Vullnetari
| Vulnetari | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941—1946 |
| Allegiance | Italy (1941–43)
Germany (1943–44) |
| Branch | Militia |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Axis auxiliaries |
| Size | 5,000 — 6,000 |
| Colors | red and black |
| Engagements | World War II in Yugoslavia |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
|
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | black-red band around their arms |
The Vullnetari ("the volunteer") were an Axis collaborationnist volunteer militia of Albanians from Kosovo set up in 1941 by Italian forces after the successful invasion of Yugoslavia. They served as an auxiliary force for civilian control and protection of villages.
Some of the militia served as frontier guards under both Italian and German rule. The Vulnetari fought only in their own local areas, so they fought against both Partisans and Chetniks, "against whom they showed themselves skilled and determined fighters". The Vulnetari of the region of Gjakova went to Plav and Gusinje to support the Italian counteroffensive during the Uprising in Montenegro.
Independently, Vulnetari units often attacked ethnic Serbs and carried out raids against civilian targets. According to Serbian scholars, the Vulnetari burned down hundreds of Serbian and Montenegrin villages, killed many people, and carried out plundering campaigns in Kosovo, and neighboring regions.
At the end of World War II, the militia was used to protect retreating German forces. After German forces retreated through Kosovo, members of the Vulnetari militia dispersed in their villages.