– Interview with Hysni Daja by Dashnor Kaloçi, Memorie.al –
Memorie.al publishes the story of Hysni Daja, a former high-ranking officer with the rank of colonel who graduated from military academies in the Soviet Union. He recounts how, in 1975, as a former partisan of the 7th Assault Brigade formed in the village of Vlusha in Skrapar in 1943, he was appointed by the Albanian government to lead a special mission in Yugoslavia. During this mission, the remains of 300 former Albanian partisans killed in 1945 were discovered across the territories of Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosova and Macedonia. The article explores how the Yugoslav authorities received the Albanian delegation, how local government bodies assisted in locating the graves, how they supported the effort, and why — shortly after recovering the remains of the 300 partisans, comrades-in-arms — they were suddenly ordered to return urgently to Albania, without being allowed to take part in the commemorative ceremony planned in Podgorica…?!
Mr. Hysni, what was the number of Albanian partisans killed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia?
The number of Albanian partisans killed in Yugoslavia from December 1944 until February 14, 1945 — the day the city of Višegrad was liberated — is estimated to be around 700. This figure accounts for both our 5th and 6th divisions, which, under the command of Gjin Marku and Rrahman Parllaku, fought there in pursuit of the German forces retreating toward Berlin. The majority of those 700 partisans killed in Yugoslavia fell in combat against the Germans, and only a few died due to various illnesses.
When did the Albanian state first begin to show interest in the bodies of Albanian partisans killed in Yugoslavia?
The interest in locating the bodies of Albanian partisans killed in Yugoslav territory began immediately after the end of the war. Once the relevant agreements were made between the two countries, in 1946 the Albanian state sent a special commission to Montenegro and Bosnia. From the searches conducted at the time, as far as I know, the remains of around 380 Albanian partisans were found. These were immediately brought to Albania and buried with ceremonies at the Cemetery of the Martyrs in Tirana and in the districts from which they had originated.
After the return of the first 380 bodies to Albania in 1946, did the search continue for those who had not yet been found?
After 1946, the search did not continue, and although our state remained interested in finding the remaining bodies still located there, this became extremely difficult due to the breakdown in relations between Albania and Yugoslavia. Even after 1949, as far as I know, our government continued to make repeated requests, but the Yugoslav side was no longer cooperative, unlike in 1946, raising various objections.
What kind of objections did the Yugoslavs raise?
They claimed that there were no longer any bodies of Albanian partisans on their territory, and that those who had been there were supposedly all found and retrieved by us back in 1946.
When was it possible to locate the remaining bodies of the former Albanian partisans left in Yugoslavia?
In 1975, the Yugoslav state agreed and became willing to allow the Albanian government to send a special commission to Belgrade, in order to clarify this unresolved matter and make it possible to locate the remains of our former partisans who were still in various republics of their federation. After that, our government sent a 15-member commission to Yugoslavia, and I was part of it.
Who else participated in that commission and what did they represent?
Along with me, the commission included Maman Saliu, Zagoll Skëndo, Rakip Peza, Shaban Rexha and others, who had been partisans and high-ranking military officers with wartime and postwar responsibilities. While half of the commission was made up of these well-known former partisans and military cadres, the other half consisted of members of the State Security and the Ministry of Communal Services.
You personally — who selected you to be part of that commission, and for what reasons were you specifically chosen?
I was proposed by Member of the Political Bureau Adil Çarçani, who knew me well from the wartime period, as he had been the deputy commissar of the 7th Brigade. Likewise, at the same time, the proposal for me to join the commission also came from the well-known General Ndreko Rino, former commander of the 1st Brigade. These two were the ones who nominated me for that commission, and the main reason I was chosen was quite simple. I was one of those former partisans who had kept diaries and notes during the war, and later I had written numerous articles in magazines and newspapers, as well as books of memoirs and scholarly analyses on the history of the partisan war.
Who gave your commission the relevant instructions for the work it was to carry out there?
The preparation of our 15-member commission took several months, and we were called to a number of preparatory meetings where we were given the relevant instructions. Initially, we received instructions from the Committee of Veterans of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War, followed by the Ministry of Communal Services, and finally from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Before departing from Tirana, did you have meetings with the families or relatives of the former Albanian partisans killed in Yugoslavia?
We had several meetings, but they were not officially organized by the state. A few days before our departure, family members and relatives of the former partisans and our fallen comrades in Yugoslavia would come to see us, offering any information or explanation they had about their loved ones resting there, pleading with us to find their remains. We noted their details and promised to do everything possible to locate them.
When did you depart for Yugoslavia and how were you received there?
After receiving all the instructions I mentioned, our delegation departed for Yugoslavia by plane on September 9, 1975. In Belgrade, we were received by representatives from the Yugoslav Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who were responsible for Albanian affairs. After staying in Belgrade for four or five days, we were divided and sent to different republics of Yugoslavia in smaller groups of two or three people.
In which Yugoslav republics were the searches to be conducted, and where were you assigned?
The searches were to be carried out in Bosnia, Montenegro, Kosova, Serbia and Macedonia. In each of these republics or autonomous provinces, we had partisans who had died or been killed during the war. I was assigned to Bosnia, as it was considered the most difficult task. This was because Sarajevo claimed that there were no longer any graves of former Albanian partisans there. Along with me, a representative from our Ministry of Communal Services named Haxhi was also assigned to go to Sarajevo.
How were you received in Sarajevo?
We were very well received in Sarajevo, and preparations had been made in advance for our delegation’s arrival. Assigned to welcome us was a veteran Croatian partisan named Pero Divjak, who proudly claimed to have fought alongside Tito. Our first meeting was held at the Municipality of Višegrad, where the mayor received us warmly and, among other things, said: “The Bosnian people are well aware of the struggle fought by the Albanian partisans of the 6th Division, who heroically battled German forces in Drinsko, Zanožje and other areas, suffering heavy losses.” After these initial meetings with local authorities, we began the search for the remains of our fallen comrades.
Where did you conduct your first searches, and how did you proceed initially?
We began in the outskirts of Višegrad, in areas where the bloodiest battles had taken place — such as Drinsko, Zanožje and the Mehmet Pasha Bridge. Initially, we would identify the likely burial sites by visiting the locations where our comrades had fallen, and then workers from the communal services, appointed by the Yugoslav side, would arrive to carry out the excavations and retrieve the remains. On the first, second and third days of our search, I was accompanied by a representative from the Yugoslav Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for Albanian affairs, whose name was Slatinac. After three days, he departed, saying: “I’m leaving now, but you should continue your work — I’m convinced there are still fallen Albanian partisans here.” After his departure, I continued the search along with several of my former comrades-in-arms — Rustem Hazizi, Rakip Xhezo and Kalo Seferi — who had arrived from Albania around that time.
Who sent them?
According to the procedures established in Tirana for our commission, as group leader I had the right to request the presence of other individuals with knowledge about the locations of partisan graves. However, each of them could remain on-site for no more than 20 days. So, they — along with a few others — came at my request.
How were you received by the local residents, and were they willing to assist you in your mission?
The local residents received us very warmly everywhere we went, expressing deep gratitude for the role we had played in the war. Throughout our search efforts, we were accompanied by a Bosnian driver from Drinsko named Asim, who even took us to his home at the request of his mother. When we arrived, his elderly mother told us that back in 1945 she had buried the head of an Albanian partisan in a spot not far from their home. Asim took us there, and we indeed found the skull of the Albanian partisan, whom we identified based on the notes we had with us. When we arrived in Zanožje, in a place called the Pass, we found two empty graves of Albanian partisans. When we asked about them, a Bosnian named Ibrahim told us, “These men have two graves — one here and one in Albania.” That is, even though their remains had been exhumed and brought to Albania back in 1946, their graves in Bosnia had not been destroyed and were still maintained with the same care as those of local partisans. Likewise, in Višegrad, an elderly woman named Borka regularly tended to three graves of Albanian partisans, placing fresh bouquets of flowers there.
How long did your mission last, and how many bodies of Albanian partisans did you find in Yugoslavia?
Our mission lasted for 90 days. During that time, as head of the group assigned to Bosnia, I located 30 graves containing the remains of our comrades who had died as martyrs on foreign soil. I still have the complete lists of their names. I remember people like Sado Zeneli from Gjirokastra, or Hysen Zenel Nurka from Sevran in Skrapar, and many more. At the end of our mission in Bosnia, a memorial ceremony was held in the city of Sarajevo in front of 30 coffins containing our comrades’ remains. Both we and the Bosnian side gave speeches. At the end of my speech, I said: “We have taken the remains of our brothers, but we leave behind on this neighbouring soil their blood, which will never turn to water.”
What was the total number of fallen partisans found at that time across all the Yugoslav republics where your mission operated?
The number reached around 300. After their remains were located and placed in coffins, they were transported to the Central House of the Yugoslav Army in the city of Podgorica, which had been designated as the collection point for the remains found in Bosnia and Montenegro. Even though we recovered the remains of around 300 of our fallen comrades in Yugoslavia, we were not fortunate enough to attend the repatriation ceremony. We were urgently ordered back to Rinas from Tirana.
Why did that happen?
I don’t know for sure, but perhaps it was because they thought we had become too familiar with the Yugoslav officials accompanying us. I can’t say much more, but I’m convinced we were recalled due to malicious reports sent back by State Security, whose agents had been assigned to our mission.
When were the remains of the 300 partisans returned to Albania, and who brought them back?
The coffins containing the remains of the 300 partisans arrived in Albania in December 1975. They were brought back by another commission that travelled to Yugoslavia after we were urgently recalled to Tirana. Their arrival was marked by a grand ceremony in Skanderbeg Square, where all 300 coffins were arranged on the steps in front of the Palace of Culture, and the entire Political Bureau attended. Afterwards, the remains were transferred to the Cemetery of the Martyrs of the Nation in Tirana or to cemeteries in other districts.
Were you thanked by the families when you returned to Tirana, and did you feel like “The General of the Dead Army”?
We received many words of gratitude from the families whose sons’ remains we had found, but I wouldn’t say we felt like “The General of the Dead Army,” as there was a major difference. We belonged to a victorious army.
(Translated from the Albanian original — its rights belonging to Memorie.al. This English translation was done by Sava Press under fair use for informational non-commercial purposes.)