Garibaldi International Brigade

[Guest]

Does anyone have any info on the Albanian volunteers that were attached to the Garibaldi brigade?

[Korbius]

(TEST, TEST) By the way, for those who didn't know, Garibaldi international brigade was fighting for the the Republicans.

[Andy H]

Didnt Mehmet Shehu & Enver Hidja fight in either the 12th Brigade or the 3rd Dimitrov Btn of the 129th Brigade?

Andy

[Korbius]

Andy thanks for the info. Do you know any more in-depth info about the albanian volunteers other than the two you mentioned?

[Andy H]

Sorry, No I dont, and that should read Enver Hodja and not Hidja

Andy

[Balrog]

i read about shehu in a book(a paper one, not an internet book) about shehu heading off to fight franco in spain a couple years after being expelled from an italian military academy for communist activites. shehu wondered around europe, meeting with other communists, working odd jobs to survive,,and then joined the communist brides duringf the war. shehu was placed in the italian brigade, i believed it was named after garibaldi, and was soon elected as one of it's commanders. when the republicans lost, he escaped into france with other defeated republicans, anarchists, communists,etc. he hung around in france until the germans invaded, escaped back to albania at some point. i don't have any internet link to provide, just recollections form my own readings in the early 1990's, before there was an "internet". i believe one possible reference is the CIA handbook on albania printed in the early 1990's or late 1980's. i remeber they talked briefly about shehu. they other books i read on him i don't honsestly remember the titles.

[Balrog]

i don't believe enver hoxha ever fought in spain. he was a scholarship(from king zog's govenrment) university student in france. he lost the scholarship because he spent to much free time involved in communist activities, and didn't do well academically. worked for a time at the albanian embassy in france or perhaps belgium, then heading back to albania in 1939-40 and set up a tobacco store selling cigarettes,etc. i don't believe hoxha had any combat experience until the partisan war in albania.

[Korbius]

Joel, thanks for all the helpful info on Shehu while he was in Spain.

[Andy H]

Hi Gwynn

I got Hodja's name from Hugh Thomas's book, were Hodja & Hoxha the same person?

Andy

[Balrog]

in albanian "x" is pronounced the"ja", so i believe " hodja" and hoxha are the same person.

[Balrog]

one note of mehmet shehu. he escpaed into france in 1939 and lived freely in paris, working with other communists until the french defeat in 1940 by germany. shehu was arrested by the nazis and held in a prison camp until deported by the germans back to albania in 1942, where shehu immedately joined the partisans.

[Korbius]

Joel, do you know for how long Shehu fought in Spain?

[Balrog]

no, sorry, i have no idea when shehu arrived in spain, only the year he left, 1939. he was in france until 1942 , when the germans deported hiim back to albania