Muharrem Bajraktari

Muharrem Bajraktari (15 May 1896 – 21 January 1989) was an Albanian Muslim guerrilla fighter from Lumë in northern Albania, and a political figure during World War II.^[2]

Muharrem Nezir Bajraktari
Nickname(s)	Lord of Lumë[1]
Born	(1896-05-15)15 May 1896 Ujmisht, Ottoman Empire (modern Albania)
Died	21 January 1989(1989-01-21) (aged 92) Brussels, Belgium
Rank	Colonel
Battles / wars	World War II
Relations	Nezir Bajraktari (Father), Bajram Bajraktari (Brother)

Family and early life

His father was Nezir Bajraktari, and he had a brother, Bajram Bajraktari. He emigrated to Yugoslavia. His surname means “Flag holder” in the Turkish language, presumably his ancestor was the flag bearer of their region. He and his family were Albanians whom spoke Albanian in the Gheg dialect and were Muslims.

Interwar period

In December 1924, when Ahmed Zog returned to Albania, he divided the country in four zones, as per the four best military captains: Muharrem Bajraktari of the north-east (Krumë), Fiqri Dine of the north-west (Shkodër), Prenk Pervizi of the centre (Tirana), and Hysni Dema of the south (Vlorë). Bajraktari was dismissed from his commanding position in the gendarmerie because he refused to cooperate with the British-Inspector General.^[3]: 194 In 1936, Bajraktari had a disagreement with Zog, left Albania and went to Yugoslavia where he met with Draža Mihailović in the summer of 1936.^[4]

World War II

At the beginning of the war Bajraktar was one of the leaders of the first Axis resistance actions in Albania.^{[3]: 232 [5]} Until the end of 1941 Bajraktari led large bands whose number and membership continually grew.^[6]

Following the British strategy of establishing a Balkan Union, Draža Mihailović, a leader of the Yugoslav royalist resistance movement, established cooperation with Bajraktari and his forces in Albania.^[7][8] Mihailović already knew Bajraktari from the period when he lived in Yugoslavia for several years before World War II as a political emigrant.^[9][10] It is possible that the British S.O.E. worked through him.^[11] According to one report he was opposed to the Kosovo Defense Committee and their methods and had good relations with Prek Cali.^[12] Frequent meetings between Bajraktari's and Mihailovic's men were organized at the beginning of January.^[13]

Together with other elements of Balli Kombetar, Bajraktari controlled the area south of the Pukë-Kukes line at the end of World War II and secured the retreat of the German army in autumn 1944.^[14]

After the war, Bajraktari, together with Fiqri Dine, worked for the Albanian Committee in Paris.^[15] He was an executive member of the NCFA (National Committee for a Free Albania).^[16]

See also

• Muharrem

References

1. Lewis, I. M. (1968). History and Social Anthropology. Tavistock publication limited. p. 287. The quadrumvirate consisted of Muharrem Bajraktar, Lord of Lume (see Amery, 1948, pp. 37, 142–144, 307–308); Fikri Dine, one of the more influential chiefs of Diber (ibid., pp. 13, 162, 296, 321); Xhemal Herri, whose patrimony was Zali i
2. Elsie, Robert (2010), Historical dictionary of Albania, Lanham: Scarecrow Press, p. 28, ISBN 978-0-8108-7380-3, OCLC 454375231, Bajraktari, Muharrem (15 May 1896–21 January 1989). Political figure and guerrilla fighter. Colonel Muharrem Bajraktari, a tribal leader from Ujmisht in the northeastern district of Kukës
3. Sir John Linton Myres; Harold St. John Loyd Winterbotham; F. Longland (1945). Albania. Naval Intelligence Division. Retrieved 9 January 2014. Among the earlier leaders were Muharrem Bajraktari, former Commandant of Gendarmerie, recently in co-operation with the Yugoslav bands of General Mihailovic
4. Barker, Elisabeth (1976). British policy in South-East Europe in the Second World War. Barnes & Noble Books. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-06-490301-1. Retrieved 12 January 2014. ... That Muharrem Bajraktar, after quarreling with Zog had gone to Yugoslavia in 1936 it is not true, a pure falsification. There were reports during the summer that he had joined Mihajlovic (1943) and in Djonovic, the Yugoslav government
5. Brelvi, Mahmud (1950). The Muslim Neighbours of Pakistan. Ripon Print. Press. p. 224. Retrieved 12 January 2014. ...large guerrilla bands were led by Colonel Muharrem Bayraktari, a former gendarmerie officer, who had established relations with the Serbian Chetniks.
6. Dept, Royal Institute of International Affairs. Information (1943). Information Notes. p. 49. Retrieved 12 January 2014. By the beginning of 1942 there existed large bands led by Colonel Muharrem Bayraktari, a former gendarmerie officer, who was reported to have established relations with the Serbian Chetniks. The bands grew in number and membership
7. Matić, Milan B.; Vesović, Milan (1995). Ravnogorska ideja u štampi i propagandi četničkog pokreta u Srbiji 1941–1944. ISI. p. 36. ISBN 978-86-7403-063-9. У вези стварања Балканске уније, Д. Михаиловић је настојао да се преко Радослава Ђурића повеже и са „националистима албанске државе које води пуковник Мухарем Барјактари", обећавајући да ће му „пружити сву .
8. Avramov, Smilja (1995). Genocide in Yugoslavia. BIGZ. p. 178. ISBN 9788613007982. Retrieved 12 January 2014. When Draza Mihailovic's movement was included in British strategy, he was told to establish links with Albanian Col. Muharem Bajraktar
9. Božović, Branislav (1991). Surova vremena na Kosovu i Metohiji: kvislinzi i kolaboracija u drugom svetskom ratu. Institut za savremenu istoriju. p. 292. Мухарем Бајрактари је, пре рата, неколико година живео у Југославији као политички емигрант. Зато се Дража Михаиловић, у намери да услостави везе са албанским формацијама, оријентисао према њему
10. Shankland, David (2004). Archaeology, anthropology, and heritage in the Balkans and Anatolia: the life and times of F.W. Hasluck, 1878–1920. Isis Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-975-428-280-1. Retrieved 12 January 2014. ...leaders believed active, among them Muharrem Bajraktar, a northern Albanian chieftain reputed to be in occasional touch with General Draca Mihailovic, the Chetnik leader in southern Serbia; six hundred gold sovereigns were also sent.
11. Barker, Elisabeth (1976). British policy in South-East Europe in the Second World War. Barnes & Noble Books. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-06-490301-1. Retrieved 12 January 2014. ...S.O.E. therefore had good reason to try to build up its contacts. One idea at this time seems to be to work through Col. Muharrem Bajraktar,...
12. Marović, Miodrag (1 January 1995). Balkanski Džoker: Albanija i Albanci : istorijska hronika nastajanja i razvoja albanskog pitanja. Kulturni centar. p. 339. ISBN 9788670040052. Po tom izvještaju Barjaktari se suprotstavlja KOMITETU KOSOVA i njegovim metodima rada, a slaže se sa Prenk Caljom
13. Marović, Miodrag (1 January 1995). Balkanski Džoker: Albanija i Albanci : istorijska hronika nastajanja i razvoja albanskog pitanja. Kulturni centar. p. 339. ISBN 9788670040052. Početkom januara dolazi do sastanaka Dražinih i Muharemovih ljudi...
14. Jürgen Fischer, Bernd (1999). Albania at war, 1939–1945. Pardue. p. 233. ISBN 9781557531414. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
15. Miranda Vickers (1999). The Albanians: A Modern History. I.B.Tauris. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-86064-541-9. Retrieved 9 January 2014. Fikri Dine and Muharrem Bajraktari were also mentioned as other members of this 'group of spies'. It appears, however, that the latter two were in fact not working for the Yugoslavs but for the Albanian Committee (formed by exiled BK and ...
16. ACEN (Organization). ACEN Publication [English Issues Only]. p. 196. Retrieved 9 January 2014. List of Delegates NATIONAL DELEGATIONS Albania Muharem Bajraktari, Colonel, executive member of National Committee for a Free Albania.