The Kosovo Regiment (Albanian: Regimenti Kosova, Serbian: Косовски пук) was an Axis military unit created after Italian capitulation in November 1943 in Kosovska Mitrovica, Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia (modern day Kosovo) by Nazi Germany, consisting of local Albanians.[1]
| Kosovo Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Regimenti Kosova | |
| Active | November 1943 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance | Second League of Prizren |
| Size | 1,000 - 1,500 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
|
Background
editFollowing the capitulation of Italy from the war, Xhafer Deva helped form a provisional government under German occupation and set up the Second League of Prizren alongside other Albanian nationalists. The Kosovo Regiment was established as military formation of the Second League of Prizren.[2] The regiment was established by the Central Committee of the Second League of Prizren.[3] The Germans entrusted the establishment of the Kosovo Regiment to Bajazit Boletini.[4] The commander of the regiment was Bajazit Boletini, while commanders of regiment's battalions were Rasim Dajči, Jusuf Boletini (Bajazit's brother) and Rizo Agaj.[5]
The number of Albanians who joined this regiment was around 1,000[6] or 1,500.[7]
Activities
editOn 3 December 1943 the regiment murdered 30 Serbs in village Rakoš, on 4 December the regiment killed 34 Serbs in Đakovica and another 36 Serbs in village Siga.[8]
This regiment was used against Partisans in neighboring regions.[9]
Between 4 and 7 December 1943, 400 soldiers of Kosovo Regiment commanded by Xhafer Deva surrounded Peć and committed mass murder of local Serbs and Montenegrins, killing at least 300 people.[10]
References
edit- ^ (Elsie 1997, p. 36): "... after the Italian capitulation when the Germans set up an Albanian Kosovo Regiment."
- ^ (Marović 1995, p. 390): "DRUGA PRIZRENSKA LIGA osnovala je i svoje oružane jedinice kojima je dala ime REGIMENTA KOSOVA (Kosovski puk)."
- ^ (Lekić 1995, p. 77): "Централни комитет Друге призренске лиге формирао је, у новембру 1943. године, на терену косовско-митровичког округа Косовски пук.... "
- ^ (Ličina & VavićPavlovski 1985, p. 237): "Taj zadatak povjeren je Bajazitu Boletiniju. koji je u studenome 1943. formirao zloglasni Kosovski puk (Regjiment Kosova) od oko 1000 žandara, kojima su se u njihovu pohodu, uz put, priključivali i drugi najokorjeliji Velikoalbanci."
- ^ (Dželetović 2000, p. 167): "Поред Бајазита Бољетинија који је био командант Регимента, команданти батаљона били су: капетан Расим Дајчи, родом из Косовске Митровице, који је због ове дужности доведен из Албаније, у којој је живео као емигрант, ..."
- ^ (Review 2004, p. 70): "Во таа смисла бил формиран Косовски полк (Регимент Косова) со околу 1000 лица."
- ^ (Lekić 1995, p. 77): ".... са око 1.500 Арбанаса. "
- ^ (Lekić 1995, p. 77)
- ^ (TSSJ 2008, p. 55): "Thus at the end of 1943 the so-called Kosovo Regiment was formed and used to fight the Partisans in the neighboring regions."
- ^ (Filipović 1989, p. 148): "At the end of 1943 (December 3), about 400 members of the so-called "Kosovo Regiment", headed by the criminal Xhafer Deva, arrived in Pec. As early as December 4, after the complete encirclement of the town, began the mass massacre of ..."
Sources
edit- Elsie, Robert (1997). Kosovo: in the heart of the powder keg. East European Monographs. ISBN 978-0-88033-375-7.
- The South Slav Journal. Dositey Obradovich Circle. 2008.
- Filipović, Gordana (1989). Kosovo--past and present. Review of International Affairs.
- Marović, Miodrag (1 January 1995). Balkanski Džoker: Albanija i Albanci : istorijska hronika nastajanja i razvoja albanskog pitanja. Kulturni centar. ISBN 9788670040052.
- Review (2004). Review. The Institute.
- Ličina, Đorđe; Vavić, Milorad; Pavlovski, Jovan (1985). Andrija Artuković, Vjekoslav Luburić, Xhafer Deva, Vančo Mihailov. Centar za informacije i publicitet.
- Lekić, Đorđe (1995). Kosovo i metohija tokom vekova: zublja. NILP "Panorama".
- Dželetović, Pavle Ivanov (2000). Balistički pokret: 1939-1952 : masovnost, saradnja sa italijanskim i nemačkim okupatorima i zločini nad Srbima. Arhiv Srbije.