Operative Zone North - West Herzegovina (OZ SzH), later Tomislavgrad Military Distric (ZP Tomislavgrad), was one of the four operational and tactical units of the Croatian Defense Council (HVO). It was established to defend the Croatian people in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina also as Muslims and other citizens who live in the territory under their control at a time when the central government in Sarajevo showed complete impotence. The defense organization of the Croat in BiH began at the level of individual municipalities in mid-1991 mostly on the basis of limited and available resources of the Territorial Defense of the SR BiH. The HVO was established in April 1992 and until the end of the war became dominant military unit of Croats in BiH. The HVO gained a uniform operational level in the autumn of 1992 with the establishment of operational zones, which were renamed military districts (ZP) in October 1993, retaining their previous competence and organization. For the defense of the area of southwestern Bosnia, the southern part of central Bosnia and northern Herzegovina, OZ SzH was established in September 1992 and was reorganized into ZP Tomislavgrad (TG) in October 1993. Since the establishment of OZ SzH, it has been in charge of the part of BiH in which Croats were the majority population. The competence of OZ SzH or ZP TG referred to the HVO units in the municipalities of Bugojno, Gornji Vakuf, Jablanica, Konjic, Kupres, Livno, Posušje, Prozor and Tomislavgrad. The headquarter of the zone was in Tomislavgrad. The OZ SzH consisted of the following brigades: Petar Krešimir IV, Kralj Tomislav, Rama, Ante Starčević, Eugen Kvaternik, Herceg Stjepan, Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić and the Fifth Brigade of Posušje. After reorganization of the OZ SZH into ZP Tomislavgrad and the reorganization former local brigades HVO into Home Guard regiments and battalions which was accompanied by the organization of several guard brigades, the ZP Tomislavgrad included: 1st, 55th, 79th and 80th Home Guard Regiment, 42nd and 43rd Home Guard Battalion and 1. Guards Brigade Ante Bruno Bušić. In addition to the infantry units, the 71st Liaison Company, the 14th Artillery and Missile Battalion and the 154th Logistics Base were formed as part of the ZP TG as contingent units. The ZP Tomislavgrad was the border area between BiH and the Republic of Croatia. Therefore, this district had a significant military-strategic importance which is particularly evident in the first half of 1992 and during the operations from 1994 to 1995 which led to the liberation occupied territory of Croatia and BiH.