Albania 1939-1945

[malioni91]

Are Owen Pearson's numbers on the Albanian resistance credible ?

For the Albanian side:
Around (including civilians) 30,000 killed, 12,600 wounded and 44,500 imprisoned or deported

For the Axis side :
26,595 killed, 21,245 wounded and 20,800 prisoners.(Italian and German casualties)

The Albanian government (the communist one) submitted the official casualties figures during the Paris Peace Conference in 1946. At the time, the communists submitted as for killed, roughly 28,000. However, this figure did not include the casualties sustained by the nationalist forces, some of which had fought the Axis forces during the early years of the conflict(later they switched sides). The figure for the deported and imprisoned its correct.

Stats: [source: Lt.Col. Halil Katana (retired), ex chief editor of the magazine "Pavdekesia")
9,470 KIA
6,436 executed by the Axis authorities in Albania
13,200 executed or died in Axis interment camps and prisons abroad (Germany, Italy)
---
Total : 29,106


As for the Axis casualties.... it seems highly inflated to me. Maybe in this figure, Owen included also the KIA sustained by the armed forces of the Albanian quisling government, as well as other local forces that cooperated with the Axis. From what I have read and researched, the total number of Wehrmacht KIAs in Albania (including non-German Ostbattalion personnel) should be in the 6000-8000 range from September 1943-November 1944. As for Italian figures, I am not that sure.

[Chinaski1917]

Nice ! Thank you Malion.

[malioni91]

Does anybody have any information on Col. Velimir Stojnic? He was the head of the Yugoslav military liaison team with the Albanian partisans from August 1944 until November 1944.

[zastava128]

Sure. This is from Narodni Heroji Jugoslavije (Belgrade 1975) and Vojni Leksikon (Belgrade 1981)

Born 5 April 1916 in Dobro Selo near Bosanska Krupa, died 28 November 1990 in Belgrade (says Google). Son of a teacher. Finished primary school in Bosanska Kostajnica, grammar school (gimnazija) in Kostajnica and Bihać. Member of the Yugoslav Communist Party in 1936. Studied for becoming a teacher in Bihać, but pressure from the authorities forced him to move to Zagreb and finish his studies there.

Did military service in the Reserve officer's school in Goražde. Worked as a teacher in Kamenica near Drvar. Worked on establishing a communist organization among the workers of "Šipad". During the regional (oblasnoj) party conference for the Bosnian Krajina in June 1940, he was elected for a delegate to the Fifth Regional Conference of the CPY. Fired because of his agitation, he was soon returned to duty because "the people held him in great esteem".

Mobilized for the April War of 1941 but never saw action. Then moved to Prijedor and was one of the main organizers of the partisan uprising. In July, when the uprising broke out, he was at the Kozara mountain, but was then called to Drvar. Served as a political commissar in various partisan units: the Drvar-Grahovo group, the Podgrmeč group, in May 1942 the First Krajina Shock Brigade, in June 1942 again the Podgrmeč group, then the First Krajina group, and finally in May 1943 the Fifth Krajina Corps. From August 1943 he was a member of the regional committee of the CPY for the Bosnian Krajina.

Served as a member of the military liaison in Moscow (early 1944) and, after a while spent on the island of Vis (doesn't say what he did there),from August 1944 as the head of the mission in Albania. In May 1945 became the first ambassador (or envoy? in Serbian the word can mean both) to Albania.

in October 1945 returned to Belgrade and served in various political duties, mostly concerning veterans (was president of Veteran's Union) and the educating of new cadres for the CPY (was president of the relevant commission). Elected several times to the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.

Had the rank of Major-General (reserve). Received many decorations, including the Decoration of the People's Hero of Yugoslavia on 24 July 1953.

Slobodan Špegar Špego: Ilustrovana monografija Prve krajiške brigade mentions he had a nickname "Veljo" and served in the Spanish Civil War, but this information is not in official publications.

[malioni91]

Superb! Thank you Zastava!

[malioni91]

I have another question guys. In the National Historical Museum in Tirana, there is a MP-40 sub-machinegun which according to the label belonged to Hermann Göring's nephew who was KIA during a skirmish with the partisans near the village of Peza (a partisan stronghold roughly 20km away from Tirana). Do you know of any German officer related to Göring who was KIA? Thanks in advance

[malioni91]

Some more pics.

P.S. Can someone please change the name of the thread into "Albania 1939-1945"?

[malioni91]

After the Armistice of Cassibile, Albania was occupied by units of the Wehrmacht. In October 1943, Neubacher and the German High Command decided to form a puppet government headed by anti-Italian patriots who had just returned from Italian internment camps. They conveyed a Constituent Assembly that declared Albania's Independence from Italy (Albania's crown was given to Vittorio Emanuele in April 1939) and formed the new "Regency" which was to be the country's government.

The 3rd Shock Brigade of the National Liberation Army, shelled the Royal Palace (where the meeting was taking place) on Oct. 18th 1943. A Cannone da 75/27 modello 06 was placed on top of of a hill overlooking Tirana and a few shells were fired against the palace.

[malioni91]

Mario Palermo (tall one in the center wearing a tie), Italian Under-Secretary of War visits the Italian "Antonio Gramsci" battalion in Albania, 1944. On his left is Spiro Moisiu (Chief of Staff of the National Liberation Army) and on the right stands Mehmet Shehu (commander of the 1st Shock Brigade which comprised the A. Gramsci battalion)

[G. Trifkovic]

P.S. Can someone please change the name of the thread into "Albania 1939-1945"?

Done.

Some more pics.

Please state the source for the images including for those you posted above.

G.

[malioni91]

[/quote]

Please state the source for the images including for those you posted above.

G.[/quote]


Sure. I am sorry, I totally forgot.


Source:

Photos taken from Epopeja e Luftes Nacional-Clirimtare e Popullit Shqiptar 1939-1944: Shtepia Botuese "8 Nentori", Tirane, 1980 [The Epopee of the National-Liberation War of the Albanian People 1939-1944]

[malioni91]

The Leaders/Prominent figures of the Resisence

Abaz Kupi

Leader of the Royalist forces (mostly in northern Albania) during WW2. Organized the resistance in Durres on April 7th, 1939. Co-operated with the communist National Liberation Army until late into the war. In 1944 was forced to flee the country, and lived in exile until his head in 1976. (Wikipedia has a pretty decent bio on him)



Photo Source: The Wildest Province: SOE in the Land of the Eagle. Roderick Bailey. Vintage.

Kupi (on the right) being read by a priest. Although a highly intelligent men (according to his contemporaries and British officers attached to his forces), Kupi was illiterate and relied heavily on his aides for any kind of communication.

[malioni91]

Mehmet Shehu

The most prominent military figure of the National Liberation Army (partisans). A veteran of the Spanish Civil War, Shehu commanded the crack 1st Shock Brigade, and later on the 1st Shock Division. He was in charge of the partisan forces during the fighting for the liberation of Tirana, as well as subsequent operations in northern Albania.

Second photo taken from : Epopeja e Luftes Nacional-Clirimtare e Popullit Shqiptar 1939-1944, Shtepia Botuese "8 Nentori", Tirane, 1980

[malioni91]

Some photos from the Bundesarchiv (hosted by Wikimedia):


German MG34 position next to a damaged bridge (most likely along the Tirana-Elbasan road)


Gebirgsjägers and Italian-made Carro CV 33 during a partisan ambush along the Tirana-Elbasan road. September 1943.
I believe that these pictures were taken during the German advance into Albania right after the Italian capitulation.

[malioni91]

Hi all,

I have started compiling sources which eventually will be used in writing a book on the Second World War in Albania (probably more than one book actually). I was wondering if you anyone here either possesses digital images/documents of anything related to Albania during that period (i.e. war diaries, photos, letters, memoirs, documents, books). If so, I would greatly appreciate if you could share them with me. I promise not to publish them, but I intend on only using them as sources.

My email is [email protected]

Regards,
Malion