Halim Malkoč (12 August 1917 – 8 February 1947) was a Bosniak Imam and SS ''

Obersturmführer __NOTOC__ (, ; short: ''Ostuf'') was a Nazi Germany paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organisations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. The rank of ''Obersturmführer'' was first created in 1932 as the result of an expa ...

'' in the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

division Handschar, and the first Muslim awarded the

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Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He received the medal for his involvement in the suppression of the

Villefranche-de-Rouergue Villefranche-de-Rouergue (; oc, Vilafranca de Roergue ) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. Villefranche-de-Rouergue station has rail connections to Toulouse, Figeac and Aurillac. History At the end of the Albigens ...

mutiny of 1943. He was born to a Bosniak family in

Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

on 12 August 1917.

Military career

Malkoč was a young Imam in Bosnia when the war broke out. He "had served on active duty as an officer in the Yugoslav army and was a gifted military leader". In 1943 he joined the newly formed

Division "Handschar" and was initially appointed an Imam to the "SS-Gebirgs-Pioneer Bataillion 13". In July he and several other Bosnian ulema were sent to

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

for an important three week "''Imam Training Course''" organised by SS

Obergruppenführer ' (, "senior group leader") was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissio ...

Gottlob Berger Gottlob Christian Berger (16 July 1896 – 5 January 1975) was a senior German Nazi official who held the rank of '' SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS'' (lieutenant general) and was the chief of the SS Main Office responsible ...

and honorary SS officer Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, the

Grand Mufti of Jerusalem The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the Sunni Muslim cleric in charge of Jerusalem's Islamic holy places, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The position was created by the British military government led by Ronald Storrs in 1918.See Islamic Leadershi ...

. Classes included lessons on "''The Waffen-SS: Its Organization and Ranks''" and

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training. There were also excursions to the

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Opera and the Babelsberg castle,

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and the Nicholaisee.

Villefranche-de-Rouergue

During training, Communist "''agents provocateurs''" in the division staged a mutiny on 17 September near

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in which several SS officers were executed. A

called Dr. Schweiger turned to Malkoč for help. The Imam eventually persuading the men to surrender and disarm. A report stated, "To complete this task the doctor sought the assistance of Imam Malkoč, who proved to be quite helpful, demanding complete obedience from the troops."George Lepre, "''Himmler's Bosnian Division; The Handschar Division 1943-1945''" (1997), p. 94. In recognition of his services he was awarded the

, second Class, in October 1943. A year later he was appointed Imam for the entire division after the first appointee, Imam Abdulah Muhasilović, deserted on 21 October 1944. Bundesarchiv Bild 101III-Mielke-036-23, Waffen-SS, 13

Bundesarchiv Bild 101III-Mielke-036-23, Waffen-SS, 13

Death

After the war, the new Communist government in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

hanged Malkoč in

on 8 February 1947.

References

Literature

*Lepre, George. ''Himmler's Bosnian Division: The Waffen-SS Handschar Division 1943-1945.'' Atlgen, PA:

Schiffer Military History Schiffer Publishing Ltd. (also known for its imprints Schiffer, Schiffer Craft, Schiffer Military History, Schiffer Kids, REDFeather MBS, Cornell Maritime Press, Tidewater Publishers, Thrums Books, Geared Up Publications ) is a family-owned publi ...

, 1997 *Munoz, Antonio J., editor. ''The East Came West: Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist Volunteers in the German Armed Forces.'' (chapters 2 and 13) Bayside, NY: Axis Europa, 2001 *Redžić, Enver, ''“Muslimansko Autonomastvo I 13. SS Divizija".'' Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1987. {{DEFAULTSORT:Malkoc, Halim 1917 births 1947 deaths Military personnel from Bihać Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Military history of Bosnia and Herzegovina Executed Bosnian Muslim collaborators with Nazi Germany Nazis executed by Yugoslavia by hanging Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts

Military career

Villefranche-de-Rouergue

Death

See also

References

Literature