During the First Balkan War (1912), Serbian forces advanced into Kosovo, confronting Albanian and Ottoman fighters in the region of Mitrovica. Contemporary reports of the describe the struggle published in the “Allgemeine Rundschau” Volume 10, in 1913. The Serbs outnumbered the Albanians 10 to 1 which shows what a heroic struggle the Albanians endured against the Serbian invader.
One account focuses on Abdul Bey Dautagi, who led his men against overwhelming Serbian and Montenegrin forces. Surrounded in ambush and vastly outnumbered, he exhorted his followers not to abandon him. They fought for thirteen hours under relentless fire. Despite their determination, Dautagi and his fighters were eventually cut down. The report portrays their deaths as heroic and almost sacred — hundreds of men falling in what was remembered as a martyr’s sacrifice.
Another passage gives voice to Midhat Bey Dukagjin, an Albanian notable, who bitterly remarked on the hopeless disparity of forces: “Around Mitrovica, only twenty thousand Serbs marched out against our people. Ten against one. The old Sultan would never have allowed that.” His words most likely reflect the sense of betrayal and despair felt by Albanians who saw themselves abandoned by the Ottoman state, left to face a far superior Serbian army alone.
We can clearly read about the the overwhelming Serbian numerical advantage — roughly 20,000 Serbs against some 2,000 Albanian/Ottoman fighters — and the heavy losses suffered by the defenders. They also show how the events around Mitrovica were remembered not just as a military defeat, but as a tragedy laden with symbolism: Albanian and Ottoman resistance crushed, their leaders remembered in tones of martyrdom and bitterness.
Reference
Balkan Academia 