Kosovo operation

Discussions on WW2 in Africa & the Mediterranean. Hosted by Andy H
User avatar
Benoit Douville
Member
Posts: 3184
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 02:13
Location: Montréal

Kosovo operation

#1

Post by Benoit Douville » 06 Feb 2003, 23:26

The final operation for the liberation of Kosovo were from october 15 to november 20 1944. The Brigade of the liberation Army of Albania and Bulgarian units were fighting the German Army and also the 21th SS Skenderberg Mountain Division. I would like to have more info about this Battle or anything related to that would be really appreciated.

Krasnaya Zvezda
Member
Posts: 1157
Joined: 27 Dec 2002, 18:45
Location: Moscow

Re: Kosovo operation

#2

Post by Krasnaya Zvezda » 07 Feb 2003, 00:20

Benoit Douville wrote:The final operation for the liberation of Kosovo were from october 15 to november 20 1944. The Brigade of the liberation Army of Albania and Bulgarian units were fighting the German Army and also the 21th SS Skenderberg Mountain Division. I would like to have more info about this Battle or anything related to that would be really appreciated.
Well as far as the Skenderbeg division goes, it was definitively the worse division in the SS ranks. Group army E gave a report of a unit of no military quality. The peak strenght of the division was 6 500. As soon as the liberation of Kosovo started, massive desertions took place, almost 3 500 deserted immediately. The division was officialy disbanded in Nov 1944, the remnants were incorporated in Prinz Eugen division adn retreated in Bosnia. I think it was november when Germans abandoned Kosovo.

Also most of the Albanians were organized in Balli Kombetar and the second prizren league and commited unheard atrocities against the Serbs, and general non albanian population there and partizans as well. 40 000 Serbs were ethnically cleansed during the wwii.

The new Yugoslavian army was battling the remnants of the albanians at that time (end of 1944) called ballisti even after the liberation of Kosovo. The leadres were Sacir Curi, Saban Poluza, Mehmed Gradica and Adem Voca. THe Yugoslavian units were 40 000 soldiers strong. Adem Voca with 2000 Balista was killed in the village of Peomi in 02/1945, in 03/1945Saban Poluza with 4000 balisti was killed and all millitary actions seize in 04/1945. However many of the former Balisti stayed in Kosovo and continued the fight against the new country with the final goal of liberating Kosovo and unifying it with Albania and parts of Macedonia with Albanian population. As it looks like , they turned out to be the only people on the side of the nazis who can claim victory today. The dreams of the nazis and their collaborators in Kosovo have become reality today.


User avatar
Korbius
Member
Posts: 1795
Joined: 01 Oct 2002, 00:53
Location: DC

#3

Post by Korbius » 07 Feb 2003, 00:24

Krasnaya, please there is no need to show what a moron you are about balkans history, therefore I consider you not offending anyone. As you are already biased in the whole Balkans history thing, it would be better if you said something historically useful other than crap.

Krasnaya Zvezda
Member
Posts: 1157
Joined: 27 Dec 2002, 18:45
Location: Moscow

#4

Post by Krasnaya Zvezda » 07 Feb 2003, 00:28

Korbius wrote:Krasnaya, please there is no need to show what a moron you are about balkans history, therefore I consider you not offending anyone. As you are already biased in the whole Balkans history thing, it would be better if you said something historically useful other than crap.
Oh, come on Korbius there is no need to get emmotional here :D Let us see the facts, and see WHO being a non albanian under the Albaninas as a majority population has prospered at ANY TIME in the history that you know so well and was living in harmony and peace not ever beign affraid for its own life??

Besides focus on my post and tell me what is wrong.

User avatar
Korbius
Member
Posts: 1795
Joined: 01 Oct 2002, 00:53
Location: DC

Re: Kosovo operation

#5

Post by Korbius » 07 Feb 2003, 00:41

Benoit Douville wrote:The final operation for the liberation of Kosovo were from october 15 to november 20 1944. The Brigade of the liberation Army of Albania and Bulgarian units were fighting the German Army and also the 21th SS Skenderberg Mountain Division. I would like to have more info about this Battle or anything related to that would be really appreciated.
And now to your point Benoit, the SS Skanderbeg was a short-lived unit of Kosovo Albanian Waffen-SS volunteers of minimal combat value, although elements of the division did fight rear-guard actions to allow for the 1944 German retreat from the Balkan peninsula.
My Grandfather was part of the Albanian Liberation Army, and his brigade, which was the 8th, was sent by our government along with other Albanian brigades to help the Yugoslavs after the Germans had been defeated in our country. The Germans left albania in November 29th 1944, and after that as an agreement we had with the Yugoslavs and the rest of the allies, our offensive brigades which were part of the antifaschist coalition chased the Germans until a point within Yugoslavia which is called Visegrad and this was in April 27th 1945 which was the farthest Albanian troops reached while helping the Yugoslavs and the allied cause. Below is a pic of my Grandfather while he is returning from the fight.
Attachments
return from struga.jpg
return from struga.jpg (43 KiB) Viewed 2767 times
Last edited by Korbius on 07 Feb 2003, 00:53, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Korbius
Member
Posts: 1795
Joined: 01 Oct 2002, 00:53
Location: DC

#6

Post by Korbius » 07 Feb 2003, 00:45

Krasnaya Zvezda wrote: Oh, come on Korbius there is no need to get emmotional here :D Let us see the facts, and see WHO being a non albanian under the Albaninas as a majority population has prospered at ANY TIME in the history that you know so well and was living in harmony and peace not ever beign affraid for its own life??

Besides focus on my post and tell me what is wrong.
Ok, now you convinced me that you are intellectually challenged. Please stay on the current topic and contribute in an informational way in this thread other than talking useless crap.

User avatar
Andy H
Forum Staff
Posts: 15326
Joined: 12 Mar 2002, 21:51
Location: UK and USA

#7

Post by Andy H » 07 Feb 2003, 01:06

Krasnaya Zvezda & Korbius

Benoit has asked for help in answering the question she has posed, and not for you to indulge in a petty squabble. Please refrain from posting anything remotely contentious and stick to trying to help Benoit.

Thank you both

Andy

User avatar
Korbius
Member
Posts: 1795
Joined: 01 Oct 2002, 00:53
Location: DC

#8

Post by Korbius » 07 Feb 2003, 01:45

Thank you Andy for clearing this mess up.

User avatar
Benoit Douville
Member
Posts: 3184
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 02:13
Location: Montréal

#9

Post by Benoit Douville » 08 Feb 2003, 05:24

Thanks for the info Krasnaya Zvezda and Korbius and for this great picture. So, the SS Skendeberg division was really that bad. Now, another question. When the Germans invaded Kosovo? Is it in the spring of 1941 during the invasion of Yugoslavia.

Krasnaya Zvezda
Member
Posts: 1157
Joined: 27 Dec 2002, 18:45
Location: Moscow

#10

Post by Krasnaya Zvezda » 08 Feb 2003, 15:30

Benoit Douville wrote:Thanks for the info Krasnaya Zvezda and Korbius and for this great picture. So, the SS Skendeberg division was really that bad. Now, another question. When the Germans invaded Kosovo? Is it in the spring of 1941 during the invasion of Yugoslavia.
Well, Germans did entered briefly in 1941. But it was on the meeting on 24 of March (triple axis meeting in Vienna) that the teritorrial division of Kosovo was established. The largest part went to Italy, smaller to Bulgaria and Germany occupied Kosovska Mitrovica, Podujevo, Vucitrn and the railway in Urosevac. This if I am not mistaken was in northern Kosovo although I may be wrong.

User avatar
Scanderbeg
Member
Posts: 375
Joined: 07 Apr 2002, 06:43
Location: USA

#11

Post by Scanderbeg » 15 Feb 2003, 23:31

Andy I agree with you that we al should stick to the topic instead of posting crap. Like Krasnaya Zvezda. While some of his information is undoubtful, most of it is biased crap he read from one-sided sources. I don't think that would be of much help to Benoit Douville.
Benoit a lot of my cousins were in the Skanderbeg Division and I would be more than happy to ask them for some more info, but unfortunately I am far away from my country. It is true that it was the worst Division but there are some reasons that we have to take into account. Albanians were fighting for themselves, for their country, not for Germany or Hitler. And the Germans knew that. They would have never assign this Division to fighting outside of the Albanian lands because all of them would refuse to fight and would desert. That's one of the reasons why they were never systematically trained or decently armed. The other reason might have been the fear that if the Albanians were well armed and trained they might extend their actions outside the Albanian lands, persumably to occupy others' territory. This of course was something undesirable on the Germans' account and would have brought about problems.
The second assumption, which is not mine but one created mostly by Balkan slavs, is made hard to believe by the first assumption: Albanians had joined the Waffen-SS to liberate their lands, and would not fight in any other country. If asked to do so, the would desert.
Now of course Mr. Star (Zvezda) here could tell me that this info is biased or whatever, but this is information obtained by volunteers of the SS Skanderbeg Division. I can't see how that can be biased.

Regards,
Besian

User avatar
Benoit Douville
Member
Posts: 3184
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 02:13
Location: Montréal

#12

Post by Benoit Douville » 16 Feb 2003, 01:21

Besian,

I was hoping to see you in that topic because of your username that you might be able to give me information about the SS Skanderberg Division. If you are able to reach your cousins, I will be very interested to learn more.

Regards
Last edited by Benoit Douville on 20 Feb 2003, 01:58, edited 1 time in total.

Krasnaya Zvezda
Member
Posts: 1157
Joined: 27 Dec 2002, 18:45
Location: Moscow

#13

Post by Krasnaya Zvezda » 19 Feb 2003, 17:42

Benoit Douville wrote:Besian,

I was hoping to see you in that topic because of your username that you might be able to give me information about the SS Skanderberg Division. If you are able to reach your cousins, i will be very interested to learn more.

Regards
There is no need to ask his relatives. Skenderbeg division is alive and kicking! Working full speed, they just performed another terrorist atack (bomb blast) in Macedonia. They are doing something what they have always done, terrorizing non Albaninas in any area where Albanians domninate.

Here is the interview with the leader who took the responsibility for the recent attack. Skenderbeg division is mentioned under the question in the interview: Are the former KLA (UÇK in Albanian) fighters involved in your organisation? and it was this division that is planiting bombs now in Macedonia and they claimed responsibilities for it. Nothing has changed overthere, they still live like they always did for centuries.

One caveat, this army with its divisions is labeled as a terrorist group in the West (along with the Skenderbeg division)!


http://www.bashkimikombetar.com/Intervist_DPA_ang.htm

User avatar
Benoit Douville
Member
Posts: 3184
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 02:13
Location: Montréal

#14

Post by Benoit Douville » 20 Feb 2003, 02:04

My message is apolitical. Is it possible to talk about the history of the Balkans without getting emotionnal...
Last edited by Benoit Douville on 09 Nov 2005, 01:18, edited 2 times in total.

Krasnaya Zvezda
Member
Posts: 1157
Joined: 27 Dec 2002, 18:45
Location: Moscow

#15

Post by Krasnaya Zvezda » 20 Feb 2003, 06:16

Benoit Douville wrote:My message is apolitical. Is it possible to talk about the history of the Balkans without getting emotionnal :|
I do not see anything political here. You wanted info on Skenderbeg division I gave it to you from Albanian sources, so you can judge for yourself. I never said anything about the Albanians but of their combat units abilities and intentions. All the best :D

Post Reply

Return to “WW2 in Africa & the Mediterranean”