First Battle of Preševo

First Battle of Preševo
Part of World War II in Yugoslavia and the Insurgency in Karadak–Gollak
Date 18–24 September 1944 Location Preševo, Bulgaria (modern-day Serbia) Result German-Ballist victory
Belligerents
Balli Kombëtar Germany	Yugoslav Partisans
Commanders and leaders
Jusuf Baftjari Xheladin Kurbalia Sulë Hotla Rrustem Behluli Mulla Sadik Haliti Alexander Löhr	Abdullah Krašnica
Units involved
Karadak battalion[1] Kachaks from Karadak[2] Heeresgruppe E	8th Macedonian Brigade 12th Macedonian Brigade 17th Macedonian Brigade[3] 18th Macedonian Brigade 2nd Kosovska Brigade 3rd Kosovska Brigade[4]
Strength
2,000 men (begin of the battle, significantly more after arrival of volunteers)[2]	10,000 men[5]
Casualties and losses
Heavy[6]	In Preševo: 100 killed[7] 206 POW (Ballist claim)[7] 1,500 killed (British report)[3] In Lojane: 500 killed 117 POW

The First Battle of Preševo or Battle of Eid al-Fitr took place on Eid al-Fitr, from 18th to 24th September 1944 during World War II, between Yugoslav Partisans and Balli Kombëtar forces, in the territory of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.^{[7][8][2][4][9]}

Prelude

From 28 August 1944 to 7 September 1944, a battle was fought near Preševo between Ballist and Bulgarian forces. The battle ended with an Albanian victory due to the capitulation and withdrawal of Bulgarian forces on 9 September 1944. After the capitulation of Italy on September 8, 1943, new circumstances arose for activities aimed at uniting Albanian inhabited territories with the newly German-occupied Albania.^[10][11] For this purpose, from 16 to 20 September 1943, the Second League of Prizren was formed in Prizren, representing all Albanian lands, including those under German and Bulgarian administration.^[10] After the capitulation of fascist Bulgaria on September 9, 1944, Albanian Ballist forces in Karadak occupied and de facto annexed the territory previously belonging to the fascist Bulgarian state (Preševo, Bujanovac, Skopje, Kumanovo) with the state of Albania.^{[12][10][11][13][14]} These forces were mainly from Karadak and were led by commanders such as Jusuf Baftjari, Xheladin Kurbalia, Limon Staneci, Ibrahim Kelmendi, Sylë Hotla etc.^[10]

Battle

Presevo

On 19 September 1944, Yugoslav partisans attacked Ballist positions in the Preševo Valley, with the goal of capturing the town of Preševo, which would have given them a free way to capture the city of Gjilan. In the early hours of the battle, the partisans managed to take control over several villages including Rajince, Crnotince and Oraovica. However, soon after, local Kachaks from the Karadak of Kosovo began to storm the Preševo Valley and mounted a counter-attack, recapturing all of the lost territory.^[2] After that, the Kachaks pushed the Yugoslav partisans into a field near the village of Žujince, there they surrounded them and started to attack them with machine gun fire, ultimately killing 49.^[15] During the battle over 100 partisans were killed, while 206 were taken prisoners of war.^[7][9][16] A British report, however, indicated that Ballists overran the 17th Macedonian Brigade near Presevo, resulting in the deaths of 1,500 Partisan soldiers.^[3] Hysen Tërpeza, a leader of the Second League of Prizren, noted that inhabitants from Preševo had also joined the battle and had armed themselves with rifles, knives, and axes.^[6] He also mentioned that there had been heavy casualties among the Albanian forces defending the town.^[6]

Lojane

The German Wehrmacht of Heeresgruppe E and Albanian Ballists aligned with the Germans,^[17] under the command of Mulla Sadik Haliti, were positioned near the Lojane mine when Partisan units attacked them early in the morning of 18 September 1944.^[18] The German soldiers took shelter in bunkers and successfully defended their positions.^[19] The Partisans simultaneously attacked the civilian populations of Lojane and Vaksince.^[20] The Germans and Ballists managed to drive the Partisans back to the village of Nikuljane in Kumanovo.^[21][6] The Ballists continued to pursue the Partisans, further driving them back.^[22] Additionally, residents of Sopot, from various ambushes during the Partisan retreat, managed to kill many Partisan forces. For this reason, the Partisans later took revenge on the village of Sopot by killing many civilians from that village.^[23][21] On 24 September, the Partisan forces of the VIII and XII Brigades, suffering heavy losses, retreated from the battlefield,^[17] leaving around 500 dead and 117 captured.^[24]

Aftermath

Main article: Second Battle of Preševo

After the battle, Mulla Idriz Gjilani, Ramiz Cërnica, Fazli Seferi, and Hysen Tërpeza joined forces, and the group swelled to around 4,000 men.^[6] However, upon arrival, they learned that the fighting had already ended.^[6] Following the Partisan defeat, the Yugoslav partisans launched air raids and distributed leaflets urging people to join the communists.^[6] The Yugoslav partisans, led by Abdullah Krašnica, spent two months preparing another assault to take control of Preševo. Finally, from 9 - 15 November 1944, they engaged in battle and successfully forced the Ballist forces to withdraw into the wider Karadak Mountains, enabling the partisans to capture the town and the surrounding region. This victory granted the partisans an unobstructed path to seize Gjilan.^[14][2] Tahir Zaimi of the Second League of Prizren wrote in his book that after the fall of Preševo, the "Bulgarians and Serbian-Macedonian Partisans" shot between 500 and 600 Albanians.^[2]

References

1. "Beteja e rekës raincës by Nijazi Ramadani - Issuu". issuu.com. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
2. titulli.com. "Lufta e përgjakur më 19 nëntor 1944, ditën e Bajramit në Preshevë". www.titulli.com. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
3. Biddiscombe, Prof Perry (2006-11-15). The SS Hunter Battalions: The Hidden History of the Nazi Resistance Movement 1944-45. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-9645-0. A British report suggested that insurgents overran the Yugoslav 17th Brigade near Presevo, killing 1,500 Titoist soldiers.
4. Acta Iugoslaviae historica. Prosveta. 1970. p. 162.
5. Kelmendi 2006, p. 116.
6. Tërpeza, Hysen (2004). Hysen Tërpeza: një legjendë për Kosovën (in Albanian). MKRSDÇJ, Departamenti i Çështjeve Jorezidente i Kosovës. pp. 37–39. ISBN 978-9951-8611-0-6.
7. Selmani, Aliriza (2011). "NË PËRKUJTIM TË ATDHETARIT TË DEVOTSHËM, JUSUF BAFTJARI, ALIAS HOXHË LIPOVICA 1883-1948". Gjurmime Albanologjike - Seria e Shkencave Historike (in Albanian) (41–42): 41–60. ISSN 0350-6258.
8. Stanković, Bogomir B. (1975). Kosovsko Pomoravlje u revoluciji 1941-1945. Kosovska Kamenica : Kosovska Vitina : Opštinski odbori SUBNOR-a. p. 216.
9. Kosovari. dituria254. p. 34. Keshtu, ne diten e Bajramit, me 19 shtator 1944, sulmuan forcat partizane dhe hyne ne Luginen e Rainces, por pas me shume se 12 ore luftimesh te ashpra, u thy en nga forcat vullnetare te komanduara nga Hoxhe Lipovica me te tjere. Ngs luftimet mbeten te vrare mbi 100 partizano-cetnike dhe u zu rob nje batalion i Brigades se Dyte te Kosoves prej 206 vetash.
10. Selmani 2011, p. 33-34.
11. "Koncepti i Hoxhë Lipovicës ishte i qartë dhe i thjeshtë - për Shqipëri Etnike dhe për bashkim kombëtar". Gazetë Rajonale Online - RajoniPress.com (in Albanian). 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
12. Zaugg, Franziska (2016). Albanische Muslime in der Waffen-SS: von "Grossalbanien" zur Division "Skanderbeg" (in German). Ferdinand Schöningh. pp. 169–170. ISBN 978-3-506-78436-0. Ganz anders berichtete der Divisionskommandeur der »Skanderbeg«, Schmidhuber. Nach seinen Angaben hatten die Albaner bei der Räumung Makedoniens durch Bulgarien die Gelegenheit genutzt und ihre »Sicherungs- (nicht Landes-) Grenzen bis zum Bereich ihres eigenen Volkstums nach Südosten hinausgescho ben bis unmittelbar vor SKOPLJE, von dort bis KUMANOVO – PRESEVO – BUJANOVCE. Zudem stellte Schmidhuber bei den Albanern einen »Abwehrwillen gegen die bulgarischen Eindringlinge« fest und dass »bei dem Hass gegen die Bulgaren [...] ein zäher Abwehrkampf zu erwarten« sei.
13. Ramadani, Nijazi. Beteja e Rekës Raincës.
14. "Šta bi danas rekao Abdulah Krašnica - Život - Dnevni list Danas" (in Serbian). 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
15. Kelmendi 2006, p. 111
16. "Rrustem Beluli me bombë në xhami për Shqipëri Etnike!". PRESHEVA.AL. 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
17. Hnilicka, Karl (1970). Das Ende auf dem Balkan 1944/45. Die militärische Räumung Jugoslaviens durch die deutsche Wehrmacht (in German). University of Michigan. ISBN 978-3-7881-1414-5. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
18. Arifi, Fejzulla (2022-01-01). "Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit..." Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit, Halid efendiu, Mulla Sadiku dhe Mumin efendiu (in Albanian).
19. Arifi, Fejzulla (2022-01-01). "Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit..." Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit, Halid efendiu, Mulla Sadiku dhe Mumin efendiu (in Albanian).
20. Arifi, Fejzulla (2022-01-01). "Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit..." Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit, Halid efendiu, Mulla Sadiku dhe Mumin efendiu (in Albanian).
21. Arifi, Fejzulla (2022-01-01). "Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit..." Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit, Halid efendiu, Mulla Sadiku dhe Mumin efendiu (in Albanian).
22. Arifi, Fejzulla (2022-01-01). "Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit..." Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit, Halid efendiu, Mulla Sadiku dhe Mumin efendiu (in Albanian).
23. Halimi, Naim (2014). "MASAKRAT PARTIZANO-ÇETNIKE NË KARADAK NË MBARIM TË LUFTËS SË DYTË BOTËRORE". Studime Albanologjike. ITSH: 145, 148. ." Një makër tjetër tmerruese ndaj burrave, pleqve, grave dhe fëmijëve shqiptarë u bë në fshatin Sopot të Kumanovës. Vrasjet nga partizano-çetnikobullgarët u bënë disa ditë në grupe, ndërsa ploja më e madhe ndodhi më 3 e 4 nëntor 1944. Bajram Latifi, Liman Limani dhe Xhevaire Limani, dëshmitarë të masakrës, që i shpëtuan vdekjes, kujtojnë se: me këtë rast janë vrarë dhe masakruar në forma të ndryshme çnjerëzore 64 shqiptarë të fshatit Sopot dhe 4 mysafirë të fshatrave tjerë, gjithsej 68, nga fëmija 11 vjeç deri te plaku 95- vjeçar. Këta dhe dëshmitarët tjerë i tregojnë me emër të vrarët dhe vrastarët. Sipas tyre, të vrarët ishin: Ramadan, Bajram, Esat, Edip, Sahit, Shefki e Riza Saliu, Mustafë Memeti, Mejdi, Abdzl, Shabi, Kadri e Haki Agushi, Fejzulla, Jusuf, Azem, Adem, Bajram, Hasip, Osman, Sali, Baki, Ibrahim, Shaip, Faik, Femi, Nazmi, Niazi, Xhemal, Qemal e Orhan Sylejmani, Memedali, Durmish, Munish, Shukri, Ahmet, Aliriza e Ruzhdi Limani, Halim, Murat e Xhavit Ademi, Xhemailk, Selver, Hamzi, Naip e Agush Latifi, Ramadan e Zeqir Emini, Sejdi, Hysen, Ramadan e Rexhep Sejdiu, Halim, Qazim, Rexhep, Halim B., Rexhep Jetimi, Ibrahim Makolli, Sahit, Ramadan, Hajdin e Ramiz Jaka, Nuredin Iseni, Eshtref Esati, Haxh Bakiu, si dhe bariu nga fshati Shtrezoc, Zija Zymberi." "Kështu veproi edhe Brigada XVII Maqedonase, e cila pas masakrës së Sopotit, kaloi në malësinë e Kumanovës"
24. Arifi, Fejzulla (2022-01-01). "Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit..." Emërndriturit e Sllupçanit, Halid efendiu, Mulla Sadiku dhe Mumin efendiu (in Albanian).

Sources

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• Kelmendi, Ibrahim (2006). Një shtyllë e Kosovës quhet Preshevë (in Albanian). Preševo.
• Selmani, Aliriza (2011), Gjithkund ne Kosove solemnisht u kremtua festa e Fiter - Bajramit (in Albanian), Dituria Islame, retrieved 2023-11-12