Battle of Sjenica

Battle for Sjenica
Part of World War II in Yugoslavia
Date 22 December 1941 Location Sjenica, Italian governorate of Montenegro (modern-day Serbia) Result Defeat of Partisan forces
Belligerents
Axis:  Italy Nazi Germany	Allies: Communist Party of Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Hasan Zvizdić Sulejman Pačariz Džemail Koničanin	Tadija Andrić  † Vladimir Knežević Petar Stambolić
Units involved
Sandžak Muslim militia: Sjenica detachment Tutin detachment Prijepolje detachment Militsiya (Serbs and Muslims)	Yugoslav Partisans: 2nd Takovo Company Belgrade Company (part) Serbian-Sandžak Company (part)
Strength
800 — 900 300 Militsiya (Serbs and Muslims) 500 — 600 Sandžak Muslim militia	350
Casualties and losses
30 killed and 60 wounded	around 100 52 killed 25 wounded 18 — 22 captured

Allies:

Sandžak Muslim militia:

Yugoslav Partisans:

800 — 900

around 100

The Battle of Sjenica was a battle between attacking forces of Yugoslav Partisans on one side and defending forces of the Sandžak Muslim militia and town's militsiya (Serbs and Muslims) in Sjenica, on the territory of the Italian governorate of Montenegro.

At the beginning of the Second World War the territory of Sandžak was a subject of territorial aspirations of all sides in the war. The Muslims wanted this region to be annexed to the Ustaše controlled Independent State of Croatia which pursued a genocidal policy toward Serbs, Jews and Roma People. On the other hand, the Germans designated it to be a part of their occupation zone, Italians wanted to control all of Sandžak while Albanians wanted it to be annexed to their Greater Albania. The Chetniks and Partisans struggled to keep Sandžak within Yugoslavia. Based on the agreement of July 1941, Sjenica was included in the Italian governorate of Montenegro.

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