Vulnetari
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The Vullnetari ("the volunteer") were an Axis collaborationnist volunteer militia of Albanians from Kosovo set up in 1941 by
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
forces after the successful
invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a Nazi Germany, 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 fo ...
. They served as an auxiliary force for civilian control and protection of villages. Some of the militia served as frontier guards under both Italian and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
rule. The Vulnetari fought only in their own local areas, so they fought against both Partisans and
Chetniks 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 ...
, "against whom they showed themselves skilled and determined fighters". The Vulnetari of the region of
Gjakova Gjakova or Đakovica, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the sixth largest city of Kosovo and seat of the Gjakova Municipality and the District of Gjakova, Gjakova District. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Gjakov ...
went to Plav and
Gusinje Gusinje (, ; ) is a small town in Montenegro in the northern region. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of Gusinje Municipality. Name Two alternative etymologies have been proposed ...
to support the Italian counteroffensive during the Uprising in Montenegro. Independently, Vulnetari units often attacked ethnic Serbs and carried out raids against civilian targets. According to Serbian scholars, the Vulnetari burned down hundreds of Serbian and Montenegrin villages, killed many people, and carried out plundering campaigns in
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 ...
, and neighboring regions. At the end of World War II, the militia was used to protect retreating German forces. After German forces retreated through Kosovo, members of the Vulnetari militia dispersed in their villages.


Name

The name of this unit is derived from Albanian word ''Vullnetarë'' (volunteers).They were also known by the demonym "Kosovars".


History

Confiscations of Albanian land and settlement of Serbian colonists throughout the interwar period drove some Kosovar Albanians during the Second World War to collaborate with the Axis powers who promised a Greater Albania. During the
Invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a Nazi Germany, 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 fo ...
in April 1941 Albanian volunteers put themselves at disposal of general Eberhard, the commander of German 60th Infantry division. They felt that anything would be better than the chauvinism, corruption, administrative hegemonism and exploitation they had experienced under the Serbian authorities during interwar period. The Vulnetari were mostly middle-aged Albanian peasants who lived at their homes and did not wear uniforms but only a black-red band around their arms. They started to undertake actions of revenge, burning Serbian settlements and expelling interwar Serbian and Montenegrin colonists into
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
proper. According to Smilja Avramov, in June 1941 massacres of the Serbian population in Kosovo took on an organized character as the Vulnetari were established. The commander of the Vulnetari from Rugova was Riz Umeri. Other commanders included Sali Barjaktari, Zhuk Haxhia and Sali Beba. Ram Alija, from
Istog Istog ( sq-definite, Istogu; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Исток, Istok) or Burim is a town and municipality located in the District of Peja of western Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the city of Istog has 5,115 inhabitants, while the municipality has ...
, commanded Vulnetari forces that burned Serbian villages and murdered people in the northern part of Kosovo. During one attack, the forces of Bislim Bajgora, helped by Vulnetari from Drenica led by Idriz Rexha, burned 22 villages and murdered 150 Serbs. In mid-July 1941, communication was lost between the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CK KPJ) and the neighbouring party organizations in Montenegro and Serbia; the regional committee of the KPJ for Kosovo tried to reestablish communication on several occasions and began to move new fighters from their region into Montenegro and Serbia. In two attempts to reach Montenegro and reestablish communication with their Communist organization, more than 20 communists from the Dukagjin region were killed by the Vulnetari. Thousands of Vulnetari and gendarmes commanded by Bislim Bajgora and Shaban Polluzha attacked northern Kosovo on 30 September 1941. This region was attacked by Vulnetari from
Drenica Drenica (, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klina, Zubin Potok, Mitr ...
and the Dukagjin region, and their brutal attacks on the villages of northern Kosovo lasted until 10 October 1941. This attack on northern Kosovo was so violent that the Germans referred to it as the "bloody wave". On 15 October 1941, Chetniks from Suva Planina attacked Vulnetari forces and initially inflicted heavy casualties on them, forcing them to retreat across the Ceranje River but the Vulnetari mamanged to defeat Chetniks later on. The
Chetniks 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 ...
entered Ceranje and burned Albanian houses. On the evening of 15 October, strong Vulnetari forces came from Šalja and forced the Chetniks to retreat during the night. On 16 October, the Chetniks again attacked the Vulnetari militia and forced them to retreat across the Ceranje River. After the battles on 14 and 15 October, Chetniks were forced to retreat and all the Serbian houses between Sllatina and Leshak were burned. On 17 October 1941, the village of Dobrusha, near Peja, was attacked by Vulnetari forces consisting of militiamen from Istok,
Drenica Drenica (, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klina, Zubin Potok, Mitr ...
and
Gjakova Gjakova or Đakovica, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the sixth largest city of Kosovo and seat of the Gjakova Municipality and the District of Gjakova, Gjakova District. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Gjakov ...
. The attack was organized by Xhevat Begolli, the governor of
Istog Istog ( sq-definite, Istogu; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Исток, Istok) or Burim is a town and municipality located in the District of Peja of western Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the city of Istog has 5,115 inhabitants, while the municipality has ...
county. Defenders of the village managed to hold on for three days and left the village together with its population. Houses in Dobrusha were then plundered and burned down. In the period between November and December 1941 groups of Vulnetari forces commanded by Shaban Polluzha were involved in the defence of
Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
from the combined Chetnik-Yugoslav Partisan forces. With the attackers successfully repelled, the mayor of Novi Pazar Aćif Hadžiahmetović, then made the decision to attack Chetnik controlled Raška using the forces he gathered. On 16 November at 10 a.m. Muslim and Albanian forces attacked Raška. They quickly advanced toward the town. The situation for the defenders became very difficult, so
Vojislav Lukačević Vojislav Lukačević ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Лукачевић; 1908 – 14 August 1945) was a Serbs, Serbian Chetnik commander in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during World War II. At the outbreak of war, he held the rank of Captain (arme ...
, the person of the biggest confidence of Mihailović, personally engaged in the defence of the town. On 30 January 1943, the Vulnetari militia captured the village of Grbole and terrorized the residents. At the end of autumn, they expelled the villagers, plundered their houses, and burned them down. Homesteads of the Serb population were routinely sacked by the Vulnetari. Vulnetari participated in the Operation Draufgänger in July 1944. Avdyl Dura, from the
Kaçanik Kaçanik ( sq-definite, Kaçaniku) or Kačanik ( sr-Cyrl, Качаник, ), is a List of cities in Kosovo, town and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality located in the District of Ferizaj, Ferizaj District of southern Kosovo. According to the 2 ...
region, became the commander of 5,000 Vulnetari after the Bulgarian capitulation in September 1944.


Victims

According to Serbian sources, it is estimated that the Vulnetari and other paramilitaries murdered up to 10,000 Serbs and Montenegrins in Kosovo.


Vulnetari in western Macedonia

Vulnetari were also set up in western
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 ...
. Five or six
companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...
of between 1,200 and 1,500 vulnetari were set up in Debar. Around
Struga Struga ( ; , sq-definite, Struga) is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of North Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality. Name The name Struga ...
there were two companies of 800 Vulnetari commanded by Bekir aga and Tefik Vlasi. One company of 400 Vulnetari in Rostuša was led by Ali Maliči. The commander of the
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 ...
Vulnetari was Mefail, while the commander of the Gostivar Vulnetari was Xhem Hasa.


Aftermath

Sali Rama, Žuk Adžija, and several outlaws under their command were arrested and sentenced to prison after World War II. Avdilj Dura surrendered in January 1945 together with about 100 outlaws under his command. Bislim Bajgora was killed in 1947. In 2010, the Macedonian Albanians political party
New Democracy New Democracy, or the New Democratic Revolution, is a type of democracy in Marxism, based on Mao Zedong's Bloc of Four Social Classes theory in post-revolutionary China which argued originally that democracy in China would take a path that w ...
proposed for a monument of Xhem Hasa to be built in Gostivar. A monument of Hasa has already been built in his birthplace, village Simnica, in 2006.


Notable people

*Rizë Umeri, commander in Rugova * Shaban Polluzha, General and commander of the Albanian National Army called Vulnetari *Sali Barjaktari, commander *Zhukë Axhija, commander *Sali Rama, commander *Ramë Alija, commander from
Istok Istok may refer to: Places * Istok, Kosovo, a town and municipality located in the District of Peja of western Kosovo also known as Istog or Burim * Istok River or Istog River, originating near the city of Istog, Kosovo * Bolshoy Istok, a villag ...
*Idriz Rexha, commander of the Drenica division (one of the four divisions of the Shaban Polluzhas army) *Avdyl Dura, commander from
Kaçanik Kaçanik ( sq-definite, Kaçaniku) or Kačanik ( sr-Cyrl, Качаник, ), is a List of cities in Kosovo, town and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality located in the District of Ferizaj, Ferizaj District of southern Kosovo. According to the 2 ...
*Xhevat Begolli * Xhem Hasa, commander in western Macedonia


See also

*
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 ...
* SS Skanderbeg


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vulnetari Albania in World War II Albanian militant groups Albanian nationalism in Kosovo Anti-communist organizations Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943) Kosovo Albanians Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations of World War II Modern history of Kosovo Persecution of Serbs Serbia in World War II