Despite the Serbian propaganda surrounding the “heroic” Serbian armys retreat through the Albanians, many Serbian historians fail or refuse to mention that these soldiers committed numerous war crimes against the Albanian population.[1][2][3] Similar war crimes had been committed in the years of 1914, 1913 and 1912.

Atrocities committed on the Albanian civil population in Kosovo and Northern Albania during the retreat are never mentioned in Serbian schoolbooks order not to “taint the image of the soldiers”.[4] In the book La Serbie dans La Grande Guerre author Dusan T. Batakovic does not mention the atrocities committed at all.[5]

The following section from a Serbian publication from 2016 where surviving soldiers testimonies were published shows what the Serbian troops did in Albania during this retreat:

“Следећа слика сведочи да је изгладнела војска нападала на албанске куће да дође добило какве хране. Арнаути нису смели да се бране. Њих је мало, а српске војске безброј. Нико није смео да ризикује да му војска разори дом и све што има. Сачекивали су их далеко од својих кућа, по безименим кланцима и ћувицима, по шумама и потоцима. Мање и изгубљене групе и заостале изнемогле појединце. Неколико српских војника се одваја из колоне и иде у „арнаутлук’’ да набаве нешто за јело. Наравно под оружјем.”[6]

Translation:
“The following picture shows that the army was starving attacked Albanian houses to get to any food. The Arnauts did not dare to defend themselves. There are few of them, and the Serbian army countless. No one could risk that the army destroys his home and everything he has. They were waiting for them far from their homes, by nameless gorges and yuvics, by forests and streams. Less and lost groups and left behind exhausted individuals. A few Serbian soldiers are separating from the column and goes to “arnautluk” to get them something to eat. At gunpoint, of course.”

References

1. PhD. Cand, Ma. Veli Kryeziu, (2019). “Vol. 9, No. 7”. Albanians in Confrontation with the Challenges of World War I. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science (PDF) (“January 1915, under the direction of Hasan Prishtina, the rebellion was extended up to Gjakovas highlands (Rushiti, 2003:169); from where Serb forces were forced to retreat leaving behind the traces of crime committed against the civilian population&quot ed.). Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo: Public University Hasan Prishtina No.31, 10 000. p. 90. Retrieved 28 March 2020
2. Tallon, James N. (2014). ARTICLES AND ANALYSES: ALBANIAÕS LONG WORLD WAR I (1912Ð1925) (his created animosity between Albanians and the retreating Allies, significantly increasing violence between Albanians and Serbs who were viewed as invaders. ed.). Lewis University. STUDIA HISTORYCZNE R. LVII, 2014, Z. 4 (228) PL ISSN 0025-1429. pp. 443–444. Retrieved 28 March 2020
3. Shkelzen, Gashi (2016). The History of Kosovo in the history textbooks of Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia (PDF) (At the end of 1915, after attacks by Austro-Hungarian forces, Serbian and Montenegrin forces were forced to withdraw from Kosovo. They withdrew to Greece through Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania. During the withdrawal through Albanian land they committed crimes of pillaging and more serious crimes against the Albanian people ed.). Pristina: Alter Habitus. p. 83. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
4. Janjetović, Zoran (1 December 2002). From Foe to Friend and back (There is one lurid aspect of the First Balkan War that is never mentioned in Serbian textbooks. That is Serbian war crimes against the Albanians. The atrocities were at first begun by the Montenegrins, but soon Serbian troops joined in. Although the number of victims is not precisely known to this day, the fact that massacres occurred is undisputed24. However, in order not to taint the heroic picture of the Serbian soldiers, their atrocities are never mentioned in Serbian schoolbooks. ed.). pp. 245–260. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
5. Batakovic, Dusan T. LA SERBIE DANS LA GRANDE GUERRE. Témoignages, mémoires et écrits historiques français, Belgrade: Bibliothèque Nationale de Serbie, 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
6. ПРЕКО АЛБАНИЈЕ ДО СКАДРА 1915-те Начинили су мапу Балкана. По тој мапи Србија ишчезава. Србија нема граница, нема међа, нема те земље међу земљама, а преко нас би ишла џада аустријска… и ишла би преко наших глава све до Азије’’. Ћамил Сијарић: Мојковачка битка. http://www.savindan.org.rs/index_htm_files/26%20ceo.pdf