People's Liberation Army of Macedonia

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People's Liberation Army of Macedonia

Members of the Veles-Prilep partisan detachment, one of the earliest organised resistance movements.
Active 1941 – 1943 (Partisan detachments)
1943 – 1945
Country Macedonia (region)
Allegiance Allies of World War II
ASNOM
People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia
Anniversaries August 18
October 11
Engagements National Liberation War of Macedonia
Second World War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Mihajlo Apostolski
Metodija Andonov-Čento
Svetozar Vukmanović-Tempo

The People's Liberation Army of Macedonia (Macedonian: Народноослободителна Војска на Македонија, transliterated: Narodnoosloboditelna Vojska na Makedonija) (abbreviated NOV), often referred to as the National Liberation Army of Macedonia, was a Communist resistance army formed in present-day Republic of Macedonia during the People's Liberation War of Macedonia in the Second World War. The term is also used to denote the participation of ethnic Macedonians in the Yugoslav Partisans as well as other Communist resistance organisations operating in Macedonia during the Second World War.

Contents

[edit] History

The anti-Axis resistance started on 11 October 1941, with the emergence of the Macedonian partisan military units which, during the course of the war, grew into the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia. The date of the creation of its major unit, the Mirče Acev battalion, on August 18, 1943 on Mount Slavej[1] between Ohrid, Lake Ohrid and Kičevo (is officially celebrated in the Republic of Macedonia as the Day of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia).

Formation of the "Mirce Acev" Battalion
Formation of the "Mirce Acev" Battalion
The 3rd Macedonian Proletariat Shock Brigade during the Spring Offensive in 1944.
The 3rd Macedonian Proletariat Shock Brigade during the Spring Offensive in 1944.

On 11 November 1943, the 1st Macedonian Kosovo Shock Brigade was formed in western Macedonia by merging two Vardar Macedonian and one Kosovo battalion. The second — larger ethnic Macedonian military unit was the 2nd Macedonian Shock Brigade, formed on 22 December 1943 just across the border in Greek Macedonia.[2] On 26 February 1944 in the village of Zegljane, near Kumanovo, the 3rd Macedonian Shock Brigade was formed. These three brigades were the nucleus of the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia, which after constant battles became stronger in numbers. From March, 1944, until the final military operations in the National Liberation War, the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia had increased to three Corps, seven divisions and thirty brigades, all with a total of 100,000 soldiers.[3]

Fighters from the 6th Macedonian Brigade.
Fighters from the 6th Macedonian Brigade.

The Army was led by the Main Headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army and the Partisan Units of Macedonia, headed by Mihajlo Apostolski.[4]

[edit] Commanders

[edit] Orders of battle

Units of the Macedonian National Liberation Army were organised within the framework of the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia.

[edit] Brigades

  • 1st Macedonian Auto-Brigade
  • 1st Macedonian Cavalry Brigade
  • 1st Aegean Assault Brigade
  • 1st Macedonian Brigade
  • 2nd Macedonian Brigade
  • 3rd Macedonian Brigade
  • 4th Macedonian Brigade
  • 5th Macedonian Brigade
  • 6th Macedonian Brigade
  • 7th Macedonian Brigade
  • 8th Macedonian Brigade
  • 9th Macedonian Brigade
  • 10th Macedonian Brigade
  • 11th Macedonian Brigade
  • 12th Macedonian Brigade
  • 13th Macedonian Brigade
  • 14th Macedonian Brigade Dimitar Vlahov
  • 15th Macedonian Brigade
  • 16th Macedonian Brigade
  • 17th Macedonian Brigade
  • 18th Macedonian Brigade
  • 19th Macedonian Brigade
  • 20th Macedonian Brigade
  • 21st Macedonian Brigade
  • 11th Macedonian Brigade (41st Macedonian Division)

[edit] Corps

  • 15th Corps (operated in Zemun)
  • 16th Corps
  • Bregalnica-Strumica Corps

[edit] Divisions

  • 41st Macedonian Division (General Staff of Macedonia)
  • 42nd Macedonian Division (15th Corps)
  • 48th Macedonian Division (15th Corps)
  • 49th Macedonian Division
  • 50th Macedonian Division
  • 51st Macedonian Division
  • Kumanovo Division

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ “НОБ на Македонија“ Јован Поповски. Скопје, 1962
  2. ^ "Историја на Македонскиот Народ" Александар Стојановски, Иван Катарџиев, Данчо Зографски. Скопје, 1988
  3. ^ Зимските операции на Македонска војска 1943/44 - Раде Гогов, носител на "Партизанска споменица 1941" [1]
  4. ^ History of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia - World War II - Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia Official site

[edit] External links