Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SpeedyHaste (talk | contribs) at 11:43, 5 January 2025 (←Created page with 'The '''Albanian Civil War''' was an armed conflict that took place alongside World War II in Albania. The war was fought between LANÇ on one side, and the Balli Kombëtar and Legality Movement. The conflict was a classic confrontation between two Albanian political currents, the right-wing and the left-wing. The conflict began after the breakdown of the Mukje Agreement by the Communists, followin...'). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Albanian Civil War was an armed conflict that took place alongside World War II in Albania. The war was fought between LANÇ on one side, and the Balli Kombëtar and Legality Movement. The conflict was a classic confrontation between two Albanian political currents, the right-wing and the left-wing. The conflict began after the breakdown of the Mukje Agreement by the Communists, following the orders of the Yugoslav envoys stationed with them.

Albanian Civil War (1943-1944)
Part of World War II in Albania and the German winter offensive in Albania (1943-1944)
A photo of the Mukje Conference (1943).
Date 1 October 1943 – 29 November 1944 Location Albania Result LANÇ Victory Establishment of a Communist regime in Albania.
Belligerents
LANÇ Supported by:  United Kingdom Yugoslav Partisans	Balli Kombëtar Legaliteti Supported by:  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Enver Hoxha Dalip Ndreu Mehmet Shehu Mehmet Bajraktari Gjin Marku Tahir Kadare Hysen Stafa Hulusi Spahia	Abaz Kupi Mit'hat Frashëri Ali Këlcyra Abas Ermenji Aziz Çami  † Muharrem Bajraktari Halil Alia Mark Gjon Marku
Strength
70,000 soldiers	Unknown
Casualties and losses
3,000 killed on both sides

Prelude

From August 1-3, 1943, in the village of Mukje in Krujë, under the influence of Abaz Kupi, a joint meeting was held between the delegates of the LANÇ and the Balli Kombëtar. The purpose was to unite Albanian forces under a single front to fight against the occupiers. Initially, discussions began in the village of Tapizë, near Krujë, on July 26, before being moved to Mukje. The two groups reached an agreement in principle and signed the Mukje Agreement, which proposed the formation of the Committee for the Salvation of Albania, a united front against the occupiers, and the creation of an Greater Albania.

Text of the Mukje Agreement

"Today, on August 1, 1943 (01.08.1943), in the village of Mukje, the second meeting was held between the delegations of the Balli Kombëtar and the LANÇ."

The chairmanship of the meeting was unanimously entrusted to Mr. Thoma Orollogaj, with Mustafa Gjinishi as secretary. The discussions were opened by Mr. Hasan Dosti, a delegate of the Balli Kombëtar, who declared that after consultations with the leadership of the Balli Kombëtar, the minutes of the agreement made on July 25, 1943, signed "ad referendum" by the delegation of the Balli Kombëtar, it was deemed necessary to review certain points of the reached accord.

The following points were discussed and decided:

• Point One of Article Two was amended to read as follows:

Immediate war against the occupying enemy and any other potential occupying enemy.

• Point Two: War for an independent Albania and the implementation of the universally recognized principle guaranteed by the Atlantic Charter of the self-determination of peoples for an Ethnic Albania.
• Point Three: Amended and accepted as follows: A free, independent, democratic, and popular Albania.
• Point Four: Amended and accepted as follows: The Council for the Salvation of Albania (K.SH.SH.) will lead to the formation of a provisional government.
• Point Five: Amended and accepted as follows: The form of the regime (the future of Albania) will be determined by the people themselves through a Constituent Assembly elected by universal direct suffrage.

Participating Delegations

• Balli Kombëtar Delegates:

Hasan Dosti, Mid'hat Frashëri, Thoma Orollogaj, Skënder Muço, Hysni Lepenica, Isuf Luzaj, Kadri Cakrani, Major Raif Fratani, Nexhat Peshkëpia, Halil Mëniku, Ismail Petrela, and Vasil Andoni.

• LANÇ Delegates:

Lieutenant Colonel Jahja Çaçi, Myslim Peza, Abaz Kupi, Ymer Dishnica, Mustafa Gjinishi, Omer Nishani, Sulo Bogdo, Shefqet Boja, Medar Shtylla, Haki Stërmilli, G. Nushi, and a certain Stefan.

Reaction of the Yugoslav Partisans

Initially, even Enver Hoxha accepted the agreement, but this greatly angered the Yugoslav envoys stationed with him. They pressured Hoxha to reject the Mukje Agreement, and on September 2, during the Labinot Conference, he declared war on the Balli Kombëtar.

Civil War

Phase I: Southern Albania

Southern Albania served as the primary theater of the Civil War, as the two main factions, LANÇ and the Balli Kombëtar, were heavily concentrated in the region. Both sides, but especially the communists, carried out massacres and assassinations, leaving hundreds dead across the south. On September 8, 1943, the Front executed six Ballist youth in the village of Ziçisht. Clashes had also occurred earlier, with a notable one in Libohovë in August.

October 1, 1943, is considered the official start of the civil war. On that date, in a letter to the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Gjirokastër, Enver Hoxha declared:

• "The unity with Balli Kombëtar is now a dead issue and will no longer be discussed. Now the priority is their destruction."

On the same day, Hoxha issued a circular letter to Liri Gega ("Muzhiku") and all regional committees of the Communist Party, instructing them to initiate war against the Balli Kombëtar, disregarding all circumstances and consequences:

• "Political work against Balli is not enough in these cases; it must support decisive military actions. Meetings and conferences are insufficient; power must be seized immediately."

The communists struck first, catching the Ballists off guard, as their leader, Hysni Lepenica, had died in a clash with the Italians on September 16. Three days later, another Ballist commander, Safet Butka, committed suicide.

From mid-October onwards, violence escalated:

• October 13: Communists massacred two Ballists in Melçem, Korçë.
• October 13-18: Eight innocent civilians were killed in Pogradec during clashes.
• October 16: Battles in Libofshë left 21 partisans and 10 Ballists dead.
• October 21: Partisan forces captured and executed 68 Ballist soldiers in a village near Lushnjë.
• Additional massacres occurred in Çermenikë (70 Ballists executed), Kuçovë, Kavajë, and elsewhere.

In November, the Balli reorganized and launched a counterattack, aided by the German Winter Offensive against partisan forces. While some Ballist groups joined German efforts, others regrouped in Berat, Korçë, and Gjirokastër. However, the communists, with support from British missions, broke the German-Ballist encirclement and concentrated their forces in Berat and Elbasan. By December, Balli had lost control of southern Albania and retreated northward with the Germans.

The communists intensified their campaigns of terror, committing massacres across Vlorë, Mallakastër, and Voskopojë (where a mass grave of 185 bodies was found). Notable battles included:

• Battle of Dukat (November 30): 14 partisans and 10 Ballists killed.
• Battle of Gjorm: 52 homes burned after 26 hours of fighting.
• Additional clashes in Mavrovë, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, and Berat.

Phase II: Northern Albania

As Balli retreated north, fighting shifted to central and northern Albania. In March 1944, the communists clashed with Ballist forces led by Nezir Muzhaqi in Polis, Elbasan, and with Xhem Gostivari in Dibër. By spring and summer, battles expanded to central Albania in areas such as Kavajë, Shijak, and Tirana.

In fall 1944, the communists launched attacks in Kosovo, targeting Ballist forces led by Ejup Binaku, as well as nationalist groups in Shkodër and Dukagjin organized by Kazazi brothers, Mark Sadiku, and Ndue Pali. On June 1, 1944, the First Assault Division advanced into central and northern Albania, engaging Ballist forces in Çermenikë, Librazhd, and Zaranikë.

In Tirana, the 5th Brigade fought against the Legality Movement's headquarters at Tujan Pass. Abaz Kupi withdrew to avoid further civil war, informing King Zog of the bloodshed. In Mat, partisans clashed with Legalist forces, including a battle in Fushë-Aliaj on July 9, where 21 partisans were killed.

The northern nationalist leaders, caught unprepared and divided, were defeated more easily than Balli in the south. Notable incidents included:

• August 21: Anti-communist forces killed five partisans in Vig, Shkodër.
• August 29: Partisans burned the towers of Mark Gjon Marku.

In August 1944, nationalist forces regrouped in Preza, Tirana, forming a government led by Mit'hat Frashëri as Prime Minister and Abaz Kupi as Commander of the Armed Forces. Despite some regional alliances, such as those in Luma, Lura, Mat, and Dibër, the communists' numerical superiority prevailed.

From September 21-23, clashes in Kukës resulted in five civilian deaths. On September 25, partisans under Shefqet Peçi massacred 21 villagers in Buzëmadhe, Kukës. Muharrem Bajraktari narrowly escaped an ambush by communist forces during failed peace negotiations.

Communists also targeted forces led by Gani Kryeziu in the Gjakova Highlands. On November 28-29, 1944, Shkodër fell to partisans, and Albania was entirely under communist control.

Aftermath

After the war, anti-communist forces organized the Comittee of the Mountains, which led anti-communist movements in the northern regions of Albania. In 1945-1946, two major anti-communist uprisings took place in Postribë and Koplik, but both failed. The communist regime created the Forcat e Ndjekjes (Pursuit Forces) to track and eliminate anti-communist leaders, particularly Muharrem Bajraktari and Mark Gjon Marku.

References

1. "Great Britain and resistance in Albania, 1943-1944" Bisser Petrov, 2006, Etudes balkaniques. https://www.academia.edu/1638366
2. Adams, John C. “YUGOSLAVIA AND ALBANIA: A POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT: A Lecture Delivered at the Naval War College on 16 November 1962.” Naval War College Review, vol. 15, no. 8, 1963, pp. 25-26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45237274?seq=7. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Sources

• Balli kombëtar - Lufta civile
• Balli kombëtar - Procesverbalet e mbledhjes së Mukjes