Battle of Peja

Battle of Peja
Part of World War II in Yugoslavia
Date26–31 August 1944
Location
Peja and surrounding villages, German occupied Albania(present-day Kosovo)
42°39′32″N 20°17′32″E / 42.65889°N 20.29222°E / 42.65889; 20.29222
Result

Ballist victory

  • Temporary Albanian nationalist control over Peja
  • Yugoslav Partisans forced to withdraw
Belligerents
Balli Kombëtar Yugoslav Partisans
Commanders and leaders
  • Gani Merica
  • Local Kosovo Albanian militia
Strength
≈ 1,200–1,500 fighters ≈ 2,000–2,500 Partisans (3rd Kosovo Brigade and reinforcements)
Casualties and losses
≈ 40–60 killed 120–180 killed, several hundred wounded or captured

The Battle of Peja (Albanian: Beteja e Pejës; Serbian: Битка за Пећ / Bitka za Peć) was fought between 26 and 31 August 1944 in and around the city of Peja (Peć) in western Kosovo, then part of the Italian/Albanian protectorate under German administration. Albanian nationalist forces of the Balli Kombëtar, supported by local Kosovo Albanian volunteers, clashed with the Yugoslav Partisans of the 3rd Kosovo Brigade and attached units who were attempting to seize control of the region ahead of the expected German withdrawal.

The battle ended in a clear victory for the Balli Kombëtar, which succeeded in repelling the Partisan offensive and maintaining control of Peja until the arrival of German and later Yugoslav forces in late 1944.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.