ГУБИЦИ ЈУГОСЛОВЕНСКЕ ЖАНДАРМЕРИЈЕ У СУКОБИМА СА КАЧАЦИМА И КОМИТАМА 1918–1934.
Yugoslav Gendarme Losses in Clashes with Albanian and Bulgarian Bandits 1918–1934

Summary/Abstract: The text presents, on the basis of state documents a survey of human losses of the gendarmerie of the Yugoslav kingdom in clashes with armed groups of Albanian and Bulgarian bandits in the territory of Macedonia, Kosovo and Metohija. When utilizing the accessible materials we could detect inconsistency in presentation of the number of victims which was caused by the circumstances under which the data were reported. Most often tables and data depended on person, time and occasion the data were imparted. For that reason the fi nal data of the killed between 1918 and 1934 diverge greatly, ranging from 353 to 2.141. Depending on motives, the number of the killed and wounded was often adduced together, whereas in smaller number of cases distinction was made between the gendarmes who had been killed and those who had died of natural causes. The intriguing play of numbers and the impossibility to look into the losses of the Army, blear the realistic picture of the results repression of the Albanian and Bulgarian outlaws had yielded. This also limits to a great extent the evaluation of the anti-terrorist actions. However, on the basis of the most frequent statistics it is obvious that the number of the gendarmes who were killed in clashes with the Albanian bandits started diminishing only from 1927 on, although offi cials claimed the Albanian brigandage had been suppressed three years earlier. As for the consequences of shoot-outs with Bulgarian bands, the number of the dead started diminishing in 1928, despite the increase in the number of armed clashes. With a clearer categorization of victims and historiographical treatment of the phenomenon of the „deceased” (who made up 66% of the total gendarme losses!) the effects of the unfi nished struggle of the Yugoslav forces with the Albanian guerilla and Bulgarian-Macedonian outlaw movement will be clearer too.

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