Balli Kombëtar
Encyclopedia
Balli Kombëtar was an Albanian
nationalist, anti-communist and anti-monarchy
organization established in October 1939. It was led by Ali Këlcyra
and Mit’hat Frashëri. The motto of the Balli Kombetar was: "Shqipëria Shqiptarëve, Vdekje Tradhëtarëvet" (Albania for the Albanians, Death to the Traitors).
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
. 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, 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
. 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 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
. They regarded the Yugoslavs
and the Greeks
as their real enemies
.
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. Milovan Đilas described the Balli Kombëtar as Albanian Fascists.
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. 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.
, 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
. 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". 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. 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. 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. The Ballists destroyed a fairly large Communist partisan group south-west of Tirana. 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). The Albanian control of Chameria was significant to the Balli Kombetar as Mit’hat Frashëri was from Ioannina
.
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. The west noted that the Communists could not have won without the supplies and armaments from the British, America and Yugoslavia, and that the LNC were not afraid of murdering their country men.
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.
, this was led by the interior of the ministry, Xhafer Deva
. 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. 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
). The Ballists attacked the Serb colonists, burning perhaps as many as 30,000 houses belonging to Serb and Montenegrin settlers.
Large number of Serbs and Macedonians
were also killed across western Macedonia. The Balli Kombëtar government also formed the SS Skanderbeg division
in the western Macedonia. 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
. It was noted that the Balli Kombetar in these regions were more aggressive than the Ballists of Albania.
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.. 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. 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. After the war, most Balli Kombëtar leaders were either imprisoned, executed, or tortured due to their role in World War II. Although the insurection was crushed, it was not until 1947 that Kosovo was fully reintegrated into Yugoslavia
. On June 19, 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
.
, Plevlja, Tutin
, 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.
Acif Hadziahmetovic, a Bošnjak who was a member of the Balli Kombetar, Dzemail Konicanin and Ballist forces under Shaban Polluzha
successfully repelled chetnik forces back from Novi Pazar
and crushed their stronghold in Banja
.
However, the true threat to the Balli Kombetar was the Yugoslav partisans, who captured the region in 1945. After the war, most Balli Kombëtar leaders were either imprisoned, executed, or tortured.
among Yugoslavia
and Greece
. 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. The Nazi and Balli Kombëtar believed that Albanians were "Aryans of Illyrian heritage". This strengthened their alliance.
, 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
, Vasil Andoni, 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.
Tetovo was once the largest Balli Kombetar base in Macedonia
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.
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
nationalist, anti-communist and anti-monarchy
Abolished monarchy
Throughout history, monarchies have been abolished, either through revolutions, legislative reforms, coups d'état, or wars. The twentieth century saw a major acceleration of this process, with many monarchies violently overthrown by revolution or war, or else abolished as part of the process of...
organization established in October 1939. It was led by Ali Këlcyra
Ali Këlcyra
Ali Këlcyra was an Albanian lord , a member of the Albanian parliament in the '20s co-founder with Mit’hat Frashëri of the Balli Kombëtar organization in 1942, and the cosigner of the Dalmazzo-Këlcyra agreement.-Early life:...
and Mit’hat Frashëri. The motto of the Balli Kombetar was: "Shqipëria Shqiptarëve, Vdekje Tradhëtarëvet" (Albania for the Albanians, Death to the Traitors).
History
With ItalyItalian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
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
Mukje Agreement
The Mukje Agreement was a treaty signed on August 2, 1943 in the Albanian village of Mukje between the nationalist Balli Kombëtar and the communist National Liberation Movement on how to regulate the Albanian resistance in World War II and how to prepare for the future of Ethnic Albania.The...
). Balli Kombëtar entered into a fragile alliance with the communist-led LNC, and acted as a resistance group against Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
. Following the Mukje Agreement
Mukje Agreement
The Mukje Agreement was a treaty signed on August 2, 1943 in the Albanian village of Mukje between the nationalist Balli Kombëtar and the communist National Liberation Movement on how to regulate the Albanian resistance in World War II and how to prepare for the future of Ethnic Albania.The...
, 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
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
made it all but impossible for the Ballist to cooperate with the LNC in the resistance movement. The Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
too could not guarantee that Kosovo would be a part of Albania, because they stood for restoration of occupied nations under their borders from after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Despite the Ballist's hatred of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, they feared that the Allied victory in the war might well result in communist control of Albania
. 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
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Diber to Yugoslavia once again, and feared that the Allies in their support of the Greeks might prevent them from claiming Chameria
Chameria
Chameria is a term used today mostly by Albanians for parts of the coastal region of Epirus in southern Albania and northwestern Greece It was also used by Greeks till the mid of 20th century and is frequently found in Greek literature. Today it is obsolete in Greek, surviving mainly in Greek folk...
and deprive them of their southern provinces of Korce
Korçë
Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...
and Gjirokaster
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania with a population of 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County...
, the heartland of their liberation movement
. They regarded the Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
and the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
as their real enemies
.
The Mukje Agreement bought immediately a hostile reaction from the Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
representative in Albania, Svetozar Vukmanovic-Tempo
Svetozar Vukmanovic-Tempo
Svetozar Vukmanović "Tempo" was a leading Montenegrin communist and member of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia...
. He denounced the agreement and put pressure on the LNC to repute it at once. Milovan Đilas described the Balli Kombëtar as Albanian Fascists.
The Balli Kombëtar, which had fought against Fascist Italy
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
, were threatened by the superior forces of the LNC and the Yugoslav Partisans, who were backed by the Allies. In the autumn of 1943, Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
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
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
which continued its war with the LNC and Yugoslav Partisans.
Albania and Chameria
Safet ButkaSafet Butka
Safet Butka was an Albanian professor, politician and nationalist. Son of famous patriot Sali Butka, he organized the student demonstrations in April 1939 during the Italian invasion and was interned in Ventotene. Upon his return he organized antifascist movements in his native region and was one...
, 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
Mukje Agreement
The Mukje Agreement was a treaty signed on August 2, 1943 in the Albanian village of Mukje between the nationalist Balli Kombëtar and the communist National Liberation Movement on how to regulate the Albanian resistance in World War II and how to prepare for the future of Ethnic Albania.The...
. After the denouncement of the Mukje Agreement
Mukje Agreement
The Mukje Agreement was a treaty signed on August 2, 1943 in the Albanian village of Mukje between the nationalist Balli Kombëtar and the communist National Liberation Movement on how to regulate the Albanian resistance in World War II and how to prepare for the future of Ethnic Albania.The...
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". 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. 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. 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. The Ballists destroyed a fairly large Communist partisan group south-west of Tirana. The partisan force of about 2000 strong had been annihilated. With other major partisan forces losing, the Albanian Communist tactically retreated, establishing Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
to fight the Balli Kombetar. The Ballist, along with the Germans occupied the region of Chameria (Cham Albanian collaboration with the Axis). The Albanian control of Chameria was significant to the Balli Kombetar as Mit’hat Frashëri was from Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
.
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. The west noted that the Communists could not have won without the supplies and armaments from the British, America and Yugoslavia, and that the LNC were not afraid of murdering their country men.
With Enver Hoxha's
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
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 division21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)
The 21st Division of the SS Skanderbeg was a Mountain division of the SS set up by Heinrich Himmler in March 1944, officially under the title of the 21. Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS Skanderbeg...
, this was led by the interior of the ministry, Xhafer Deva
Xhafer Deva
Xhafer Ibrahim Deva was a World War II government Minister of Albania during the period between October 1943 and June 1944. was a leading political figure in Axis-occupied Kosovo during World War II-Early life:Xhafer Deva was born in 1904 in Kosovska Mitrovica, in the Kosovo Province of the...
. The Balli Kombetar also formed the Second League of Prizren
Second League of Prizren
The Second League of Prizren was an organisation founded by leading Albanian officials in Kosovo in 1943 to campaign for the ethnic unification of Albanians in Albania....
to help retain its borders.
Large number of Serbs were killed across Kosovo or deported to camps in Albania starting from 1942. 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
Massacres of Albanians in the Balkan Wars
A series of massacres of Albanians in the Balkan Wars were committed by the Serbian and Montenegrin Army and paramilitaries, according to international reports....
). The Ballists attacked the Serb colonists, burning perhaps as many as 30,000 houses belonging to Serb and Montenegrin settlers.
Large number of Serbs and Macedonians
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
were also killed across western Macedonia. The Balli Kombëtar government also formed the SS Skanderbeg division
21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)
The 21st Division of the SS Skanderbeg was a Mountain division of the SS set up by Heinrich Himmler in March 1944, officially under the title of the 21. Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS Skanderbeg...
in the western Macedonia. 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
Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....
, Drenica
Drenica
Drenica also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering . Located west of the capital Prishtina, its population of 110,000 is largely ethnic-Albanian....
and Tetovo
Tetovo
Tetovo is a city in the northwestern part of Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River.The city covers an area of at above sea level, with a population of 86,580 citizens in the municipality. Tetovo is home to the State University of Tetovo and South East...
. It was noted that the Balli Kombetar in these regions were more aggressive than the Ballists of Albania.
With the Germans driven out by Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
's partisans, and the Albanian communists claiming victory in Albania, Tito ordered the collection of weapons in Kosovo and the arrest of prominent Albanians.. 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. 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
Kicevo
Kičevo is a city in the western part of the Republic of 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 of Kičevo is the seat of Kičevo Municipality.-Population:The municipality...
, Gostivar
Gostivar
Gostivar , is a city in the Republic of Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also covers . Gostivar has good road and railway connections with the other cities in the region, such as...
and Tetovo, the remaining Ballists tried to remain in control of the region after the Yugoslav partisans announced victory. After the war, most Balli Kombëtar leaders were either imprisoned, executed, or tortured due to their role in World War II. Although the insurection was crushed, it was not until 1947 that Kosovo was fully reintegrated into Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. On June 19, 2005, in the village Lupçi i epërm near Podujevo
Podujevo
Podujevo or Podujeva is a town and municipality located in the district of Pristina of north-eastern Kosovo.Podujevo is situated in a strategic position due to a regional motorway and railroad passing through it which links surrounding regions. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is located some to...
in northeastern Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
was discovered a mass grave with remains of sixteen albanian anti-communists, killed during the battle with Yugoslav Army
Yugoslav Army
Aside from the Yugoslav People's Army, the terms Yugoslav Army, Army of Yugoslavia, or Military of Yugoslavia may refer to:* Yugoslav Partisans , the Yugoslav resistance army during World War II...
.
Montenegro and Sandzak
Parts of Montenegro and the Sandzak regions were incorperated into Albania in 1941 The cities included Bijelo PoljeBijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 15,883 .Bijelo Polje is the center of municipality . It is unofficial center of north-eastern region of Montenegro...
, Plevlja, Tutin
Tutin
Tutin is a town and municipality in Raška/Sandžak region of Serbia. According to a 2011 census, the municipality of Tutin has a population of 30,770 people. It is the first municipality in Serbia that has renewable wind power.-History:...
, Plav
Plav
Plav Plav Plav (Montenegrin, (Albanian: Plav) is a town in north-eastern Montenegro. It has a population of 3,615 (2003 census).Plav is the centre of the municipality (population of 13,805),-Geography:...
, Gusinje, Rozaje and Ulqin. A large number of the Bošnjak
Bošnjak
Bošnjak may refer to:* Bosniak, member of that South Slavic nation* Bosnian, archaic form, a person living in the region of Bosnia* Bošnjak , a common Croatian surname* Mali Bošnjak, a village in Serbia-See also:...
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
Xhafer Deva
Xhafer Ibrahim Deva was a World War II government Minister of Albania during the period between October 1943 and June 1944. was a leading political figure in Axis-occupied Kosovo during World War II-Early life:Xhafer Deva was born in 1904 in Kosovska Mitrovica, in the Kosovo Province of the...
. Konicanin, although a Bošnjak, identified with the Albanians and was an officer under the Albanian state.
Acif Hadziahmetovic, a Bošnjak who was a member of the Balli Kombetar, Dzemail Konicanin and Ballist forces under Shaban Polluzha
Shaban Polluzha
Shaban Kastrati better known as Shaban Polluzha was an Albanian military leader in Kosovo.He was the son of Mustafëe Rexhep Kastrati from the village Polluzhë, Drenica region. During World War I he fought with the Entente against Bulgaria and Austria. Later he fought against Yugoslavia. In 1921...
successfully repelled chetnik forces back from Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar is a city and municipality located in southwest Serbia, in the Raška District. According to the official census in 2011, number of inhabitants of municipality is 92,776, while the city itself has a population of 60,638...
and crushed their stronghold in Banja
Banja (Novi Pazar)
Banja is a village situated in Novi Pazar municipality in Serbia....
.
However, the true threat to the Balli Kombetar 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 IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
among Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. After world war two, Mit'hat Frasheri began advocating for a Greater Albania
Greater Albania
Greater Albania or Ethnic Albania is an irredentist concept of lands outside the borders of the Republic of Albania that are considered part of a greater national homeland by most Albanians, based on the present-day or historical presence of Albanian populations in those areas...
. When Mit'hat Frasheri formed the Balli Kombetar, it was based on his nationalist ideas and the old ideologies of Abdyl Frasheri
Abdyl Frashëri
Abdyl Frashëri People's Hero of Albania was an Albanian diplomat, politician, writer, and a first political ideologue of the Albanian National Awakening through the League of Prizren...
, Isa Boletini
Isa Boletini
Isa Boletini was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerilla fighter, born in the village of Boletin near Mitroviça, Ottoman Empire...
and Avni Rustemi. The works of Franz Nopcsa, Johann Georg von Hahn
Johann Georg von Hahn
Johann Georg von Hahn was an Austrian diplomat, philologist and specialist in Albanian history, language and culture....
and Milan Šufflay
Milan Šufflay
Milan pl. Šufflay was a Croatian historian and politician. He was one of the founders of albanology and the author of the first Croatian science fiction novel.-Life:...
, helped strengthened the nationalists cause. The Nazi and Balli Kombëtar believed that Albanians were "Aryans of Illyrian heritage". This strengthened their alliance.
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”Legacy
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 AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The Ballists (Balli Kombëtar) who could not escape the communist regime were executed. The leaders of the movement included Ali Këlcyra
Ali Këlcyra
Ali Këlcyra was an Albanian lord , a member of the Albanian parliament in the '20s co-founder with Mit’hat Frashëri of the Balli Kombëtar organization in 1942, and the cosigner of the Dalmazzo-Këlcyra agreement.-Early life:...
, Mit’hat Frashëri, Abas Ermenji
Abas Ermenji
Prof. Abas Ermenji was an Albanian politician and historian.-History:Ermenji was born in the village of Ermenj, Skrapar on December 12, 1913. His education was conducted in Berat elementary and middle school. He attended high school in Shkodra...
, Vasil Andoni, Skënder Muço
Skënder Muço
Skënder Muço was an Albanian lawyer and leader of Balli Kombëtar, one of the most important resistance organizations in Albania during World War II. Along with Musine Kokalari Muço founded the first social democratic party of Albania in 1943...
, Thoma Orollogaj
Thoma Orollogaj
Thoma Orollogaj was an Albanian jurist, politician and resistance fighter of World War II.- Life :Born in 1888 in Korçë, Ottoman Empire he studied law in Athens and Paris. After finishing his studies he returned to Korçë, where he worked as a lawyer and supported Kostaq Kota's efforts for...
, Hysni Lepenica and Safet Butka
Safet Butka
Safet Butka was an Albanian professor, politician and nationalist. Son of famous patriot Sali Butka, he organized the student demonstrations in April 1939 during the Italian invasion and was interned in Ventotene. Upon his return he organized antifascist movements in his native region and was one...
. In Macedonia the most notable leader of the movement was Xhem Hasa
Xhem Hasa
Xhemail Hasani , aka Xhemë "Xhemo" Hasa–Gostivari, was in charge of the Balli Kombëtar activities in western Macedonia.-Early life:...
of Gostivar
Gostivar
Gostivar , is a city in the Republic of Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also covers . Gostivar has good road and railway connections with the other cities in the region, such as...
, 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
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
to help liberate Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
from the oppression of the Yugoslav army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
. A lot of the Albanian communities around the world were formed due to the help of the former members of the Balli Kombëtar.
Tetovo was once the largest Balli Kombetar base in Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
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.