Shaban Polluzha

Shaban Mustafë Kastrati[1] (1871 – 21 February 1945), known as Shaban Polluzha , was a Kosovo Albanian military leader active in Drenica during World War II. He was a collaborationist, serving in the Royal Albanian gendarmerie and as a commander of the Vulnetari militia. He was briefly a member of the Balli Kombëtar. He was killed by the Yugoslav Partisans.

Shaban Polluzha
Polluzha in 1891
Born1871 (1871)
Drenica, Ottoman Empire
(now Drenica, Kosovo)
Died21 February 1945 (1945-02-22) (aged 74)
Tërstenik, Yugoslavia
(now Tërstenik, Kosovo)
Buried
Terstenik
Allegiance Albania
Service/branchRoyal Albanian Army
Commands heldBalli Kombëtar (1943–45)
Battles/warsWorld War II in Yugoslavia
AwardsHero of Kosovo
Hero of the People, awarded by Albania

Early life

Shaban was born in Poluža (Albanian: Polluzha), in the Drenica region (now central Kosovo[a]). During World War I he fought with the Entente against Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary. In 1921 he was elected a deputy of Drenica.

World War II
Postage Stamp

In 1941 Shaban Polluzha was interned by the Italians.[1]

Thousands of Vulnetari together with gendarmerie commanded by Bislim Bajgora and Shaban Polluzha attacked Ibarski Kolašin on 30 September 1941, killing 150 Serb civilians.[2] This region was attacked by Vulnetari from Drenica and Methohija Podgor, and their brutal attacks on the villages of Ibarski Kolašin lasted until 10 October 1941.[3] This attack on Ibarski Kolašin was so violent that the Germans referred to it as the "bloody wave".[4]

Polluzha later joined the Yugoslav Partisans because of promises of self-determination in Kosovo, and fought to expel the Germans, believing Kosovo would reunite with Albania afterwards.[1] Once realizing he had been deceived, he refused orders to send his men to Syrmia to drive out the retreating Germans, instead, staying in Drenica. The Yugoslav Partisans then attacked him encountering strong resistance for two to three months.[1] He was eventually killed during battle in the village of Trstenik in 1945.[1]

Legacy

In 2012 he was posthumously awarded as "Hero of Kosovo" by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi.[5]

References
  1. Elsie 2010, p. 219.
  2. Antonijević, Nenad. Stradanje srpskog i crnogorskog civilnog stanovništva na Kosovu i Metohiji 1941. godine. p. 362. Više hiljada vulnetara i žandarma pod komandom Bislima Bajgore i Šabana Poluže napali su Ibarski Kolašin 30. septembra....Vulnetari su u Ibarskom Kolašinu 1941. ubili 150 ljudi.
  3. Antonijević, Nenad (5 March 2005). "Albanski zločini nad Srbima na Kosovu i Metohiji u Drugom svetskom ratu Nacistički genocid nad Srbima" (in Serbian). Pravoslavlje.rs. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2012. Ibarski Kolašin, kompaktna srpska teritorija u dolini Ibra, od Ribarića do Kosovske Mitrovice, bio je stalno na udaru albanskog terora. Ovu teritoriju napadali su vulnetari iz Drenice i Metohijskog Podgora. Jedan od masovnih napada dogodio se 30. septembra 1941. Najžešći udari na sela Ibarskog Kolašina trajali su do 10. oktobra 1941. Tada je spaljeno više od 20 srpskih sela.
  4. Jakšić, Slobodan (1996), Prosveta i škole u starom Kolašinu, Ars Libri, p. 116, OCLC 69423634, Овај напад је толико био дивљачки и крвнички да су га Немци назвали "крвави талас".
  5. "Kryeministri Haradinaj: Lidhjet dhe dashuria e ndërsjellë shqiptare do të forcohet edhe më shumë!". Retrieved 9 August 2018.

Sources
  • Antonijević, Nenad (2003). "Stradanje srpskog i crnogorskog civilnog stanovništva na Kosovu i Metohiji 1941. godine". Dijalog Povjesničara-istoričara. Zadar: Friedrich Nauman Stiftung. 8: 355–369.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Antonijević, Nenad (2009). Mirković, Jovan (ed.). Албански злочини над Србима на Косову и Метохији у Другом светском рату, документа, друго измењено и допуњено издање. Belgrade: Музеј жртава геноцида.
  • Elsie, Robert (2010). Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Scarecrow Press. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-8108-7231-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Milković, Milutin (1991). PRVA KOSOVSKO-METOHIJSKA PROLETERSKA BRIGADA. Војна штампарија.
  • Dželetović Ivanov, Pavle (31 August 2012). "Pobuna Šabana Poluže". Novosti.

Notes
a. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 98 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.
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