First Battle of Preševo
 |
| First Battle of Preševo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II in Yugoslavia | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Balli Kombëtar |
 Yugoslav Partisans | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Jusuf Baftjari Xheladin Kurbalia Sulë Hotla Rrustem Behluli |
Abdullah Krašnica | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Karadak battalion[1] Kachaks from Karadak[2] |
18th Macedonian Brigade 2nd Kosovska Brigade 3rd Kosovska Brigade[3] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
2,000 men (begin of the battle, significantly more after arrival of volunteers)[2] |
10,000 men[4] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Unknown |
100 killed[5] 206 POW[5] | ||||||
The First Battle of Preševo or Battle of Eid al-Fitr took place on Eid al-Fitr, on 19 September 1944 during World War II, between Yugoslav Partisans and Balli Kombëtar forces, in the territory of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.[5][6][2][3][7]
Prelude[edit]
From 28 August 1944 to 7 September 1944, a battle was fought near Preševo between Ballist and Bulgarian forces. The battle ended with an Albanian victory due to the capitulation and withdrawal of Bulgarian forces on 7 September 1944. Preševo as well as the Preševo Valley was occupied shortly after by Balli Kombëtar and the forces of the Albanian Kingdom.[8][9]
Battle[edit]
On 19 September 1944, Yugoslav partisans attacked Ballist positions in the Preševo Valley, with the goal of capturing the town of Preševo, which would have given them a free way to capture the city of Gjilan. In the early hours of the battle, the partisans managed to take control over several villages including Rajince, Crnotince and Oraovica. However, soon after, local Kachaks from the Karadak of Kosovo began to storm the Preševo Valley and mounted a counter-attack, recapturing all of the lost territory.[2] After that, the Kachaks pushed the Yugoslav partisans into a field near the village of Žujince, there they surrounded them and started to attack them with machine gun fire, ultimately killing 49.[10] During the battle over 100 partisans were killed, while 206 were taken prisoners of war.[5][7][11]
Second Battle of Preševo[edit]
Following their defeat, the Yugoslav partisans, led by Abdullah Krašnica, spent two months preparing another assault to take control of Preševo. Finally, from 9 - 15 November 1944, they engaged in battle and successfully forced the Ballist forces to withdraw into the wider Karadak Mountains, enabling the partisans to capture the town and the surrounding region. This victory granted the partisans an unobstructed path to seize Gjilan.[9][2] Tahir Zaimi of the Second League of Prizren wrote in his book that after the fall of Preševo, the "Bulgarians and Serbian-Macedonian Partisans" shot between 500 and 600 Albanians.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Beteja e rekës raincës by Nijazi Ramadani - Issuu". issuu.com. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ^ a b c d e f titulli.com. "Lufta e përgjakur më 19 nëntor 1944, ditën e Bajramit në Preshevë". www.titulli.com. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ^ a b Acta Iugoslaviae historica. Prosveta. 1970. p. 162.
- ^ Kelmendi 2006, p. 116.
- ^ a b c d Selmani, Aliriza (2011). "NË PËRKUJTIM TË ATDHETARIT TË DEVOTSHËM, JUSUF BAFTJARI, ALIAS HOXHË LIPOVICA 1883-1948". Gjurmime Albanologjike - Seria e Shkencave Historike (in Albanian) (41–42): 41–60. ISSN 0350-6258.
- ^ Stanković, Bogomir B. (1975). Kosovsko Pomoravlje u revoluciji 1941-1945. Kosovska Kamenica : Kosovska Vitina : Opštinski odbori SUBNOR-a. p. 216.
- ^ a b Kosovari. dituria254. p. 34.
Keshtu, ne diten e Bajramit, me 19 shtator 1944, sulmuan forcat partizane dhe hyne ne Luginen e Rainces, por pas me shume se 12 ore luftimesh te ashpra, u thy en nga forcat vullnetare te komanduara nga Hoxhe Lipovica me te tjere. Ngs luftimet mbeten te vrare mbi 100 partizano-cetnike dhe u zu rob nje batalion i Brigades se Dyte te Kosoves prej 206 vetash.
- ^ Ramadani, Nijazi. Beteja e Rekës Raincës.
- ^ a b "Šta bi danas rekao Abdulah Krašnica - Život - Dnevni list Danas" (in Serbian). 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ^ Kelmendi 2006, p. 111
- ^ "Rrustem Beluli me bombë në xhami për Shqipëri Etnike!". PRESHEVA.AL. 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
Sources[edit]
- Pirraku, Muhamet (1995). Mulla Idris Gjilani dhe mbrojtja kombëtare e Kosovës Lindore: 1941-1951 (in Albanian). "Dituria Islame" redaksia e botimeve historike.
- Kelmendi, Ibrahim (2006). Një shtyllë e Kosovës quhet Preshevë (in Albanian). Preševo.
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