In July 1995, as the Army of Republika Srpska forces came to take over the enclave, the Dutchbat were vastly outnumbered and were far too lightly equipped to repel the more heavily armed Bosnian Serb troops.

Dutchbat was given the mission to execute United Nations Security Council Resolution 819 in the Bosnian Muslim enclave, which was dubbed a "safe area."

Described as "a sleepy cul de sac"[7] because of its geographic location in a valley enclosed by hills and mountains, the Srebrenica enclave was easily blockaded by the Army of Republika Srpska forces, isolating the Dutchbat, causing serious deficiencies in provisions.

As the armored vehicle continued to withdraw, a Bosniak farmer who was manning the barricade threw a hand grenade onto it and subsequently killed Dutch soldier Raviv van Renssen.

[8] During the third rotation, Dutchbat III, commanded by Lieutenant colonel Thom Karremans, Mladić's soldiers took the town on 11 July 1995, causing the displacement of many of the city's inhabitants.

Under the pretext of evacuating the Bosniak population to a sheltered city, most of the women and children were transferred by bus to a zone under Bosnian Serb control.

The commander of the peacekeeping unit though, Mykola Verkhohlyad negotiated with general Mladić to secure the evacuation of civilians from Žepa in a UN convoy.

[17] On 4 December 2006, Minister of Defence Henk Kamp gave a remembrance insignia to the soldiers of Dutchbat III, i.e. Draaginsigne DBIII.

In October of the same year, twelve former members of Dutchbat III visited the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, paying tribute to the victims.

According to testimonies of 171 of the members of the battalion, 65% left the Army, 40% of these requested psychological treatment, and 10% show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (official figure; health professionals treating these people deem the number much higher).