But local Croatian commanders note that the mountainous terrain in Slovenia favored the defenders, who were both well trained and armed with effective antitank weapons.

Josip Metzger (1883 - 1945) was a Croatian military commander.

Kvaternik was Croatian military commander and Minister of Domobranstvo (Armed Forces).

Muslim and Croatian commanders often speak bitterly of Washington's decision to intervene.

"The planning is going forward for a fall offensive," said one United States diplomat who recently visited Croatian and Muslim commanders in Bosnia.

Casualty figures from the fighting remain uncertain, but Croatian commanders said today that they had counted 23 dead and more than 160 wounded since the fighting began.

The arraignment set the scene for what is expected to become a joint trial of three senior Croatian commanders.

Although Mostar remains part of Bosnia, local authority is exercised not by Sarajevo, the capital, but by Croatian commanders.

After the first reports of the massacre, Croatian nationalist commanders denied that anything unusual had happened at Stupni Do.

Eventually, the Croatian commander, Banko Stanic, shouted up at the sniper to halt.