World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseAlbania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. In 1 Sep 1928, after a short-lived republic, the parliament dissolved itself, and President Ahmet Zogu claimed the throne of a new kingdom as King Zog I. Although Albania and Italy had enjoyed a cooperative relationship in the early phases of the inter-war years, in which Italy heavily influenced Albanian economic, diplomatic, and military directions, tensions slowly rose as Albania's poor economy led to its inability to repay loans. On 25 Mar 1939, Italy delivered an ultimatum demanding Albania's full submission, which was rejected. The invasion commenced on 7 Apr 1939, conquering the weaker nation within a week; both sides suffered a few hundred casualties in the brief war. King Zog I, Queen Geraldine Apponyi, and the infant Princess Leka fled to Greece (and later Britain), and Albania would remain under Italian control until 1944, with King Vittorio Emanuele III claiming the title of King of the Albanians. In Oct 1940, Albania was used as the staging point for the Italian invasion of Greece. The offensive was turned back by the Greeks, and fighting took place within Albanian borders. German intervention, however, decisively crushed the Greek forces. Upon the conclusion of the Balkans Campaign, Albania annexed the Kosovo region of Yugoslavia. When German invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, a number of Albanian units saw fighting against Soviet troops in Eastern Europe under the banner of Italian 8th Army. Albanian resistance organized generally along communist, monarchist, or nationalist lines, and it would be the communists who would ultimately prevail in 1944, establishing the People's Republic of Albania. The communist state fell in 1990, and the Republic of Albania was declared in the following year.

Photographs

Albania in World War II Interactive Map