“Un centro d’intrighi”: The Tainted Collaboration of the Axis Powers in the Borderlands of “Greater Albania”

Authors : Franziska Anna ZAUGG

Pages : 51-73

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Publication Date : 2021-06-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :During the Second World War in the northeastern border areas of “Greater Albania”, Serbia, and Montenegro the two occupying powers, Italy and Germany, were forced to work together from 1941 to 1943. From the beginning, the collaboration, which evolved during the Balkans campaign in 1941 following the redistribution of the territories between the Axis powers, was marked by deep resentment and distrust. Both occupying powers acted against opponents in the most brutal manner in order to destroy enemy groups and keep their part of the territory under control. But at the same time, both wanted to keep the influence of the other occupying power as subdued as possible by manipulating and instrumentalising the pre-existing interethnic conflicts between locals for their own purposes. The following article seeks to shed light on these Italian-German occupation strategies, which have not been thoroughly investigated thus far.
Keywords : Second World War, Axis powers, Albania, Greazer Albania, Serbia, Italy, Germany, persecution, recruitment