21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS "Skanderbeg"

The 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS "Skanderbeg" (1st Albanian) was a division of the Waffen-SS formed in 1944, primarily composed of ethnic Albanian Muslim volunteers from Kosovo and Albania. Named after the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the division was intended to bolster German control in the Balkans and combat Yugoslav partisans. Despite high hopes from SS leadership, the division quickly earned a reputation for poor discipline, desertion, and atrocities—particularly against Serbs, Jews, and anti-German Albanians. It was never fully trained or equipped to SS standards and saw minimal combat effectiveness. Uniforms consisted mostly of standard Waffen-SS field-grey, though some members wore black Albanian-style fezzes adorned with SS insignia. The collar tabs featured SS runes, and some troops were issued the “Skanderbeg” cuff title. Due to mass desertions and battlefield failure, the division was disbanded in early 1945, with remaining personnel reassigned to rear-area security or absorbed into German units. The Skanderbeg Division is remembered today for its brutal conduct in occupied territories and as one of the least effective of the foreign Waffen-SS formations.