Balli Kombëtar

Balli Kombëtar
Participant in World War II
Balli Kombëtar forces
Active	1939-1945
Ideology	Albanian nationalism Republicanism
Leaders	Mit’hat Frashëri
Area of operations	Albania Kosovo Western Macedonia Southern Montenegro Chameria Preshevo Valley
Opponents	Albanian Partisans(since late 1943) Yugoslav Partisans
Battles/wars	Yugoslav Front Albanian Resistance of World War II

Balli Kombëtar (English: National Front) was an Albanian nationalist, anti-communist and anti-monarchy organization established in November 1942.^[1] It was led by Ali Këlcyra and Mit’hat Frashëri.^[2] The motto of the Balli Kombetar was: "Shqipëria Shqiptarëve, Vdekje Tradhëtarëvet" (Albania for the Albanians, Death to the Traitors).^[3]

History

The Italian Protectorate of Albania established by Italy in August 1941.

With Italy on the wake of defeat in 1942, the Albanian National Liberation Movement (LNC) and the Balli Kombëtar organised a meeting in the village of Mukje (Agreement at Mukje). Balli Kombëtar entered into a fragile alliance with the communist-led LNC, and acted as a resistance group against Italy.^[4] Following the Mukje Agreement, the vague mutual tolerance that had existed between the Ballists and Communists quickly evaporated. The refusal of the Communists to argue for the return of Kosovo to Albania made it all but impossible for the Ballist to cooperate with the LNC in the resistance movement. The Allies too could not guarantee that Kosovo would be a part of Albania,^[5] because they stood for restoration of occupied nations under their borders from after World War I.

Despite the Ballist's hatred of communism, they feared that the Allied victory in the war might well result in communist control of Albania.^[6] Their lukewarm attitude towards the British was also fostered by their desire to preserve the accomplished fact of ethnic frontiers of the Albanian State restored by the Italians in 1941, for they bitterly opposed and dreaded the loss of Kosovo and Diber^{[disambiguation needed ]} to Yugoslavia once again, and feared that the Allies in their support of the Greeks might prevent them from claiming Chameria and deprive them of their southern provinces of Korce and Gjirokaster, the heartland of their liberation movement.^[6] They regarded the Yugoslavs and the Greeks as their real enemies.^[6]

The Mukje Agreement bought immediately a hostile reaction from the Yugoslav representative in Albania, Svetozar Vukmanovic-Tempo. He denounced the agreement and put pressure on the LNC to repute it at once.^[7] Milovan Đilas described the Balli Kombëtar as Albanian Fascists.^[8]

The Balli Kombëtar, which had fought against Fascist Italy, were threatened by the superior forces of the LNC and the Yugoslav Partisans, who were backed by the Allies.^[9] In the autumn of 1943, Germany occupied all of Albania after Italy was defeated. Fearing reprisals from the larger forces, the Balli Kombëtar made a deal with the Germans and formed a ‘neutral government’ in Tirana which continued its war with the LNC and Yugoslav Partisans.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Albania and Chameria

Safet Butka, a hardline Albanian nationalist, tried at various times to cooperate with the Communist-dominated Liberation Front. In February 1943 he organized a meeting with Communist representatives and an agreement for cooperation was reached in March 1943. He also made another local agreement in August 1943 and was one of the initiators and supporters of the Mukje Agreement.^[14] After the denouncement of the Mukje Agreement by Albanian communists, He feared a civil war between Albanians and when asked on the matter, always stated that "The only Albanian that I will kill will be myself".^[14] On his way home he was informed of the first clashes between Albanian partisans and Balli Kombëtar. Upon hearing such news, he killed himself on 19 September 1943 in the village of Melçan, faithful to his word.^[14] ut In the south of Albania, the rivalry between the Communists and the republican Balli Kombetar heated up. The Communist, almost immediately repudiated the Mukaj agreement, and fearing the British might open a second front in the Balkans and lend their support to the Ballists, the communists issued orders to eliminate the Balli Kombetar wherever they were found.^[15] These factors contributed to the Balli Kombetar forming a strong hatred for the communists.

After forming the Neutral government, the Ballists pressed hard against the Communist.^[6] The Ballists destroyed a fairly large Communist partisan group south-west of Tirana.^[6] The partisan force of about 2000 strong had been annihilated. With other major partisan forces losing, the Albanian Communist tactically retreated, establishing Guerrilla warfare to fight the Balli Kombetar. The Ballist, along with the Germans occupied the region of Chameria (Cham Albanian collaboration with the Axis).^{[citation needed]} The Albanian control of Chameria was significant to the Balli Kombetar as Mit’hat Frashëri was from Ioannina.^{[citation needed]}

With the Grand Alliance established, the Germans began losing the war. This also affected the situation in Albania as the Germans could not supply the Ballists. With the current situation favouring the communists, the partisans began a full scale attack on the Balli Kombetar. British Liaison officers in Albania noted that the Communists were using the arms they received to fight fellow Albanians far more than to harass the Germans.^[15] The west noted that the Communists could not have won without the supplies and armaments from the British, America and Yugoslavia,^[15] and that the LNC were not afraid of murdering their country men.^[16]

With Enver Hoxha's election as Prime Minister and the victory of the Communist Party of Albania after the war, most Balli Kombëtar leaders were either imprisoned, executed, or tortured due to their role in World War II.

Kosovo and Macedonia

In Kosovo, the Balli Kombëtar government formed an SS unit. The Germans recruited thousands of Albanians in the SS Skanderbeg division, this was led by the interior of the ministry, Xhafer Deva.^[4][17][18] The Balli Kombetar also formed the Second League of Prizren to help retain its borders.

Large number of Serbs were killed across Kosovo or deported to camps in Albania starting from 1942.^[19] Local Albanian fighters (Ballists) saw an opportunity to take their revenge upon their Serbian neighbours for the suffering they had endured over previous two decades (Massacres of Albanians in the Balkan Wars).^[19] The Ballists attacked the Serb colonists, burning perhaps as many as 30,000 houses belonging to Serb and Montenegrin settlers.^[19]

Large number of Serbs and Macedonians were also killed across western Macedonia.^[20] The Balli Kombëtar government also formed the SS Skanderbeg division in the western Macedonia.^[21] The Ballists forces and the SS Skanderbeg division fought the Yugoslav partisan forces with ease at the beginning of the war. The main centres of the Balli Kombëtar in these regions were Mitrovica, Drenica and Tetovo.^[21] It was noted that the Balli Kombetar in these regions were more aggressive than the Ballists of Albania.^[22]

With the Germans driven out by Josip Broz Tito's partisans, and the Albanian communists claiming victory in Albania, Tito ordered the collection of weapons in Kosovo and the arrest of prominent Albanians.^[22] The order was not well received and, combined with the passions felt about Kosovo, inflamed an insurrection. On 2 December 1944, Ballists from the Drenica region attacked the Trepca mining complex and other targets.^[22] Numbering at most 2,000 men, these anti-communists held off a partisan force of about 30,000 troops for two months. Similarly in Kicevo, Gostivar and Tetovo, the remaining Ballists tried to remain in control of the region after the Yugoslav partisans announced victory.^[23] After the war, most Balli Kombëtar leaders were either imprisoned, executed, or tortured due to their role in World War II. Although the insurrection was crushed, it was not until 1947 that Kosovo was fully reintegrated into Yugoslavia.^[24] On 19 June 2005, in the village Lupçi i epërm near Podujevo in northeastern Kosovo was discovered a mass grave with remains of sixteen Albanian anti-communists, killed during the battle with Yugoslav Army.

Montenegro and Sandzak

Parts of Montenegro and the Sandzak regions were incorporated into Albania in 1941^[25] The cities included Bijelo Polje, Plevlja, Tutin,^[25] Plav, Gusinje, Rozaje and Ulqin. A large number of the Bošnjak that lived in these regions sided with the Albanians. Dzemail Konicanin, a Bošnjak from Tutin, formed a Sandzak battalion with backing from the interior of the ministry, Xhafer Deva. Konicanin, although a Bošnjak, identified with the Albanians and was an officer under the Albanian state.^[25]

Akif Blyta, former mayor of Novi Pazar and member of Nexhip Draga's party,^[26] Dzemail Konicanin and Ballist forces under Shaban Polluzha successfully repelled Chetnik forces back from Novi Pazar and crushed their stronghold in Banja.^[27]

However, the true threat to the Balli Kombëtar was the Yugoslav partisans, who captured the region in 1945. After the war, most Balli Kombëtar leaders were either imprisoned, executed, or tortured.

Ideology

Mit'hat Frasheri believed that the Albanian provinces under the Ottoman Empire were unfairly partitioned during World War I among Yugoslavia and Greece.^[28] After world war two, Mit'hat Frasheri began advocating for a Greater Albania. When Mit'hat Frasheri formed the Balli Kombetar, it was based on his nationalist ideas and the old ideologies of Abdyl Frasheri, Isa Boletini and Avni Rustemi. The works of Franz Nopcsa, Johann Georg von Hahn and Milan Šufflay, helped strengthened the nationalists cause.^[29][30] The Nazi and Balli Kombëtar believed that Albanians were "Aryans of Illyrian heritage".^[24] This strengthened their alliance.^[24]

The Ten-Point Program

The original objectives of Balli Kombëtar were set out in 1942 in the following ten-point program, also known as the “Decalogue”^[31]

Legacy

Mit’hat Frashëri, leader of the Balli Kombëtar

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After World War II ended, The Balli Kombëtar were defeated by the Yugoslav and Albanian communists. Balli Kombëtar fighters escaped the balkans and fled to countries such as Austria, the United States, Australia, Switzerland and South America. The Ballists (Balli Kombëtar) who could not escape the communist regime were executed. The leaders of the movement included Ali Këlcyra, Mit’hat Frashëri, Abas Ermenji, Lef Nosi, Hasan Dosti, Skënder Muço, Thoma Orollogaj, Hysni Lepenica and Safet Butka. In Macedonia the most notable leader of the movement was Xhem Hasa of Gostivar, where a statue dedicated to him was placed after the overthrow of the Communist regime.

During the Breakup of Yugoslavia, many of the former Balli Kombëtar organisations that were set up in the United States, Australia and South America gave financial donations to help start up and aid the Kosovo Liberation Army to help liberate Kosovo from the oppression of the Yugoslav army. A lot of the Albanian communities around the world were formed due to the help of the former members of the Balli Kombëtar.^{[citation needed]}

Tetovo was once the largest Balli Kombetar base in Macedonia^[33] and still have strong ties with the name. The Tetovo based football club, KF Shkendija, have a large support firm called the Ballistët. They are often in the Macedonian media for their use of hardline nationalistic rhetorics in football matches.^[34]

See also

• 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)
• Këshilla
• Greater Albania
• History of Albania

References