First Battle of Preševo

The First Battle of Preševo or Battle of Eid al-Fitr was a battle fought 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]

First Battle of Preševo
Part of World War II in Yugoslavia
Date19 September 1944
Location
Preševo, Bulgaria (modern-day Serbia)
Result Ballist victory
Belligerents
Balli Kombëtar Yugoslav Partisans
Commanders and leaders
Mulla Idriz Gjilani
Xheladin Kurbalia
Jusuf Lipovica
Sulë Hotla		 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 over 100 killed[5]
206 POW[5]

Prelude

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.[7][8]

Battle

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.[9] During the battle over 100 partisans were killed, while 206 were taken as prisoner.[5]

Second Battle of Preševo

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.[8][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
  1. "Beteja e rekës raincës by Nijazi Ramadani - Issuu". issuu.com. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  2. titulli.com. "Lufta e përgjakur më 19 nëntor 1944, ditën e Bajramit në Preshevë". www.titulli.com. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  3. Acta Iugoslaviae historica. Prosveta. 1970. p. 162.
  4. Kelmendi 2006, p. 116.
  5. 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.
  6. Stanković, Bogomir B. (1975). Kosovsko Pomoravlje u revoluciji 1941-1945. Kosovska Kamenica : Kosovska Vitina : Opštinski odbori SUBNOR-a. p. 216.
  7. Ramadani, Nijazi. Beteja e Rekës Raincës.
  8. "Šta bi danas rekao Abdulah Krašnica - Život - Dnevni list Danas" (in Serbian). 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  9. Kelmendi 2006, p. 111

Sources
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