the wall of a neighboring ruined house - his secret entrance.

It may seem strange, but all the houses that were the safest were looted and destroyed in the first place.

There were beautiful houses in my area with fences, dogs, alarms and iron bars on the windows. The crowd attacked them. Some were able to fight back and resist, others did not. It all depended on how many people and weapons were inside. Of course, safety is important, but you also need to behave with restraint. If you live in a city and this shit happens, you need a simple, humble housing, with lots of weapons and ammunition. How much ammunition? Yes, as much as possible!

Make your home as unattractive as possible.

Today, I have steel doors for security reasons, but this is only to save me from the first wave of chaos. After that, I will leave to join a large group of friends or family in the countryside.

During the war, we had situations, I don’t want to go into details. But we always had superior firepower and a fence on our side. There is always someone watching the street - good organization in the event of a gang raid is paramount.

There was always shooting in the city.

Again, our perimeter defense was primitive - all exits were barricaded, leaving only small holes for the barrels. Always at least 5 family members inside the house were ready for battle, and one person on the street was sitting in cover.

In order not to be killed by a sniper, they had to stay at home all day.

The weak die in the very first days, the rest are fighting for life.

During the day, almost no one appeared on the street because of the snipers - the line of defense was very close.

Many died because they wanted to scout the situation, for example, and this is very important. I want to remind you that we had no information, no radio, no TV, nothing but rumors.

There was no organized army, but we were all soldiers. We were forced to. Everyone carried weapons and tried to defend themselves.

I'll tell you this, if tomorrow this happens again, I'll be like everyone else - modest, desperate, maybe I'll even shout, or I'll pay.

No fancy clothes. I'm not going to put on a super uniform and shout: "You all … … villains!"

I will be inconspicuous, well armed and prepared, carefully assessing the situation with my best friend or brother.

Understand that your super-defense, super-weapon does not matter, if people see that you should be robbed, because you are wealthy, you will be robbed. It's just a matter of time and number of barrels.

10. What about the toilet?

We used shovels and any piece of land closer to home … it looks messy, but it was.

We washed ourselves with rainwater, sometimes in the river, but it was too dangerous.

There was no toilet paper, and even if it was, I would exchange it for something. It was all hard.

I can give you some advice - first, you must have weapons and ammunition, and after that everything else, I mean everything!

Of course, a lot depends on your space and your budget.

If you've forgotten or missed something, it's okay, there will always be someone with whom you can exchange. But if you miss out on weapons and ammunition, you will not have access to the exchange.

And yet, I do not see problems in large families and the number of mouths - more family, more weapons and more strength, and then, as inherent in people by nature, adaptation takes place.

11. What about caring for the sick and injured?

Injuries are mostly gunshot wounds.

Without specialists and everything else, if the victim managed to find a doctor, he had somewhere about a 30% chance of surviving.

It was not like in the movies, people were dying, and many of them died from infections brought into wounds. I had a supply of antibiotics for 3 or 4 treatments, of course only for my family.

Oftentimes, completely stupid things killed people. In the absence of medication and lack of water, simple diarrhea will be enough to kill you, especially children, within a few days.

We had a lot of skin diseases, food poisoning and there was nothing we could do about it.

Many medicinal plants and alcohol were used. In the short term, it worked, but in the long term, it was terrible.

Hygiene is the main thing, well, and have the maximum amount of drugs, especially antibiotics.