Albanians of Kosovo in the National Liberation Anti-Fascist War during World War II (1941-1945)

In April 1941, the fascist bloc states attacked Yugoslavia, destroying and dividing it. The Albanian territories under its control, which were divided into three occupation zones, shared the fate of Yugoslavia: German, Italian, and Bulgarian. In this scientific work, I will attempt to elaborate on the origins of the conflict between the fascist occupiers and their collaborators, as well as the desire of the Albanian people in general, and especially in Kosovo, for liberation and resolution of the national question. During World War II, the anti-fascist ranks were consolidated at the national and international levels—Balkan, European, and global—by proclaiming and guaranteeing the right to self-determination for all peoples participating in the anti-fascist bloc. The National Liberation Council for Kosovo, the highest political body of the National Liberation Movement (LNÇ) in Kosovo, owes much of its success to the personal contributions of the Albanian people in general and specifically in Kosovo, as documented in historical documents approved at the Bujan Conference. The Albanian people's struggle in Kosovo during this time period was unique, with a specific strategy and tactics developed under specific and difficult local conditions that made armed conflict in this territory difficult to organise quickly. The war in Kosovo included violence perpetrated by a variety of political actors. As a result, the issue requires a multifaceted analysis, with a focus on ideology, violence against civilians, and military conflict between two or more military powers. In this article, we attempted to present the War of the People of Kosovo in all its manifest forms: objective and subjective conditions, forms of activism, the formation and strengthening of armed forces, and the activities of anti-fascist organisations, etc. During World War II in Kosovo, the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War is divided into two phases: The first phase (1941-1943) relates to the formation of anti-fascist organizations and national liberation councils, as well as the spread of armed struggle, specifically the methods of fighting as an inseparable part of the National Liberation Front, up until the capitulation of Italy (1943). The second phase is the period from 1943 to 1945 of the war in Kosovo, which developed rapidly and, from an organizational standpoint, took on a complete form, resulting in massive participation of the people in the war, expressed through various actions aimed at igniting and significantly expanding the struggle. Illuminating the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War is crucial; it requires the synthesis of extensive material, analysis, comparison, and drawing certain conclusions. Additionally, this work demands in-depth knowledge of the history between the two world wars in Kosovo, particularly the history of World War II, with a special emphasis on the history of Albanians, in which the First Conference of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation Council occupies an important place as part of the Albanian national resistance. This resistance was engaged in various forms, both military and political, for the ethnic unification of Albanians, contributing significantly to the Albanian cause. The study is organized based on a chronological order, where the main issues are broken down into sub-issues according to specific problems, and it concludes with findings, archival sources, and bibliography, while respecting scientific principles and other methodological standards. During this period, Kosovo received support from the Atlantic Charter, which guaranteed self-determination, as well as the Moscow Declaration, Tehran Resolution, and Yalta Declaration, which stated: „Everyone on their own land and everyone to decide on the form of their own government.“ This was the guiding principle of the Anglo-Soviet-American Alliance. The Albanian people of Kosovo and other Yugoslav territories gained this right to self-determination by fighting alongside the Anti-Fascist Bloc as a people rather than a national minority. During this period, neighbouring countries attempted to contest Albanians' alignment in the Anti-Fascist Bloc, but the facts on the ground were on the Albanians' side, with approximately 50,000 fighters, the majority of who were Albanians, serving in the National Liberation Army of Kosovo. During the Movement, 6,203 people from Kosovo died, 28 of whom were declared national heroes. The significance of this level of participation in the armed struggle of the Albanian people of Kosovo is better understood when considering the participation rates of other occupied peoples in Europe in the anti-fascist struggle, which show that, relative to the population size, the contribution of the Albanians was quite substantial.