Kolë Terova, 48 years old, caught between two fires, the threat of partisans on one side, but also with his brother, whose name was wanted on the German lists, he describes in detail his difficult position as a victim. This document clearly shows the methods of forced mobilization of many Albanians during 1944, but also the reason for a large wave of subsequent desertions, not yet over the War, after they realized that the victims in this war would not be the invaders but the Albanians themselves and they had been forcibly turned into a fratricide machine.

Kolë Terova was 48 years old at the end of the War, and had received a series of threatening calls to mobilize in the ranks of the partisans, in September 1944. After threats, even with his life, he decided to write a letter to the communist leaders at the General Staff, where he revealed the entire picture of the forced mobilization, the looting and burning that took place in villages and cities by partisan brigades, and the terror that faced simple and innocent Albanians like him, who were unable, due to age or illness, to go out into the mountains and fight.

Caught between two fires, the threat of partisans but also wanted on the German lists, he describes in detail his difficult position as a victim. This document clearly shows the methods of forced mobilization of many Albanians during 1944, but also the reason for a large wave of subsequent desertions, not yet over the War, after they realized that the victims in this war would not be the invaders but the Albanians themselves and that they had been forcibly turned into a fratricidal machine, whether they wanted to or not. Here is his letter:

September 15, 1944

NATIONAL LIBERATION HEADQUARTERS

I, the undersigned Kola Llazo Terova, born in the village of Terova and resident for more than 25 years in the city of Korça, have the honor to present to you the following petition:

Today, September 15, 1944, at 12 noon, I was delivered here in Korça a letter sent by the Commander of the Battalion, Brig. XV Amdi Babani, which I am describing verbatim as follows:

VFLP

15/IX/1944

Comrade Kostë Terova

For the mobilization that took place in Tërovë, the Tërovë Village Council also appointed a soldier to come to Kolla, if he does not come today, your livestock and house will be taken away, your house will be burned and you will be taken to the People's Court,

friend Amdi Babani

Com: Bat. Brig. XV.

Also on this date, I received another letter from comrade Pirro, who has been in the village of Tërovë for almost 2 years, as follows:

"The Tërova Brotherhood was against when the National Liberation Movement began and until today, your family has not helped the war properly, we have warned you many times but you have not obeyed, don't think that we will warn you and next time not! But we will arrest you and you will go to be tried at the Headquarters.

Partisan battalions have come to your village, the entire village has removed the bases, they have washed them, they have changed them, they have done all the services for you, only your house has remained cold in the face of our war; the bases have not been removed, the partisans have not been washed or changed, how many times have there been campaigns for bread and other things, you have not given them, but we warn you not to remove even a single ounce of beans, corn, wheat, grass from your village, you must leave it in the village, this is the order of the Party, not even a single head of grain should go to the dens where the enemy "Nazism" rules;

"If you do not heed these words, strict measures will be taken, our war requires human and material aid, not passive spectators!"

15 / 9 / 1944

Greetings Partizane Pirrro

dv

On this date, the village of Tërovë sent us a letter and advice as follows:

"By order of the XV Brigade, the National Liberation Council of the Terovo Village decided to mobilize 8 people, among these 8, Kola Llazo Terovo was also appointed, to go as soon as possible to the ranks of the XV Brigade Battalion, as opposed to his fellow villagers. If you do not respond to this call, your property will be seized, and your house in Terovo will be burned down."

I regret to inform you that I did not believe such a letter would come from a Commander, especially addressed to a member of a family that has remained faithful to the Party's ideology and has provided considerable economic and moral assistance to the Party; which assistance, if necessary, we can prove with documents, as well as my brother Kosta, in every case that he has been called to a public meeting by the country's authorities, has been one of the few people who has spoken against Balli, supporting the Party, regardless of the risks, and this is proven in the list that was given to the German command to arrest.

At the same time, we inform you that during the harvest season, when I was in the village to help my brother, the leaders of the Balli chetas came to the Tërovë village, who, in addition to robbing us and the villagers of their blessings and money, forcibly recruited 22 boys from the village, which I personally noticed and opposed, and for this reason they beat me and warned me for four days in a row, and after we paid a large sum of money, they gave me a four-day permit, and so I, together with my brother, was forced to leave the village, leaving all our wealth at the mercy of the Balli chetas for almost twenty days.

The Commander's letter informs me that I must report to the aforementioned Command within the day, i.e. within a period of less than 5-6 hours, and otherwise extreme measures will be taken, not only against me, but also against my brother Kosta.

I know well that until now such measures have not been taken against those who have been the strongest enemies of the Party and who have committed massacres and robberies against the people without exception, and I am surprised how the Commander in question took such measures against a person like the undersigned, without having even the slightest reason, and also the Terovo Village Council, without having any right to act and decide on my person, has decided and presented the list of volunteers where it included me without asking and without having even the slightest right, since I do not depend on the Terovo Village Council, which I had no right to elect, but I only have the right to participate in the elections of the council of my village in the city of Korça.

The undersigned, born in 1896, who was exempted from military service from the very beginning and who did not perform military service, and at the same time, from more than reliable sources, we have not learned to date that the Headquarters has taken into service persons who have not performed military service and at the age of 48.

If the Headquarters has decided on general mobilization and calls up all comrades of my category and age here in the city, or takes into account the list established by the Village Council, which without having the slightest right to decide on people living outside the district, I will participate like all my comrades.

The letter sent by comrade Pirro deeply saddens us that he has been very poorly informed, because as we said above, we know that whenever we have been asked for help both in the village and here in Korça, we have never refused but have participated voluntarily and with full desire and have supported the war and the Party, we have also helped and are helping several families who are in need both in terms of food and money.

We inform you that in addition to the above-mentioned reasons against the nephew, which will be known to you, my brother Kosta also appears on a list that has been submitted to the German command, who has been hiding for more than a week. Therefore, with my departure we must close our warehouse, which will once again catch the eye of the occupier, who will undoubtedly take more severe measures not only against us two above-mentioned persons, but also against the family, which must either disappear completely from the city or be arrested, which we do not hope will be found reasonable even by the Headquarters itself.

We therefore ask that you kindly consider the matter in question, if possible, and inform us of the outcome, and at the same time inform the Commander, Council, and comrade Pirro so that the above measures are not taken without even the slightest justification or reason./ Memorie.al.