Uprising in Montenegro (1941)

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Uprising in Montenegro" 1941 – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article's lead section may be too long. Please read the length guidelines and help move details into the article's body. (April 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Uprising in Montenegro
Part of World War II in Yugoslavia
The proposed Italian puppet Kingdom of Montenegro
Date 13 July–December 1941 Location Italian governorate of Montenegro, Albanian Kingdom Result Axis victory Uprising was suppressed within six weeks, but continued at a much lower level until December 1941. The Chetniks switched to the occupying side in 1942.
Belligerents
Communist Party of Yugoslavia Partisans Montenegrin Chetniks	Kingdom of Italy Governing Committee of Montenegro Montenegrin Greens  Independent State of Croatia Albania Sandžak militia
Commanders and leaders
Milovan Đilas Arso Jovanović Peko Dapčević Vlado Dapčević Ivan Milutinović Moša Pijade[1] Rifat Burdžović Bajo Stanišić Đorđije Lašić Pavle Đurišić	Pirzio Biroli Luigi Mentasti Stijepan Jakovljević Prek Cali Osman Rastoder[2] Sekula Drljević Novica Radović Mihailo Ivanović
Units involved
Unknown	Division Messina Division Puglie Division Pusteria Division Taro Division Venezia Division Cacciatori delle Alpi 2 Blackshirts Legions (108 and 164) 2 Border guard Battalions 1 group of Cavalry Regiment Cavalleggeri Guide Fourth Military Regiment Muslim militia from Sandžak, Plav and Gusinje Skanderbeg Irregular forces from Vermosh (Albania) Vulnetari from Đakovica (Kosovo)
Strength
32,000 people (Yugoslav sources)[3]	70,000+ Italian troops (incl. reinforcements for counteroffensive)[4] Unknown Vulnetari, Muslim, Albanian irregular forces from border areas-around 20,000
Casualties and losses
5,000 killed 7,000 wounded (July)[5]	1,079 killed or wounded[5]
Civilian casualties: hundreds killed 10,000 deported to concentration camps

The Uprising in Montenegro (Serbo-Croatian: Ustanak u Crnoj Gori / Устанак у Црној Гори), commonly known as the 13 July Uprising (Serbo-Croatian: Trinaestojulski ustanak / Тринаестојулски устанак) was an uprising against Italian occupation forces in Montenegro (Axis occupied Yugoslavia). Initiated by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia on 13 July 1941, it was suppressed within six weeks, but continued at a much lower intensity until Battle of Pljevlja on 1 December 1941. The insurgents were led by a combination of communists and former Royal Yugoslav Army officers from Montenegro. Some of the officers had recently been released from prisoner-of-war camps following their capture during the invasion of Yugoslavia. The communists managed the organisation and provided political commissars, while the insurgent military forces were led by former officers. The entire nation rejected the privileged position offered by its occupiers, rejected the capitulation in order to fight for Yugoslavia, together with "Russia" (the nationalist insurgents perceived the Soviet Union as Russia at the beginning of the uprising).^[6]

Within three weeks of the start of the uprising, the insurgents managed to capture almost all the territory of Montenegro.^[7][8] The Italian troops were forced to retreat to their strongholds in Pljevlja, Nikšić, Cetinje and Podgorica. The main insurgent commanders included the former officers Colonel Bajo Stanišić ^{[clarification needed]} and Major Đorđije Lašić,^{[clarification needed]} with Captain Pavle Đurišić emerging as one of the principal leaders after he distinguished himself during the successful attack he led on Berane alongside communist forces.

The counter-offensive by more than 70,000 Italian troops, commanded by General Alessandro Pirzio Biroli, was assisted by Sandžak Muslim militia and Albanian irregular forces from border areas between Montenegro and Albania, and suppressed the uprising within six weeks. The former Royal Yugoslav Army officers and communists were in dispute over the insurgent's strategy. The nationalists wanted to protect the mountain villages if they were attacked. The communists disagreed and organized a frontal struggle against Italian forces in which the rebel forces were defeated. A split occurred between the insurgents because of their defeats, which were inflicted by the Italians, and because some of the insurgents realized that the uprising was led by the communists. Josip Broz Tito dismissed Milovan Đilas from the command of Partisan forces in Montenegro because of his mistakes during the uprising, particularly because Đilas chose a frontal struggle instead of guerrilla tactics against the Italian forces and because his "Leftist Errors". After the major defeat of 1 December 1941 during the unsuccessful attack of the communist forces on the Italian garrison in Pljevlja, many soldiers deserted Partisan forces and joined the anti-Communust Chetniks. Following this defeat, the communists terrorized the people they perceived as their enemies, which antagonized many in Montenegro.

The defeat of the communist forces during the Battle of Pljevlja, combined with the policy of terror they pursued, were the main reasons for the expansion of the conflict between the communist and nationalist insurgents in Montenegro following the uprising. In the second half of December 1941, nationalist military officers Đurišić and Lašić began a mobilization of armed units separate from the Partisans.

In early March 1942, Đurišić arranged one of the first collaboration agreements between the Italians and the Chetniks. This agreement was between Đurišić and Pirzio-Biroli, and related to the area of operations of the 19th Infantry Division Venezia. In May 1942, Đurišić attacked and defeated the last significant Partisan detachment in Montenegro. Based on agreements signed by the Italians with Đurišić and other Chetnik leaders, the Italian occupation in Montenegro was then effectively reduced to towns while Chetniks remained in control of the rest of the territory of Montenegro. In the second quarter of 1942, a joint Italian-Chetnik offensive resulted in the withdrawal of the remaining Partisan forces from Montenegro.