World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia started with the
Axis invasion of Yugoslavia
The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put forward in "Fü ...
in April 1941. Under the pressure of the
Yugoslav Partisan movement
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
, part of the
Macedonian communists
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia
* Mace ...
began in October 1941 a political and
military campaign
A military campaign is large-scale long-duration significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of interrelated military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war. The term derives from th ...
to resist the occupation of
Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian language, Macedonian and ) is a historical term referring to the central part of the broader Macedonian region, roughly corresponding to present-day North Macedonia. The name derives from the Vardar, Vardar River and i ...
. Officially, the area was called then
Vardar Banovina
The Vardar Banovina, or Vardar Banate ( Macedonian and ; ), was a province ( banate) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941.
History
It was located in the southernmost part of the country, encompassing the whole of today's North Mace ...
, because the use of very name ''Macedonia'' was avoided in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Most of its territory was occupied by Bulgaria, while its westernmost part was ceded to Albania, both aided by German and Italian troops. Initially, there was no organised resistance in the region because the majority of the Macedonian Slavs nurtured strong
pro-Bulgarian
Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, while in No ...
sentiments, although this was an effect from the previous
repressive
Kingdom of Yugoslavia rule which had negative impact on the majority of the population.
[''"The warm reception accorded the Bulgarian soldiers was in large part the result of Macedonian resentment at three decades of Serbian dominance. Administrative brutality, Serbian chauvinism, political corruption, and economic exploitation were more flagrant in Macedonia than in any other part of Yugoslavia. It was therefore not surprising that many Macedonians cheered the entering Bulgarians. One resident of Skopie later explained, "Of course we cheered; we had no way of knowing then that the Bulgarians would just repeat all the mistakes the Serbs had made."'' For more see: Marshall Lee Miller, ''Bulgaria during the Second World War'', Stanford University Press, 1975, , p. 123.] Even the local
Communists
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...
, separated from the Yugoslav and joined the
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party ( Bulgarian: Българска комунистическа партия (БΚП), Romanised: ''Bŭlgarska komunisticheska partiya''; BKP) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria f ...
. However, even those Macedonians who felt that they were Bulgarians soon discovered that the Bulgarians from Bulgaria were suspicious of them and considered them "backward Bulgarians" or second-class Bulgarians. In fact, Bulgarian authorities began a process of oppressive
Bulgarianization as they realised that only part of the Macedonian population felt Bulgarian or was pro-Bulgarian. The occupation troops acted just as viciously and arrogantly toward the local population as did the officials. Thus, they soon became an object of disgust from the population, especially the great majority that felt themselves Macedonians developed strong resentment towards the Bulgarian regime as it acted the same way as the
Serbian one before.
[Marshall Lee Miller]
''Bulgaria during the Second World War''
Stanford University Press, 1975, , pp. 123-133.
The wartime national chauvinism and suffering backlash generated sizable support for the
Communist Partisans, whose power started to grow only in 1943 with the capitulation of Italy and the Soviet victories over Nazi Germany, which turned the tide in the war and the partisans actions became more successful.
The role of the Bulgarian communists, who avoided organizing mass armed resistance, was also a key factor, their influence over the
Macedonian Committee
The Macedonian Committee (, ''Makedoniko Komitato''), formally the Hellenic Macedonian Committee (Ελληνομακεδονικό Κομιτάτο, ''Ellinomakedoniko Komitato''), was a Greek revolutionary organization with the aim of liberating ...
remained dominant until 1943. Another key factor was the main goal of the Yugoslav Partisans which could not inspire and attract Macedonians who saw it as a reestablishment of Yugoslavia and the Serbian rule. This changed, when in the beginning of 1943,
Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...
's special emissary
Svetozar Vukmanović
Svetozar Vukmanović - Tempo ( sh-Cyrl, Светозар Вукмановић - Темпо; 3 August 1912 – 6 December 2000) was a leading Montenegrin communist and member of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. D ...
arrived in Macedonia. Vukmanović had to activate the struggle and give a
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia
* Mac ...
"facade" to the form and content, as well as to the aims and aspirations of it in order to secure mass participation of Macedonians.
[Andrew Rossos (2008) Macedonia and the Macedonians, A History. Hoover Institution Press, , pp. 189-194.] He was supposed to set up a
Macedonian Communist Party within the framework of the Yugoslav one, which would include only activists loyal to the
Yugoslav agenda. They formed in 1943 the
People's Liberation Army of Macedonia
The Macedonian Partisans, officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Macedonia, was a communist and anti-fascist resistance movement formed in occupied Yugoslavia which was active in the World War II in Yugoslav Macedon ...
and the
Macedonian Communist Party in the western part of the area, where the
Albanian Partisans
The National Liberation Movement (; or ''Lëvizja Antifashiste Nacional-Çlirimtare'' (LANÇ)), also translated as National Liberation Front, was an Albanian communist resistance organization that fought in World War II. It was created on 16 Sept ...
also participated in the resistance movement. The Macedonian Communist Party would lead the effort, not for the restoration of the old Yugoslavia, but above all for the liberation and
unification of Macedonia and a new federal union of Yugoslav peoples
with an extension of its prewar territory. This appeal attracted more and more young people to the armed resistance.
All of the previous led to the rise of an younger anti-Bulgarian oriented generation of partisan leaders, who were loyal to Yugoslavia.
After Bulgaria switched sides in the war
in September 1944, the Bulgarian 5th. Army stationed in Macedonia, moved back to the old borders of Bulgaria. In the early October the newly formed
Bulgarian People's Army
The Bulgarian People's Army (, BNA) was the army of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. It comprised the Bulgarian Land Forces, Air Force and Air Defence, Navy and supporting arms. Bulgaria was one of the signatories of the Warsaw Pact. Along with ...
together with the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
reentered occupied Yugoslavia to blocking the German forces withdrawing from Greece. Yugoslav Macedonia was liberated in the end of November.
The communist resistance is called by the
Macedonian historiography
Historiography in North Macedonia is the methodology of historical studies developed and employed by Macedonian historians. It traces its origins to the 1940s, when SR Macedonia became part of Yugoslavia.
The first generation of Macedonian hist ...
the National Liberation Struggle ().
Some of the combatants also developed aspirations for independence of the region of
Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
, but were suppressed at the end of the war by the communist authorities. It marked the defeat of
Bulgarian nationalism
Bulgarian irredentism is a term to identify the territory associated with a historical national state and a modern Bulgarian irredentist nationalist movement in the 19th and 20th centuries, which would include most of Macedonia, Thrace and Moesi ...
and the victory of the pro-Yugoslav
Macedonian nationalism
Macedonian nationalism (, ), sometimes referred to as Macedonianism, is a general grouping of nationalist ideas and concepts among ethnic Macedonians that were first formed in the second half of the 19th century among separatists seeking the a ...
in the area. As result the new Communist authorities persecuted the former collaborationists with the charges of "
Great Bulgarian chauvinism" and cracked down on pro-Bulgarian organisations that supported ideas of
Greater Bulgaria
Bulgarian irredentism is a term to identify the territory associated with a historical national state and a modern Bulgarian irredentist nationalist movement in the 19th and 20th centuries, which would include most of Macedonia, Thrace and Moesia ...
and those which opposed the
Yugoslav idea
Yugoslavism, Yugoslavdom, or Yugoslav nationalism is an ideology supporting the notion that the South Slavs, namely the Bosniaks, Bulgarians, Croats, Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs and Slovenes belong to a single ...
and insisted on
Macedonian independence.
Background

The
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...
in
1912
This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15.
In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
and
1913
Events January
* January – Joseph Stalin travels to Vienna to research his ''Marxism and the National Question''. This means that, during this month, Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky and Tito are all living in the city.
* January 3 &ndash ...
, and the
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(1914–1918) divided the region of Macedonia amongst the
Kingdom of Greece
The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...
, the
Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Tsardom of Bulgaria (), also known as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom (), usually known in English as the Kingdom of Bulgaria, or simply Bulgaria, was a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Europe, which was established on , when the Bulgaria ...
and the
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...
. The territory was up until that time part of the Ottoman Empire. In those days, most of the minority
Ottoman Macedonias' Slavic intelligentsia who had developed some sense of national consciousness considered themselves to be a part of the
Bulgarian community. Although the affiliation of most Macedonian Slavs to different national camps was purely superficial and not ethnic, but rather political and flexible option imposed by the nationalist
educational and religious propaganda or by
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
.
From 1912 until 1915 the territory of
Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian language, Macedonian and ) is a historical term referring to the central part of the broader Macedonian region, roughly corresponding to present-day North Macedonia. The name derives from the Vardar, Vardar River and i ...
remained within the territory of Serbia. In the parts administered by Serbia the new authorities forced out most of the
Bulgarian Exarchist priests and teachers, and began implementing a forceful state-sponsored
Serbianisation
Serbianisation or Serbianization, also known as Serbification, and Serbisation or Serbization ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", srbizacija, србизација or sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=none, separator=" / ", posrbljavanje, посрбљавање; ...
of Slavic-speaking Macedonians. It was occupied by Kingdom of Bulgaria during World War I between 1915 and 1918. Afterwards it was restored back to Serbia and consequently included as part of the
Vardar Banovina
The Vardar Banovina, or Vardar Banate ( Macedonian and ; ), was a province ( banate) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941.
History
It was located in the southernmost part of the country, encompassing the whole of today's North Mace ...
in the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
. During that period, there were two main autonomist agendas.
The right-wing
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; ; ), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it initia ...
(IMRO) led by
Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihaylov Gavrilov (; ;He is credited in English-language sources as ''Mihailov'', while the Bulgarian and Macedonian transliteration schemes render it as ''Mihaylov'' and ''Mihajlov'', respectively. 26 August 1896 – 5 September 1990), ...
, was in favor of the creation of a pro-Bulgarian Macedonian state under German and Italian protection. By 1928, Mihailov proposed a new plan calling for unification of Macedonia region into a single state, that would be independent from Bulgaria but with prevailing ethnic Bulgarian population. However the new state would to be
supranational Supranational or supra-national may refer to:
* Supranational union, a type of multinational political union
* Supranational law, a form of international law
* Supranational legislature, a form of international legislature
* Supranational curren ...
and
cantonized, something as "Switzerland on the Balkans". Nevertheless, this IMRO continued to support Bulgarian irredentism until it was dissolved in the mid of 1930s.
The leftist
IMRO (United)
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United) (1925–1936); ) commonly known in English as IMRO (United), was the name of a revolutionary political organization active across the entire geographical region of Macedonia.
History
IMR ...
who was sponsored directly by the
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...
favored a creation of an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
and
unified Macedonia within a
Balkan Federation
In late 19th and throughout the 20th century, the establishment of a Balkan Federation had been a recurrent suggestion of various political factions in the Balkans. The concept of a Balkan federation emerged in the late 19th century among left-w ...
with a separate
Macedonian nation
Macedonians ( ) are a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group native to the region of Macedonia in Southeast Europe. They speak Macedonian, a South Slavic language. The large majority of Macedonians identify as Eastern Orthodox Christians, ...
and
Macedonian language
Macedonian ( ; , , ) is an Eastern South Slavic language. It is part of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is one of the Slavic languages, which are part of a larger Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch. Sp ...
. This idea was backed up in 1934 by the
resolution of the Comintern on the Macedonian question.
This option was supported by
Pavel Shatev,
Dimitar Vlahov
Dimitar Vlahov (; ; 8 November 1878 – 7 April 1953) was a politician from the region of Macedonia and member of the left wing of the Macedonian-Adrianople revolutionary movement (also known as Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization ...
,
Metodi Shatorov,
Panko Brashnarov
Panko Brashnarov ( Bulgarian and '';'' 27 July 1883 – 13 July 1951) was a revolutionary and member of the left wing of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) and IMRO (United) later. As with many other IMARO mem ...
, and others. However, such Macedonian activists, who came from
IMRO (United)
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United) (1925–1936); ) commonly known in English as IMRO (United), was the name of a revolutionary political organization active across the entire geographical region of Macedonia.
History
IMR ...
never managed to get rid of their pro-Bulgarian bias. After the organization was dissolved in the mid of 1930s, most of the members ended up joining the
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party ( Bulgarian: Българска комунистическа партия (БΚП), Romanised: ''Bŭlgarska komunisticheska partiya''; BKP) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria f ...
.
During the interwar period in Vardar Macedonia, a separate
Macedonian national consciousness was growing.
The government and its widespread massive Serbianisation campaign was unsuccessful in trying to eliminate the traces of an emerging Macedonian national consciousness among the local population.
[.] The failed assimilation of the region was due to Serb policies that were exploitative and colonial and not directed toward integration.
Funds were controlled from
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
and the economy was geared toward resource extraction whose raw materials were bought by the government at low prices it determined for itself.
[.] The state controlled the local tobacco monopoly and acquired a steady and sizable amount of revenue without investing much in return to raise the living standards of the inhabitants.
The government in Belgrade or the wider administration showed little concern toward conditions within the region.
[.] A high rate of turnover existed among ministers and officials who mainly showed up prior to elections or to advance their own career and often staff in the local administration from other parts of the country were incompetent and corrupt.
[.] Locals were excluded from involvement in the sociopolitical system, suppression of elites occurred and state security forces instilled an environment of fear among inhabitants. New arrivals of Serb colonists to the region were favoured over the local population regarding state employment, loans and agricultural reform and both groups continued to be separate from each other.
Nevertheless, the existence of considerable Macedonian national consciousness prior to the middle of the 1940s is disputed. At the beginning of the occupation anti-Serbian and pro-Bulgarian feelings among the local population prevailed.
Occupation of Macedonia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
Fearing an invasion by the
Axis Powers
The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
, Regent
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, also known as Paul Karađorđević (, English transliteration: ''Paul Karageorgevich''; 27 April 1893 – 14 September 1976), was prince regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the minority of King Peter II. Paul w ...
signed the
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact, also known as the Berlin Pact, was an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan signed in Berlin on 27 September 1940 by, respectively, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Galeazzo Ciano, and Saburō Kurusu (in that order) and in the ...
on 25 March 1941, pledging cooperation with the Axis.
On 27 March, the regime of Prince Paul was overthrown by a military
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup
, is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
with British support. The 17-year-old
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II Karađorđević (; 6 September 1923 – 3 November 1970) was the last King of Yugoslavia, reigning from October 1934 until he was deposed in November 1945. He was the last reigning member of the Karađorđević dynasty.
The eldest ...
was declared to be of age and placed in power. General
Dušan Simović
Dušan Simović (; 28 October 1882 – 26 August 1962) was a Yugoslav Serb Army general (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), army general who served as Chief of the General Staff (Yugoslavia)#Royal Yugoslav Armed Forces (1920–1941), Chief of the General Sta ...
became his Prime Minister. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia withdrew its support for the Axis ''de facto'' without formally renouncing the Pact. On 6 April 1941, the German armed forces (''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
''), along with the armed forces of
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, launched the
invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and quickly conquered it. The country was subsequently divided between the Germans, Italians, Hungarians and Bulgarians, who took most of Macedonia. When the Bulgarians entered Yugoslav Macedonia, the people greeted them with high enthusiasm. Crowds in Skopje flew banners that greeted the unification of Macedonia and Bulgaria. The warm welcome was largely an effect of the almost three decades long, suffering and despised Serbian dominance.
Division Macedonian region of southern Yugoslavia

A division of Vardar Macedonia, then part of the
Vardar Banovina
The Vardar Banovina, or Vardar Banate ( Macedonian and ; ), was a province ( banate) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941.
History
It was located in the southernmost part of the country, encompassing the whole of today's North Mace ...
, was drawn up on 19 and 20 April 1941. Bulgarian troops entered the central and eastern parts and seized most of the banovina, including parts of Eastern Serbia and Kosovo. The most prominent force which occupied most of the area was the
5th Army. The westernmost parts of Macedonia were occupied by the fascist
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
.
Collaborationist organizations
Bulgarian action committees – After the defeat of the Yugoslav army, a group of
Macedonian Bulgarians
Macedonians or Macedonian Bulgarians (), sometimes also referred to as Macedono-Bulgarians, Macedo-Bulgarians, or Bulgaro-Macedonians are a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians, inhabiting or originating from the region of Ma ...
headed by Spiro Kitincev arrived in Macedonia and started preparations for the coming of the Bulgarian army and administration in Macedonia.
[''Профашистичките и колаборационистичките организации и групи во Македонија 1941–1944 година'' Ѓорѓи Малковски. Скопје, 1995.] The first of the
Bulgarian Action Committees
The Bulgarian Action Committees in Macedonia were collaborationist nationalist organizations of Bulgarians in Macedonia during 1941, emboldened by the invasion of Yugoslavia by Nazi Germany, determined to end the Yugoslav rule in the region, perc ...
was formed in Skopje on 13 April 1941. Former IMRO members in Vardar Macedonia were active members of this committee. On 13 April 1941, at a meeting in Skopje, it was decided that one of the first tasks of the newly formed organisation was to regulate the relations with the German authorities.
[Bulgarian Campaign Committees in Macedonia – 1941]
Dimitre Mičev (Dimiter Minchev). Hosted on Kroraina.com, retrieved 21 August 2007. When the Bulgarian Army entered Vardar Macedonia on 19 April 1941, they were greeted by most of the local population as liberators, as anti-Serbian and pro-Bulgarian feelings among the local population prevailed at that time.
' (''Macedonia 1941 Resurrection''), Сотир Нанев (Sotir Nanev), 1942, reprinted 1993 with , publisher Труд (Trud). Memoirs of a Macedonia-born Bulgarian lieutenant participating in the occupation of the Yugoslavian and Greek parts of Macedonia.[''Between Past and Future: Civil-Military Relations in Post-Communist Balkan States'', by Biljana Vankovska, 2003, , p. 270.] With the intercession of the committees and Bulgarian administration more than 12,000 Yugoslav Macedonian POW
POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict.
POW or pow may also refer to:
Music
* P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...
s who had been conscripted into the Yugoslav army were released by German, Italian and Hungarian authorities. With the arrival of the Bulgarian army mass expulsion of Serbian colonists from Vardar Macedonia took place. Once the region and administration became organized, the Action Committees became marginalized, and were ultimately dissolved.
Balli Kombëtar in Macedonia – There were 5,500 Balli Kombëtar
The Balli Kombëtar (literally ''National Front'') was an Albanian nationalist, Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborationist, and anti-communist resistance movement during the Second World War. It was led by Ali Këlcyra a ...
militants in Albanian occupied Macedonia, 2,000 of which were Tetovo
Tetovo (, ; , sq-definite, Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena (river), Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, wit ...
-based and 500 of which were based in Debar
Debar ( ; , sq-definite, Dibra or Dibra e Madhe) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar has an ethnic Albanian majorit ...
.
Ivan Mihailov's IMRO in Macedonia – After the military Bulgarian coup d'état of 1934
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
the new Bulgarian government banned IMRO as a terrorist organization. Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihaylov Gavrilov (; ;He is credited in English-language sources as ''Mihailov'', while the Bulgarian and Macedonian transliteration schemes render it as ''Mihaylov'' and ''Mihajlov'', respectively. 26 August 1896 – 5 September 1990), ...
fled to Italy, where he made contact with the Italian fascist authorities and with members of the German secret service (Gestapo
The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
). After the defeat of Yugoslavia, Mihailov went to Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
and spent the war there with Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and was dictator of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a fasc ...
. He revitalized parts of his old organisation and ordered them to enter Vardar Macedonia and infiltrate the local Bulgarian administration, waiting for an opportunity to take over control and create a pro-German Macedonian state. Although Nazi Germany gave Bulgaria the right to annex the greater part of Vardar Macedonia, the Gestapo had contacts with Mihailov and his men in Bulgaria and Vardar Macedonia. This was in order to have a "reserve card" in case of things going wrong in Bulgaria.
Serbian Chetnik Movement in Macedonia – There were approximately 8,000[Cohen, P. J. Riesman, D. (February 1997). ''Serbia's Secret War: Propaganda and the Deceit of History''. Texas A&M University Press. p. 100. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 28 March 2008] Serb Chetniks led by Draža Mihailović
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović ( sr-Cyrl, Драгољуб "Дража" Михаиловић; 27 April 1893 – 17 July 1946) was a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav Serb general during World War II. He was the leader of the Chetniks, Chetnik Detachments ...
operating in Macedonia during the conflict. For a time, they were controlled by rival Chetnik leader Kosta Pećanac
Konstantin "Kosta" Milovanović Pećanac ( sr-cyrl, Константин "Коста" Миловановић Пећанац; 1879–1944) was a Serbian and Yugoslav Chetnik commander ('' vojvoda'') during the Balkan Wars, World War I and World ...
.
Counter-chetas – The Kontračeti were anti-partisan units organized and equipped by the Bulgarian police in the period between 1942 and 1944. Composed of former IMRO-activists, the first kontračeta was formed in Veles
Veles may refer to:
*Veles (god), a Slavic god
*Veles Municipality, in North Macedonia
*Veles, North Macedonia, a city, seat of the municipality, formerly called Titov Veles
*Veles Bastion, Stribog Mountains on Brabant Island, Antarctica
*Veles, s ...
in the end of 1942 in order to limit partisan
Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to:
Military
* Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line
** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII
** Ital ...
and Serbian Chetnik Movement activities in the region. The idea for the formation of these units came from Stefan Simeonov, chief of the Police in Skopje district, and former Internal Dobrujan Revolutionary Organisation
The Internal Dobrujan Revolutionary Organisation (; ) or IDRO was a Bulgarian nationalist and revolutionary organisation active in Romanian Dobruja from 1923 to 1940. It was labeled a terrorist organization by the Romanian government, though in Bu ...
četnik
The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...
, and was approved by minister of the interior Petur Gabrovski
Petar Dimitrov Gabrovski () (9 July 1898 – 1 February 1945) was a Bulgarian politician who briefly served as Prime Minister during the Second World War. Gabrovski was a lawyer by profession. He was also a member of the Grand Masonic Lodge of ...
. Their peak strength was 200 units in August 1944.
1941
Local resistance under question
In 1941 the Regional Committee of the Communists in Macedonia
The Regional Committee of Communists in Macedonia was the provincial communist organization in Vardar Macedonia from 1939 to 1943.
History
At the beginning of 1939, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia decided that Vardar ...
(RC) was headed by Metodi Shatorov ("Sharlo") from Prilep
Prilep ( ) is the List of cities in North Macedonia, fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. According to 2021 census, it had a population of 63,308.
Name
The name of Prilep appeared first as ''Πρίλαπος'' in Greek (''Prilapos'') in 1 ...
a former IMRO (United)
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United) (1925–1936); ) commonly known in English as IMRO (United), was the name of a revolutionary political organization active across the entire geographical region of Macedonia.
History
IMR ...
member. After the Bulgarian takeover of Vardarska Banovina in April 1941, the Macedonian communists fell in the sphere of influence of the Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party ( Bulgarian: Българска комунистическа партия (БΚП), Romanised: ''Bŭlgarska komunisticheska partiya''; BKP) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria f ...
(BCP) under Sharlo's leadership. Since 1924 the BCP had supported the idea of a independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
and unified Macedonia and its inclusion into an imagined Balkan Federation
In late 19th and throughout the 20th century, the establishment of a Balkan Federation had been a recurrent suggestion of various political factions in the Balkans. The concept of a Balkan federation emerged in the late 19th century among left-w ...
. Contrary, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, was the founding and ruling party of SFR Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1919 as the main communist opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats a ...
(CPY) strictly aimed on preserving Yugoslavia and tended to neglect the idea of unification of Macedonia. When the directive for the organization of an armed resistance movement in all regions of occupied Yugoslavia was issued, Sharlo disobeyed the order.["По врвулиците на македонската историја" Иван Катарџиев. Скопје, 1986] Sharlo answered the Central Committee (CC) of the CPY that the situation in Macedonia did not allow an immediate engagement with military action, but rather first propaganda activity should occur, and afterward formation of military units. On the other hand, he called for the incorporation of the local Macedonian Communist organizations into the Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party ( Bulgarian: Българска комунистическа партия (БΚП), Romanised: ''Bŭlgarska komunisticheska partiya''; BKP) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria f ...
(BCP). The RC refused to remain in contact with CPY and linked up with BCP. While the Bulgarian Communists avoided organizing mass armed uprising against the Bulgarian authorities, the Yugoslav Communists insisted that no liberation could be achieved without an armed revolt. Also, Sharlo accepted the fact that much of the population was assenting towards the occupation. However, Sharlo's views were politically incorrect for the BCP leadership. The secretary of the Central Committee of BCP Traycho Kostov
Traycho Kostov Dzhunev (; 17 June 1897 – 16 December 1949) was a Bulgarian politician, the leading figure of the Bulgarian Communist Party.
Kostov, as the President of the Council of Ministers and Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bul ...
responded to Sharlo that the Macedonians were not at all enthusiastic about the Bulgarian occupation and that over 80 percent of the locals consider themselves Macedonians and not Bulgarians, especially younger generation who were not caught up in the Exarchist propaganda. Apparently the leaders of BCP were in a deadlock, they didn't want to return the region to Yugoslavia, but at the same time their call for a Balkan Federation
In late 19th and throughout the 20th century, the establishment of a Balkan Federation had been a recurrent suggestion of various political factions in the Balkans. The concept of a Balkan federation emerged in the late 19th century among left-w ...
and independent Macedonia was suspended by the Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...
and altered with the popular-front tactics.
First attempts
Because of this conflict within the RC, in Vardar Macedonia there was no resistance movement. At the start of World War II, the Comintern supported a policy of non-intervention
Non-interventionism or non-intervention is commonly understood as "a foreign policy of political or military non-involvement in foreign relations or in other countries' internal affairs". This is based on the grounds that a state should not inter ...
, arguing that the war was an imperialist war between various national ruling classes, this changed after the Axis invasion of Soviet Union. The RC, headed by Shatorov, immediately ordered the formation of partisan
Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to:
Military
* Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line
** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII
** Ital ...
units, the first of which was formed in the Skopje region on 22 August 1941, and attacked Bulgarian guards on 8 September 1941 in Bogomila, near Skopje. However, Sharlo adopted a stance in favour of a Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
Macedonia and of waiting for the Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
and was prominent with his anti-Serbian political views, thus got in a firm conflict with the CPY. At that time, with the help of the Comintern and of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
himself a decision was taken and the RC was reattached to the CPY. Soon after this Shatorov lost his popularity within the RC and was discredited.
People loyal to the CPY were next appointed as leaders of the RC with Lazar Koliševski
Lazar Koliševski ( ; 12 February 1914 – 6 July 2000) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Communism, communist political leader in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and briefly in th ...
as a secretary.["Вчера и денес: Македонија" Јован Павловски, Мишел Павловски. Скопје, 2000] He was sent in September in Skopje. The new leadership began formation of partisan detachments. Armed insurgents from the Prilep Partisan Detachment "Goce Delčev" attacked Axis occupied zones in the city of Prilep
Prilep ( ) is the List of cities in North Macedonia, fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. According to 2021 census, it had a population of 63,308.
Name
The name of Prilep appeared first as ''Πρίλαπος'' in Greek (''Prilapos'') in 1 ...
, notably a Bulgarian police station
A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...
, on 11 October 1941. This date is considered to be the beginning of the Macedonian Uprising, which began at the latest compared to the other Yugoslav republics, where it began in July. Tne next day in the Kumanovo
Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...
region, the Karadak and Kozjak partisan detachments were formed, they soon engaged in fighting with the Bulgarian police with most of the members ending up killed and arrested, after which they ceased to exist. The Prilep detachment was active until December 1941, when it split in three groups – the first in Skopje, the second in Tikves, and the third in Bitola. However, in November the new leader of the RC – Koliševski was arrested and sentenced to death by a Bulgarian military court. He wrote two appeals for clemency to Bulgarian Tsar and to Defense Minister. There he regrets the accomplishment, insisting on his Bulgarian origin. As result his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and Koliševski was sent to a prison in Pleven, Bulgaria.
Bulgarian actions in 1941
After establishing themselves as the new rulers, the Bulgarian regime started a process of Bulgarisation
Bulgarisation (), also known as Bulgarianisation () is the spread of Bulgarian culture beyond the Bulgarian ethnic space. Historically, unsuccessful assimilation efforts in Bulgaria were primarily directed at Muslims, most notably Bulgarian Turks ...
, since only a portion of the population felt Bulgarian or was pro-Bulgarian. Any kind of claim of cultural or linguistic distinctiveness among Macedonians was prohibited. In order to enforce the Bulgarisation campaign in all spheres of life, Bulgarians from Bulgaria proper were brought in for specific functions. They would serve as the main force of the campaign through the military, civil, judicial, and police administration. Also, the people brought were corrupt and incompetent since they were castoffs from other governmental agencies.
On top of all the Bulgarian regime gave high importance to education as a mean for the Bulgarisation campaign. For this reason many schools from elementary to university level were open to serve as tool to instil in young Macedonians a Bulgarian identity. Again for this work primarly teachers from Bulgaria proper were assigned, which in the 1941-42 school year numbered 1,508 out of total 2,035 teachers in occupied Macedonia. Meanwhile those local Macedonian teachers who were considered convenient were sent to Bulgaria proper for a year of study and indoctrination. On the other hand those who were deemed inconvenient were assigned to administrative jobs outside the school system or were simply dismissed. The new curriculum in the schools heavily stressed Bulgarian topics and discouraged the use of the Macedonian dialects, which were regarded as a Bulgarian dialects. A regular weekly school schedule involved seven hours of Bulgarian language, three hours of Bulgarian history, and one hour of Bulgarian church history. In comparison other subjects included three hours of each mathematics and modern language and one hour for Russian language (applicable for grades five and six only).
The Bulgarian regime strived to use the mass media for propaganda and also organized and funded youth organizations inspired by fascist ideas. Furthermore, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction based in Bulgaria. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and t ...
took control over the local churches and the Serbian clergy was replaced with priests from Bulgaria proper. A church commission was assigned to remove all traces of non-Bulgarian culture.
1942
Local resistance schism
While the Sharlo's leadership was terminated, the vestiges of his policy among part of the local communist activists were preserved. After the arrest of Lazar Koliševski
Lazar Koliševski ( ; 12 February 1914 – 6 July 2000) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Communism, communist political leader in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and briefly in th ...
in November, the new executive body of the RC shared Shatorov's views and close contact was re-established with the BCP. As a result, the factionalist struggle between the pro-Bulgarian and the pro-Yugoslav Macedonians continued. At that moment the BCP considered that armed resistance was hopeless against the numerous Bulgarian occupation forces, and that those operating in the mountains just make it more simple for the authorities to catch them. Furthermore, they considered that more damage to the regime can be done with revolutionary agitation at first and armed confrontation can begin when enough strength is gathered for it to be successful. The BCP had a representative in the RC, that was Boyan Balgaranov, who contrary to the CPY's stance of maintaining Yugoslavia, supported the idea of independent and unified Macedonia. Furthermore, the BCP insisted a Macedonian Communist Party to be formed, in order to keep their influence in the region. It is likely that Bane Andreev
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gua ...
, the new party secretary for Macedonia, was under influence of Balgaranov. During Andreev's leadership the RC urged for a fight for free Macedonia against the fascist Bulgarian government and monarch but not for a new Yugoslavia. Moreover, Andreev avoided references to Yugoslavia and favored to sign declarations on behalf of "group of Macedonians" or "honest Macedonians", and suchlike.[Ivo Banac: With Stalin Against Tito. Cominformist Splits in Yugoslav Communism, Ithaca/London, 1988, , pp. 192-194.] He thought that the Macedonian people believe in Bulgaria's role as liberator and that no Macedonian wants to fight against the Bulgarian soldiers. That the Macedonians should respond positively to the mobilization call being carried out by the Bulgarian authorities and join the Bulgarian army. Tito did not agree with that. During the spring of 1942, Andreev was arrested by the Bulgarian police.
In September 1942 the envoy of the CC of CPY Dobrivoje Radosavljević Dobrivoje (Cyrillic script: Добривоје) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. Notable people with the name include:
*Dobrivoje Božić (1885–1967), Serbian inventor
*Dobrivoje Marković (born 1986), Serbian handballer
*Dobrivoje Tri ...
succeed in forming a new Regional Committee loyal to the Yugoslav line under the leadership of Kuzman Josifovski Pitu
Kuzman Josifovski Pitu (Macedonian language, Macedonian: Кузман Јосифовски – Питу; 23 June 1915 – 25 February 1944) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian communism, communist Yugoslav Partisans, partisan and one of t ...
. However, under Pitu's leadership the RC again avoided alluding to Yugoslavia, also they proclaimed to be the "Regional Committee of Communist Party of Macedonia" although such party didn't exist at that moment. Radosavljevic explained to the CPY leaders that Macedonians (except for those in parts of northern Macedonia who were pro-Serbian) were very afraid of a reintegration in Yugoslavia, even though they "already" despised the "Greater Bulgarian hegemonists" as well. Thus Radosavljevic suggested focusing the local communist propaganda towards historical references and traditional slogans like the " unification of Macedonia" to gain support from the population. Although the slogan "unified Macedonia" was not approved by Tito's headquarters or by Moscow. At the same time Macedonian communists more and more specifically stated to be genuine inheritors and promoters of centuries-old traditions of Macedonians, manifested by figures such Cyril and Methodius
Cyril (; born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (; born Michael, 815–885) were brothers, Population of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Christian theologians and Christian missionaries, missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs ...
, and tied their cause through historical continuity with the Macedonian revolutionary movement.
Bulgarian actions in 1942
The Bulgarian regime created a special gendarmerie
A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
force which received almost unlimited power to pursue the Communist partisans in the whole kingdom. Many former right-wing IMRO members were involved in the so-called counter-chetas which assisted the gendarmerie in fighting the partisans.
On 10 June 1942, the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
imposed Bulgarian citizenship in all "Newly-liberated lands", on all of the population of "Bulgarian" origin. Otherwise, refusing citizenship meant to leave the country, and if so without any financial goods, since all of the bank accounts in the occupied territories would be frozen. Meanwhile, those who would acquire Bulgarian citizenship were promised exclusion from all taxes and levies.
Although the Bulgarians enacted a set of tax relief and financial aid laws in the "new lands", and established 800 new schools in Macedonia, also a library, museum and national theater in Skopje
Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
, none of it provided any sizeable sympathy. These endowments were seen as proof of the Bulgarisation campaign by Macedonians. A particular hostility by dissident Macedonians was espoused towards the use of Bulgarian language in schools. In the following years, because of the degree of resistance, in many areas attendance was retained by force, and some schools were closed.
Despite all of the efforts of the Bulgarian authorities, the great majority of the population which consisted of those who felt themselves Macedonians opposed or remained passive towards the Bulgarisation and other oppressive policies. As a matter of fact all of the previous confirmed to the Macedonians that the Bulgarian oppressive regime was the same as the Yugoslav (Serbian) before. The same policy was shared, of denying the nationality, language, political autonomy of the Macedonians and their free development into a national unit. Consequently, in the same time autonomist feelings were growing and the support for the Communist partisans was becoming larger.
1943
Support from the CC of the CPY
The resentment against the occupying forces was growing and several revolts arose in 1942 which led to temporary liberation of some areas. However, most Macedonian Communists had yet to be lured to the idea of Yugoslavia. Between 1941 and 1943, Tito have sent five emissaries to Macedonia, to persuade his ill-disciplined comrades, but their efforts had limited success, and the Regional Committee was de facto under the control of the BCP. To change that, at the beginning of 1943 the Montenegrin Svetozar Vukmanović-Tempo Svetozar (Cyrillic script: Светозар) is a Slavic origin given name and may refer to:
* Svetozar Boroević (1856–1920), Austro-Hungarian Field Marshal
* Svetozar Čiplić (born 1965), Serbian politician
* Svetozar Đanić (1917–1941), S ...
was sent as an assistant to the HQ of the Macedonian partisan forces. Tempo was supposed to organize an energetic struggle against the occupying forces and to set up a Macedonian Communist Party within the framework of the Yugoslav one. According to the CPY's plan, this structure would be active only in Vardar Macedonia and would include only activists loyal to the Yugoslav agenda. Facing the questions of the unification of Macedonia, often addressed by activists with more autonomist attitude in relation to the Yugoslav project, the CPY leaders proclaimed that the different parts of Macedonia ( Yugoslav, Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
and Bulgarian) would be joined within Yugoslavia as extension of its prewar territory.[Roumen Daskalov, Diana Mishkova ed., ''Entangled Histories of the Balkans'', Vol. Two, Brill, 2013, , pp. 502-544.] Hence, Tempo was assigned with the task of contacting the Greek Communists and the novice Albanian Communists, also of aiding the latter.
Formation of the Communist Party of Macedonia (CPM)
The Regional Committee was disbanded and a separate Macedonian Communist Party was established, which would be representative of the will of the Macedonian people in the anti-fascist struggle for national liberation. The Communist Party of Macedonia (CPM) was formed on 19 March 1943 in Tetovo
Tetovo (, ; , sq-definite, Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena (river), Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, wit ...
. The first Central Committee (CC of the CPM) was composed of Strahil Gigov, Kuzman Josifovski Pitu
Kuzman Josifovski Pitu (Macedonian language, Macedonian: Кузман Јосифовски – Питу; 23 June 1915 – 25 February 1944) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian communism, communist Yugoslav Partisans, partisan and one of t ...
, Cvetko Uzunovski
Cvetkova Pijaca or colloquially Cvetko (Serbian Cyrillic: Цветкова пијаца) is an open green market and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.
Location
Cvet ...
, Mara Naceva, Lazar Koliševski
Lazar Koliševski ( ; 12 February 1914 – 6 July 2000) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Communism, communist political leader in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and briefly in th ...
and Bane Andreev
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gua ...
.["Историја на Македонскиот Народ" Александар Стојановски, Иван Катарџиев, Данчо Зографски. Скопје, 1988]
After making a detailed analysis of the military and political situation in the country, the CC of the CPM decided to be directly involved in the fighting and to be stationed side by side with the troops on the battlefield. The territory of Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian language, Macedonian and ) is a historical term referring to the central part of the broader Macedonian region, roughly corresponding to present-day North Macedonia. The name derives from the Vardar, Vardar River and i ...
was divided into five operative zones, and efforts were made to make direct contact with the liberation movements in Albania, Bulgaria and Greece.
Adding to the existing eleven, eight new Macedonian partisan detachments were formed in the summer of 1943 as more and more people entered the ranks of the partisans. They managed to create strongholds in the regions of Debarca, Prespa
Prespa (, , ) is a region shared between North Macedonia, Greece and Albania. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Resen in North Macedonia with 9,000 inhabitan ...
, Kumanovo
Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...
, Tikvesh, and Gevgelija
Gevgelija (; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point which links the motorway f ...
. This allowed for the expansion of the National Liberation Committees and the creation of larger military units, as decided at a conference in Prespa on 2 August 1943. Regular large military units (battalions and brigades) were created as part of the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia
The Macedonian Partisans, officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Macedonia, was a communist and anti-fascist resistance movement formed in occupied Yugoslavia which was active in the World War II in Yugoslav Macedon ...
(NOVM).
Formation of the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia
The date of the creation of its first major unit, the "Mirče Acev" battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
was August 18, 1943 on Mount Slavej between Ohrid
Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...
and Kičevo
Kičevo ( ; , sq-definite, Kërçova) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, located in a valley in the south-eastern slopes of Mount Bistra, between the cities of Ohrid and Gostivar. The capital Skopje is 112 km away. The city ...
, then in the Italian occupation zone. It was formed from the fighters of the partisan detachment ''Dame Gruev'' and part of the detachments ''Dimitar Vlahov'' and ''Gjorche Petrov''. In the middle of 1943, meetings were held between representatives of the Greek resistance and the Albanian resistance
In Albania, World War II began with its invasion by Italy in April 1939. Fascist Italy set up Albania as its protectorate or puppet state. The resistance was largely carried out by Communist groups against the Italian (until 1943) and then ...
. Svetozar Vukmanović
Svetozar Vukmanović - Tempo ( sh-Cyrl, Светозар Вукмановић - Темпо; 3 August 1912 – 6 December 2000) was a leading Montenegrin communist and member of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. D ...
put forward the idea of a joint Balkan
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
Headquarters to exercise supreme control over the partisan movements in Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, and Greece. Although this idea failed he managed to "export" the Macedonian liberation movement. Tempo asked for recognition of the ethnic Macedonian people's right to self-determination, and permission from ELAS
The Greek People's Liberation Army (, ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós''; ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek resistance until February 1945, when, followi ...
for the partisans from Vardar Macedonia to extend their activity among the Slavic-speaking population in Greek Macedonia
Macedonia ( ; , ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, wit ...
. As a result, the Slavic-Macedonian National Liberation Front
The National Liberation Front (, ''Narodnoosloboditelen front'' OF, also known as the People's Liberation Front, was a communist political and military organization created by the Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia, Slavic Macedonian minority ...
(SNOF) was established in 1943 in Greek Macedonia by ethnic Macedonian communists, members of the Communist Party of Greece
The Communist Party of Greece (, ΚΚΕ; ''Kommounistikó Kómma Elládas'', KKE) is a Marxist–Leninist political party in Greece. It was founded in 1918 as the Socialist Workers' Party of Greece (SEKE) and adopted its current name in Novem ...
(KKE). After passing through western Greek Macedonia, the main forces of the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia were stationed in the Almopia
Almopia (), or Enotia (Greek: Ενωτία), also known in the Middle Ages as Moglena (Greek: Μογλενά, Macedonian and Bulgarian: Меглен or Мъглен), is a municipality and a former province (επαρχία) of the Pella regional ...
region in Greece close to the Yugoslav border. The Partisan detachments that were active in the Gevgelija
Gevgelija (; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point which links the motorway f ...
region and Tikvesh also crossed the border into northern Greece and met with the main forces of the NOVM. Several meetings were held with members of ELAS
The Greek People's Liberation Army (, ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós''; ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek resistance until February 1945, when, followi ...
and the KKE. One of the decisions was the creation of wider partisan detachments composed of the ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece. On 11 November 1943, the 1st Macedonian-Kosovo Assault Brigade was formed in western Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
by merging two Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian language, Macedonian and ) is a historical term referring to the central part of the broader Macedonian region, roughly corresponding to present-day North Macedonia. The name derives from the Vardar, Vardar River and i ...
n and one Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
battalion. The second larger military unit was the 2nd Macedonian Assault Brigade, formed on 20 December 1943 just across the border in Greek Macedonia. It was formed in village of Fustani in the Pella district, out of the 3 battalions of the 3rd operative zone. The Hristo Botev partisan battalion of the NOVM was formed out of deserted Bulgarian soldiers, it was included in the 2nd Macedonian Assault Brigade. On 26 February 1944 in the village of Zegljane, near Kumanovo
Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...
, the 3rd Macedonian Assault Brigade was formed from the battalions ''Stiv Naumov'', ''Jordan Nikolov-Orce'' and ''Hristijan Todorovski-Karpoš''. These three brigades were the nucleus of the National Liberation Army of Macedonia, which after constant battles became stronger in numbers. The rest of the fighters that were not included in the First Macedonian-Kosovo Assault Brigade and the Second Macedonian Assault Brigade (the ''Hristo Botev'' and ''Strašo Pindžur'' battalion and the detachments from Gevgelija and Tikvesh) were organized into the so-called "Third Group of Battalions".
Bulgarian actions in 1943
Bulgaria managed to save its entire 48,000-strong Jewish population during World War II from deportation to Nazi concentration camps
From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe.
The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...
, but under German pressure those Jews from their newly annexed territories without Bulgarian citizenship were deported, such as those from Vardar Macedonia and Western Thrace
Western Thrace or West Thrace (, '' ytikíThráki'' ), also known as Greek Thrace or Aegean Thrace, is a geographical and historical region of Greece, between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country; East Thrace, which lie ...
. The Bulgarian government was responsible for the roundup and deportation of over 7,000 Jews in Skopje and Bitola
Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...
.
Around this time Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihaylov Gavrilov (; ;He is credited in English-language sources as ''Mihailov'', while the Bulgarian and Macedonian transliteration schemes render it as ''Mihaylov'' and ''Mihajlov'', respectively. 26 August 1896 – 5 September 1990), ...
of IMRO had plans which envisaged the creation of a Macedonian state under German control. He was a follower of the idea of a united Macedonian state with a dominant Bulgarian element.
1944 and aftermath
February Campaign
The February march campaign of 1944 had a great political and moral impact. The whole Bulgarian 5th Army, all of the Bulgarian police, as well as the army regiments stationed in Kjustendil and Gorna Dzumaja were engaged in the battles. After the February march, the Bulgarian government was forced to change its strategy – organization of the fighting would no longer be the responsibility of the police but of the army, and all organizations would be obliged to help the army.
Destruction of the Vardar Chetnik Corps
At the end of January 1944, the High Command of the NOVM decided to launch an offensive, with the intention of destroying the VCC. On 29 February 1944 the partisans of the Third Macedonian Assault Brigade attacked the Chetnik flanks from north, west and south, while the Hristo Botev detachment hit the Chetniks from the east. In the battle for the village of Sejac, the Vardar Chetnik Corps was totally destroyed, suffering 53 casualties (46 shot by partisans and 7 drowned in the river Pčinja while attempting to flee). 97 Chetniks, including 5 officers, were captured in the action. On 3 March 1944 in the village of Novo Selo, Partisan fighters destroyed the remaining force, capturing 30 Chetniks and more than 100 rifles and ammunition. Various local Chetnik bands, decentralized and acting on their own accord, such as the Porech Chetniks, continued to operate in certain parts of Macedonia but they were generally scattered and disorganized.
Actions in northern Vardar Macedonia and south-eastern Serbia
After the operations which ended with the destruction of the Chetniks in Macedonia, the HQ of the NOVM, now acting as supreme commander of the partisan units in Vardar Macedonia, Kosovo and South Morava, decided to engage in three new attacks on the Bulgarian police and administration. On 26 April 1944 the Third Macedonian Assault Brigade together with the Kosovo detachment successfully attacked the city of Ristovac
Ristovac (Serbian Cyrillic: Ристовац) is a small town in the Municipality of Vranje located in the Pčinja District of south-east Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat ...
, where 130 Bulgarian soldiers were killed and 20 captured by the Macedonian partisans. On 3 April 1944 the 3rd Macedonian Assault Brigade attacked the mining town of Zletovo
Zletovo () is a village in the municipality of Probištip, North Macedonia. It used to be a municipality of its own and its FIPS code was MK48.
History
One of the neighborhoods of the village bears the name ''Arvanik'', which stems from the Proto ...
, where about 100 miners entered the ranks of the brigade.
Spring Offensive
Because of increased partisan activity, the main supply lines for the German Army group "E" stationed in Greece and Albania were constantly ambushed and at the same time, the HQ of the MNOV was making plans to liberate western Macedonia and sent the 1st Macedonian-Kosovo Assault Brigade there. Pushing towards Debarca, the 1st Macedonian-Kosovo Assault Brigade had clashes with the Bulgarians and Germans in Zavoj and Velmej
Velmej () is a village in the municipality of Debarca, North Macedonia. It used to be part of the former municipality of Belčišta.
Location
Velmej is located at Dolna Debarca region, 13 km. east from the Ohrid- Kicevo high road.
On t ...
. The Germans obtained reinforcements and on 8 May 1944 they counter-attacked. The fighting ended on 20 May 1944 with the Germans being pushed out of the region. After recapturing the Debarca area, more reinforcements became available, so the brigade was split in two brigades – the 1st Macedonian and 1st Kosovo Assault Brigades.
In order to prevent the Germans and Bulgarians from taking total control of the action, the NOVM decided to make surprise attacks on enemy positions and to try to exhaust the enemy any way they could. The 2nd Macedonian Assault Brigade was sent to conduct several actions in Povardarie Povardarie () is a geographic region in the central part of North Macedonia, and includes all of the canyons, mountains, and valleys through which the Vardar river flows.
The term is used in the names of Diocese of Povardarie of the Macedonian Ort ...
(central Macedonia) and Pelagonia
Pelagonia (; ) is a geographical region of Macedonia named after the ancient kingdom. Ancient Pelagonia roughly corresponded to the present-day municipalities of Bitola, Prilep, Mogila, Novaci, Kruševo, and Krivogaštani in North Macedo ...
near Prilep and Bitola.
ASNOM
On 2 August 1944, on the 41st anniversary of the Ilinden Uprising Ilinden ( Bulgarian/ Macedonian: Илинден) or Ilindan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Илиндан), meaning " Saint Elijah's Day", may refer to:
Events
* Republic Day (North Macedonia)
Republic Day () or Ilinden () is a national holiday in North ...
, the first session of the newly created Anti-Fascist Assembly of the National Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) was held in the Prohor Pčinjski Monastery
The Monastery of Venerable Prohor of Pčinja (), commonly known as Prohor Pčinjski () is an 11th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery in the deep south in Serbia, located in the village of Klenike, south of Vranje, near the border with North Mac ...
, on which a Macedonian state was proclaimed under the name Democratic Federal Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
.
А manifesto
A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...
was issued outlining the future plans of ASNOM for unification of the whole Macedonian people and declaring the Macedonian language
Macedonian ( ; , , ) is an Eastern South Slavic language. It is part of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is one of the Slavic languages, which are part of a larger Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch. Sp ...
as the official language of Macedonia.
In spite of Tito's hopes to the contrary, the presiding committee of ASNOM was dominated by elements that were not known for their pro-Yugoslav sentiments. To the displeasure of those preferring joining the Yugoslav Socialist Federation, Metodija Andonov-Čento
Metodija Andonov-Čento (; ; 17 August 1902 – 24 July 1957) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian revolutionary, Macedonian Partisans, partisan, statesman, the first president of the Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of M ...
was elected president and Panko Brashnarov
Panko Brashnarov ( Bulgarian and '';'' 27 July 1883 – 13 July 1951) was a revolutionary and member of the left wing of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) and IMRO (United) later. As with many other IMARO mem ...
(former member of IMRO
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; ; ), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it init ...
) vice-president. The assembly tried to secure as much independence as possible for Yugoslav Macedonia and gave priority to the unification of the three parts of Macedonia.[Spyridon Sfetas – Autonomist Movements of the Slavophones in 1944. The Attitude of the Communist Party of Greece and the Protection of the Greek-Yugoslav Border, pg. ]
/ref> Several sources state that Čento had made plans for creating an independent Macedonia which would be backed by the US.[Ченто беше за обединета Македонија под протекторат на Америка: Советски документи за дејноста на претседателот на заседанието на АСНО�]
ASNOM was the governing body of Macedonia from its formation until April 1945.
"Maximalists" and "Minimalists"
The Manifesto of ASNOM eventually became a compromise between the "maximalists" and the "minimalists" – the unification of the Macedonian people was discussed and propagandized but the decision was ultimately reached that Vardar Macedonia would become a part of the new Communist Yugoslavia.
The proponents of the "maximalist" line were in favor of the creation of an independent United Macedonian state which would have ties with Yugoslavia, but not necessarily inclusion in a Yugoslav Federation. Proponents of this option included Metodija Andonov-Čento, as well as prominent figures of the former IMRO (United) such as Pavel Shatev, Panko Brashnarov, and others. They saw joining Yugoslavia as a form of Serbian dominance over Macedonia, and preferred membership in a Balkan Federation or else complete independence. Proponents of the "minimalist" line were also for the creation of a Macedonian state, but within the Yugoslavian federation.
These differences were visible in the ASNOM discussions, but they especially came into the open after the final liberation of Macedonia. It must be added that both "maximalist" and "minimalist" lines within the National Liberation Movement in Vardar Macedonia supported the existence of a separate Macedonian identity and were in favor of the creation of a separate state in which the Macedonian people
Macedonians ( ) are a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group native to the region of Macedonia in Southeast Europe. They speak Macedonian, a South Slavic language. The large majority of Macedonians identify as Eastern Orthodox Christians, ...
would have their homeland. The greatest difference between the two lines was whether Macedonia should join Yugoslavia, or exist as an independent country.
Failed attempt to create Macedonian puppet state
By August 1944, the Soviet Army was approaching the Balkans. In a last-minute attempt to create a buffer state against the incoming Red Army, on 29 August, the Germans attempted to establish an 'independent' Macedonian puppet state, led by Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihaylov Gavrilov (; ;He is credited in English-language sources as ''Mihailov'', while the Bulgarian and Macedonian transliteration schemes render it as ''Mihaylov'' and ''Mihajlov'', respectively. 26 August 1896 – 5 September 1990), ...
. Unlike the leftist resistance, the right wing followers of IMRO were pro-Bulgarian orientated, and did not support the existence of a future Yugoslavia. The Bulgarian interior minister was put in charge to contact Mihajlov, who at the time was an advisor to Croatia's Nazi leader Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and was dictator of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a fasc ...
. The state was to receive no military (troops or weapons) backing from Germany, because the Germans were running short on troops and weapons. Telegrams from the time indicate that an orderly Bulgarian-German troop withdrawal would precede the formation of such a puppet state. Bulgaria ordered its troops to withdraw from Macedonia on 2 September. In the evening on 3 September, Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihaylov Gavrilov (; ;He is credited in English-language sources as ''Mihailov'', while the Bulgarian and Macedonian transliteration schemes render it as ''Mihaylov'' and ''Mihajlov'', respectively. 26 August 1896 – 5 September 1990), ...
was flown in first from Zagreb to Sofia, to see what 'can be saved".[Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005, p. 48] Two telegrams from 5 September at 1:7 and 6 September at 2:20 relay Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
's reorder for the establishment of such a state. Mihajlov was transported from Sofia to Skopje in the evening of 5 September. Based on German telegrams from the time, Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihaylov Gavrilov (; ;He is credited in English-language sources as ''Mihailov'', while the Bulgarian and Macedonian transliteration schemes render it as ''Mihaylov'' and ''Mihajlov'', respectively. 26 August 1896 – 5 September 1990), ...
was offered the establishment of such a state, but by 18:00 (6 pm) on 6 September, he declined for inability to gather support. The failure led to ordering German withdrawal from Greece on 6 September and appointing Senior-Field-Commandant for Greece Heinz Scheeuerlen as the new Senior-Field-Commandant for Macedonia.[Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005, p. 50.] Germany closed its Consulate in Skopje and evacuated its staff together with Ivan Mihailov
Ivan Mihaylov Gavrilov (; ;He is credited in English-language sources as ''Mihailov'', while the Bulgarian and Macedonian transliteration schemes render it as ''Mihaylov'' and ''Mihajlov'', respectively. 26 August 1896 – 5 September 1990), ...
and his wife out of Macedonia. However, on 8 September, right-wing IMRO nationalists declared independence. The self-proclaimed state was left "virtually defenseless" following the withdrawal of German troops. The Germans did not support it as their forces withdrew from the region. In the chaos, they just tried to use the new-formed "Macedonian committees" as local police stations. Their members were former activists of Bulgarian Action Committees
The Bulgarian Action Committees in Macedonia were collaborationist nationalist organizations of Bulgarians in Macedonia during 1941, emboldened by the invasion of Yugoslavia by Nazi Germany, determined to end the Yugoslav rule in the region, perc ...
.
Bulgaria switching sides
In September 1944 the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria and occupied part of the country. A coup d'état on 9 September led to Bulgaria joining the Soviets. A day earlier Bulgaria had declared war on Nazi Germany. This turn of events put Bulgarian divisions stationed in Macedonia in a difficult situation. German troops had closed round them, while their command was being nonplussed by the high treason of some staff officers, who had deserted to the German side. The withdrawing Bulgarian troops in Macedonia fought their way back to the old borders of Bulgaria. Josip Broz
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...
formed relations with the new pro-Communist authorities in Bulgaria. After Bulgaria switching sides to the Allies negotiations between Tito and the Bulgarian Communist leaders were organized in September–October 1944, resulting in a military alliance between the Yugoslav forces and Bulgaria. That was followed by demobilization of the Macedonian recruits, who formed as much as 40–60% of the soldiers in some Bulgarian battalions. As a result, the ''Gotse Delchev'' brigade was set up and equipped in Sofia by the Bulgarian government providing the basis for the deployment of considerable Yugoslav troops in Vardar Macedonia.
Final operations for the liberation of Macedonia
Bulgarian Army
Under the leadership of the new Bulgarian pro-Soviet government, four Bulgarian armies, 455,000 strong in total, were mobilized and reorganized. By the end of September, the Red Army 3rd Ukrainian Front
The 3rd Ukrainian Front () was a Front of the Soviet Red Army during World War II.
It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwestern Front. It included 1st Guards Army, 8th Gua ...
troops were concentrated at the Bulgarian-Yugoslav border. In the early October 1944 three Bulgarian armies, consisting of around 340,000-man,[''The Oxford companion to World War II'', Ian Dear, Michael Richard Daniell Foot, Oxford University Press, 2001, ]
p. 134
together with the Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
reentered occupied Yugoslavia and moved from Sofia to Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
, Skopje and Pristina
Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district.
In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
to blocking the German forces withdrawing from Greece. In Macedonia the Bulgarians operated in conjunction with the fighters of the NOVM, but this cooperation did not proceed without difficulties.[''War and revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: occupation and collaboration'', Jozo Tomasevich, Stanford University Press, 2001, ]
p. 168
The German Brigade ''Angermiler'' was positioned at the Kačanik Gorge. Skopje was defended by elements of the 22nd Infantry Division and parts of the 11th Luftwaffe Division (which was mainly involved in the fighting in eastern Macedonia), and units from other divisions. From 8 October to 19 November, the '' Stratsin-Kumanovo operation'' was held and Kratovo, Kriva Palanka
Kriva Palanka ( ) is a town located in the northeastern part of North Macedonia. It has 13,481 inhabitants. The town of Kriva Palanka is the seat of Kriva Palanka Municipality which has 18,059 inhabitants.
The town lies near the ''Deve Bair'' ...
, Kumanovo
Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...
and Skopje
Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
were taken. At the same time the '' Bregalnitsa-Strumica operation'' was led, and the Wehrmacht was driven from the villages of Delchevo, Kočani
Kočani ( ) is a town in the eastern part of North Macedonia, situated around east from Skopje. It has a population of 24,632 as of 2021 and is the seat of the Kočani Municipality.
Geography
The town spreads across the Northern side of the K ...
, Stip, Strumica
Strumica (, ) is the largest city[2002 census results](_blank)
in English and Macedonian (PDF) in so ...
and Veles
Veles may refer to:
*Veles (god), a Slavic god
*Veles Municipality, in North Macedonia
*Veles, North Macedonia, a city, seat of the municipality, formerly called Titov Veles
*Veles Bastion, Stribog Mountains on Brabant Island, Antarctica
*Veles, s ...
.[История на Българите: Военна история на българите от древността до наши дни, Том 5 от Istoria na Bŭlgarite](_blank)
Georgi Bakalov, TRUD Publishers, 2007, , стр. 560–569. In parallel, the '' Kosovo operation'' was also taking a place, aiming to expel the German forces from Kosovo. Southern and Eastern Serbia
The Southern and Eastern Serbia () is one of five statistical regions of Serbia. It is also a Level-2 statistical region according to the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS).
History
In 2009, the National Assembly adopted a l ...
, Kosovo and Vardar Macedonia were liberated by the end of November.[Dr. Ivan Yanev ''Bulgaria's Foreign Policy During the Second World War as Reflected in Bulgarian Historic Literature'' 1938–1944 Варна, 2006 Издателство "Литернет]
/ref> The 3rd Ukrainian Front in collaboration with the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
and Bulgarian People's Army
The Bulgarian People's Army (, BNA) was the army of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. It comprised the Bulgarian Land Forces, Air Force and Air Defence, Navy and supporting arms. Bulgaria was one of the signatories of the Warsaw Pact. Along with ...
carried out the Belgrade Offensive. The 130,000-strong Bulgarian First Army continued to Hungary, driving off the Germans, while the rest moved back to Bulgaria. On a series of maps from Army Group E
Army Group E () was a German Army Group active during World War II.
Army Group E was created on 1 January 1943 from the 12th Army. Units from this Army Group were distributed throughout the Eastern Mediterranean area, including Albania, Greece ...
, showing its withdrawal through Macedonia and Southern Serbia, as well as in the memoirs of its chief of staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
, there is almost no indication of Yugoslav Partisan
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
units, but only Bulgarian divisions. In October 1944, 25 Bulgarian soldiers captured by the Germans managed to escape and hid in the city of Ohrid
Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...
. Despite threats that the city would come under artillery fire from the Germans, the soldiers were not handed over by the citizens. Subsequently, the Germans set a condition for a ransom of 12 kg. gold. To accomplish this, even a gold cross was removed from the roof of a local church. Strongly impressed by this act, the Germans refused to take the gold and to look for the fugitives further and left the city. Thus the soldiers were saved.
Macedonian partisans
After the German retreat, forced by the Soviet-Bulgarian offensive in Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo in the autumn of 1944, the conscription increased significantly. In October 1944 more new brigades were formed. By the end of October 1944 in Vardar Macedonia there were 21 Macedonian, one Kosovar, one Albanian, and the 1st Aegean Macedonian brigade (composed of 1500 armed former Slavic-Macedonian National Liberation Front
The National Liberation Front (, ''Narodnoosloboditelen front'' OF, also known as the People's Liberation Front, was a communist political and military organization created by the Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia, Slavic Macedonian minority ...
(SNOF) members that crossed the border into Vardar Macedonia after ELAS
The Greek People's Liberation Army (, ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós''; ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek resistance until February 1945, when, followi ...
ordered the dissolution of their unit). The 1st Macedonian Cavalry Brigade and the 1st Macedonian Automobile Brigade were formed using captured equipment, arms, vehicles, and horses. From August until the beginning of November three Engineering Brigades were formed which started repairing the roads. The new brigades were grouped in six new divisions, which made the total force of the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia three Corps composed of seven divisions, consisting of some 66,000 Macedonian Partisans. By mid-November 1944 the Germans were completely dislodged from Macedonia, and organs of "People's Authority" were established. After the liberation of Macedonia the XV Macedonian corps were sent on the Syrmian Front
The Syrmian Front () was an Axis powers, Axis line of defense during World War II. It was established as part of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front in late October 1944 in Syrmia and east Slavonia, northwest of Belgrade.
After the ...
with a personnel of 25,000 fighters and officers of which around 1,674 died, 3,400 were wounded and 378 went missing.
Chronological composition by the number of the members of NOVM was as follows:
Aftermath
The total number of casualties in Macedonia from World War II was approximately 24,000, as follows: 7,000 Jews, 6,000 Serbians, 6,000 ethnic Macedonians, 4,000 Albanians and 1,000 Bulgarians. This includes around 3,000 "collaborationists", "counter-revolutionaries" and civilian victims, 7,000 Jews exterminated in concentration camps, and 14,000 resistance fighters and soldiers. According to Bogoljub Kočović
Bogoljub Kočović (1920 – February 2013) was a Serbian jurist and statistician. He undertook the first objective examination of the number of people killed during World War Two in Yugoslavia and published his findings in the 1985 book ''Žrtve ...
the relative number of war losses was the lowest among the Macedonians, compared to the other ethnic groups in Yugoslavia:
According to a Yugoslav census from 1966 on the casualties of the war, the ethnic Macedonian victims were 6,724. It appears the number of ethnic Macedonian partisans killed from October 1941 to October 1944 in direct battles against Bulgarians is only several dozens. Indicative of the weak resistance for most of the war towards the Bulgarians, a case which is still a taboo topic in North Macedonia. They are result from different reasons as follows:
Despite Bulgaria's significant involvement on the side of the Allies at the end of the war, the country was not cast as a co-fighting country at the Paris Peace Conference, 1946
Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such a ...
and was ordered to pay Yugoslavia war reparations for the occupation of Macedonia and Southern Serbia, which Yugoslavia unilaterally abandoned in 1947.
After the war for the first time in history, the Macedonian people managed to obtain their statehood, nation and language. These events marked the defeat of the Macedono-Bulgarianism and the victory of the Macedonianism in the area.
Controversy
Communist repressions
After the liberation the Presidium
A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some countries' political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. The term is also sometimes used for the ...
of the Anti-Fascist Assembly for the People's Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM
The Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia (, ''Antifašističko sobranie za narodno osloboduvanje na Makedonija''; Serbo-Croatian: ''Antifašističko sobranje narodnog oslobođenja Makedonije''; abbr. ASNOM) was the supr ...
), which was the governing body of Macedonia, made several statements and actions that were contradictory to the decisions of the Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ
The Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia,; ; commonly abbreviated as the AVNOJ, was a deliberative and legislative body that was established in Bihać, Yugoslavia, in November 1942. It was established by Josip Broz ...
), the Yugoslav executive authority. Tito's General Headquarters sent orders asking the forces of the MNOV to participate in the fighting in the Syrmian Front
The Syrmian Front () was an Axis powers, Axis line of defense during World War II. It was established as part of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front in late October 1944 in Syrmia and east Slavonia, northwest of Belgrade.
After the ...
for the final liberation of Yugoslavia. President Metodija Andonov-Čento and his associates debated whether to send the troops to Srem and help liberate Yugoslavia or to advance the troops under his command toward Greek Macedonia
Macedonia ( ; , ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, wit ...
in order to "unify the Macedonian people" into one country. In January 1945, the former members of the Gotse Delchev Brigade then part of the XV Macedonian corps artillery platoon stationed at the Skopje Fortress
The Skopje Fortress (; ; ), commonly referred to as Kale (from '' kale'', the Turkish word for 'fortress'), is a historic fortress located in the old town of Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. It is located in Centar municipality "the medie ...
, and one of its infantry platoons at Štip
Štip ( ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities.
As of the 2021 census, the city of Štip had ...
revolted against the order to be sent to the Srem front. They wanted to head to Thessaloniki as presumable capital of an imagined United Macedonia
United Macedonia (), or Greater Macedonia (), is an irredentist concept among ethnic Macedonian nationalists that aims to unify the transnational region of Macedonia in Southeastern Europe (which they claim as their homeland and which they asser ...
. Svetozar Vukmanović
Svetozar Vukmanović - Tempo ( sh-Cyrl, Светозар Вукмановић - Темпо; 3 August 1912 – 6 December 2000) was a leading Montenegrin communist and member of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. D ...
accused them of had fallen under Bulgarian influences. After they refused to disperse on both places, many were arrested on his order. According to some of the participants in this events there was no one shot as a consequence of the revolt. While according to Bulgarian sources there were dozens shot down. Andonov-Čento and his close associates were trying to minimize the ties with Yugoslavia as far as possible, which was contrary to the decisions of AVNOJ. As result Andonov-Čento was replaced by Lazar Koliševski
Lazar Koliševski ( ; 12 February 1914 – 6 July 2000) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Communism, communist political leader in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and briefly in th ...
, who started fully implementing the pro-Yugoslav line. Čento himself was later imprisoned. The fabricated charges against him were of being a Western spy, a traitor working against the SR Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
as part of SFR Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, being in close contacts with IMRO
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; ; ), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it init ...
terrorist, supporting a pro-Bulgarian
Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, while in No ...
plan of an Independent Macedonia, etc.
The new leadership of the People's Republic of Macedonia headed by Lazar Kolishevski confirmed the decisions of AVNOJ, and Macedonia joined Yugoslavia. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia eventually all became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
. The Macedonian national feelings were already ripe at that time as compared to 1941. Subsequently, to wipe out the remaining bulgarophile
Bulgarophiles (; Serbian and , ''bugarofili'' or ''bugaraši''; ; ) is a pejorative term used for Slavic people
The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout th ...
sentiments, the new Communist authorities persecuted the right-wing nationalists with the charges of "great-Bulgarian chauvinism". The next task was also to break up all the organisations that opposed the idea of Yugoslavia. So even older left-wing politicians, who were at some degree pro-Bulgarian oriented, were purged from their positions, then isolated, arrested and imprisoned on fabricated charges, as foreign agents, demanding greater independence, forming of conspirative political groups and the like. Besides, many people went throughout the labor camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...
of Goli Otok in the middle 1940s. The number of allegedly killed was 1,260 victims and also it is estimated that from 50 000, up to 100 000 were imprisoned, deported, sent to forced labor, tortured, etc.
Manipulation of historical events
By their invasion in 1941, the Bulgarians were greeted by most of the locals as liberators as an effect from the oppressive Serbian rule, through waving Bulgarian flags, and pro-Bulgarian
Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, while in No ...
sentiments among them prevailed in the beginning of the occupation. Macedonian communists incorporated their structures into the BCP. At the same time sizable part of the local administration, the soldiers recruited in the Bulgarian Army and the police officers stationed in Vardar Macedonia were native from the area. Even the only victim of the attack on 11 October 1941, celebrated today as the day of the Macedonian Uprising
Day of the Macedonian Uprising is a public holiday in North Macedonia, commemorating the beginning of the National Liberation Struggle against fascism during World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia, on October 11, 1941.
According to the Yugoslav M ...
against fascism, was a local man conscripted in the Bulgarian police. Yugoslav Macedonian historians have accused the Bulgarian forces of several atrocities, most prominent among which is the massacre of 12 young civilians at the village of Vataša. However, significant part of the soldiers and some of the commanding officers during the occupation were local staff. However, after the war, the Yugoslav communist historiography did a lot to equate the term ''Bulgarians'' with "fascistic occupiers". Today are some revisionist opinions in North Macedonia, this conflict was merely a civil war, and the significant resistance movement against the Bulgarians is only a historical myth.
It became clear in the autumn of 1944, that the Bulgarian army supporting the Belgrade Offensive of the 3rd Ukrainian Front
The 3rd Ukrainian Front () was a Front of the Soviet Red Army during World War II.
It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwestern Front. It included 1st Guards Army, 8th Gua ...
, was the real force behind the driving the German Army Group E, counting ca. 300,000 soldiers, out of Southern Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia. Nevertheless, the official Yugoslav and later Macedonian historiography, has played down its role by political grounds, actually at the cost of historical deception
Deception is the act of convincing of one or many recipients of untrue information. The person creating the deception knows it to be false while the receiver of the information does not. It is often done for personal gain or advantage.
Tort of ...
s. For example, according to Macedonian sources Bulgarians did not participate in the operations for the capture of Skopje in the mid of November 1944, even as observers. Once the city was seized by the guerrillas, they were not even allowed to enter it. Nevertheless, the city was seized not without the decisive role of the Bulgarian troops. Per German military historian Karl Hnilicka, the Bulgarians developed their advance towards Skopje into a large-scale offensive, which gave rise to the danger for Army Group E of being cut off. The situation was desperate and the town was evacuated urgently at the night of 13/14 November. As result on 13 and 14 November parts of the First and Fourth Bulgarian Armies entered Skopje
Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
. According to the British commissioner in the Allied Commission
Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allies were in control of the defeated Axis countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany, Italy and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission and a proposed Far ...
in Sofia – general Walter Oxley, Skopje was seized after several Bulgarian attacks, while the partisans were waiting on the hills around, but they moved on in time to support the Bulgarian entry into the city. Bulgarian sources maintain at first they entered the town, and namely Bulgarian detachments seized also its center at midnight.
Subsequently, a lot of Partisan monuments and memorials were built in SR Macedonia. Meanwhile, ca. 3,000 Bulgarian victims buried in different cemeteries in Yugoslavia, were collected in two ossuaries – in Nis and in Vukovar
Vukovar (; sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, , ) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern Regions of Croatia, regions of Syrmia and Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka (river), Vuka and the Danube. Vukova ...
. The rest from the military cemeteries, including all of them in North Macedonia, were obliterated. Some of the Bulgarian victims were returned and buried in Bulgaria. In general 3,422 Bulgarian soldiers were killed and 2,136 were missing in the autumn of 1944 in Southern Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
.
Modern references
According to the Bulgarian Association for Research and Development of Civil Society, the 2016 WW2 Macedonian film The Liberation of Skopje, is a propagandist piece against Bulgaria and breeds anti-Bulgarian hatred, sponsored by the Macedonian government. Another Macedonian movie The Third Half
''The Third Half'' ( ) is a 2012 Macedonian film directed by Darko Mitrevski. It deals with Macedonian football during World War II and the deportation of Jews from Macedonia. It is a story of love during wartime and a country's passion for foot ...
was also controversial in Bulgaria over its depiction of Bulgarians in WW2. Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n members
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
of the European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
expressed outrage over the film and claimed it was an attempt to manipulate the Balkan history and to spread hate against Bulgaria. They have insisted the Macedonian government has overdone with its nationalist activities. In October 2019 the Bulgarian government set tough terms for North Macedonia's EU candidature and part of them are to remove the phrase "Bulgarian fascistic occupiers" from all World War II historical landmarks, as well as to begin the rehabilitation of all people who suffered under former Yugoslav communist rule because of their Bulgarian identity. Bulgaria insists also the two countries must "harmonize" historic literature "overcoming the hate speech" against Bulgaria. In November 2020 Bulgaria blocked the official start of EU accession talks with North Macedonia. In an interview with Bulgarian media in the same month, the Prime Minister Zoran Zaev
Zoran Zaev (, ; born 8 October 1974) is a Macedonian economist and politician who served as prime minister of North Macedonia from May 2017 to January 2020, and again from August 2020 to January 2022.
Prior to entering politics, he ran a privat ...
acknowledged the involvement of Bulgarian troops in the capture of Skopje and other Macedonian towns, as well as that Bulgarians were not fascist occupiers. The interview was a shock and was followed by a wave of hysterical nationalism in Skopje as well by protests demanding Zaev's resignation. According to the opinion of the former Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubčo Georgievski
Ljubčo Georgievski (, ; ; born 17 January 1966) is a Macedonian politician and writer who served as the only Vice President of Macedonia from January to October 1991 and as the Prime Minister of Macedonia from 1998 to 2002. He advocated for th ...
, these reactions are organized by the post-Yugoslav deep state
Deep state is a term used for (real or imagined) potential, unauthorized and often secret networks of power operating independently of a State (polity), state's political leadership in pursuit of their own agendas and goals.
Although the term ori ...
, and are the result of ignorance, hypocrisy or politicking. On the other hand, another former Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski, reacted that Macedonians and Bulgarians were natural allies, and were estranged intentionally by the Yugoslav policy after the WWII.[Владо Бучковски: Македонците съществуват от 1944 година, българите са по-стар народ]
2 дек. 2020, Епицентър.
/ref>
See also
* List of World War II monuments and memorials in the Republic of Macedonia
* Bulgarian resistance movement during World War II
The Bulgarian Resistance () was part of the anti-Axis resistance during World War II. It consisted of armed and unarmed actions of resistance groups against the Wehrmacht forces in Bulgaria and the Tsardom of Bulgaria authorities. It was main ...
* Anti-partisan operations in World War II
* Seven anti-Partisan offensives
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, myt ...
* Macedonian Question
The region of Macedonia is known to have been inhabited since Paleolithic times.
Еarliest historical inhabitants
The earliest historical inhabitants of the region were the Pelasgians, the Bryges and the Thracians. The Pelasgians occupied Em ...
* Military history of Albania during World War II
In Albania, World War II began with its invasion by Italy in April 1939. Fascist Italy set up Albania as its protectorate or puppet state. The resistance was largely carried out by Communist groups against the Italian (until 1943) and then ...
* Military history of Bulgaria during World War II
The history of Bulgaria during World War II encompasses an initial period of neutrality until 1 March 1941, a period of alliance with the Axis Powers until 8 September 1944, and a period of alignment with the Allies in the final year of the ...
* Military history of Germany during World War II
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
* Military history of Italy during World War II
The participation of Italy in the Second World War was characterized by a complex framework of ideology, politics, and diplomacy, while its military actions were often heavily influenced by external factors. Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Ital ...
* Military history of the Republic of Macedonia
* Timeline of World War II
This is a list of timelines of events over the period of World War II.
Main timelines
* Timeline of events preceding World War II
* Timeline of World War II (1939)
* Timeline of World War II (1940)
* Timeline of World War II (1941)
* Ti ...
* Titoism
Titoism is a Types of socialism, socialist political philosophy most closely associated with Josip Broz Tito and refers to the ideology and policies of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) during the Cold War. It is characterized by a br ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Comprehensive historic overview
Macedonia During World War II
Miscellaneous
Im Schatten des Krieges. Besatzung oder Anschluss – Befreiung oder Unterdrückung?. Eine komparative Untersuchung über die bulgarische Herrschaft in Vardar-Makedonien 1915–1918 und 1941–1944 Reihe: Studien zur Geschichte, Kultur und Gesellschaft Südosteuropas Jahr: 2005
"Ko čelik sme nie"
– Battle March of the Third Macedonian Schock Brigade (composed by Panče Pešev and written by Aco Šopov)
{{World War II
Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
Communism in North Macedonia
Yugoslav Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of ...
Civil wars involving the states and peoples of Europe
Yugoslav Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of ...
Conflicts in 1941
Conflicts in 1942
Conflicts in 1943
Conflicts in 1944
1941 in Yugoslavia
1942 in Yugoslavia
1943 in Yugoslavia
1944 in Yugoslavia
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...