The recruitment of Muslim Albanians for the Waffen-SS in the territory of present-day Kosovo is a historical fact that is hard to believe at first. To this day, this sensitive topic is emotionally debated, particularly by Serbs, Kosovars, and Albanians. The Balkans are rarely considered in representations of World War II. Benito Mussolini turned the small Balkan state of Albania into an Italian colony. After Hitler's Balkan campaign in 1941, Kosovo was divided among the Axis powers: Italy received central and southern Kosovo, which were united with Albania to form Greater Albania, while northern Kosovo came under German military rule. The Germans had various intentions: on one hand, important raw material deposits were to be brought under German control, and on the other hand, they attempted to recruit soldiers to compensate for the enormous losses incurred during the campaign in Russia.