Albanian guerrilla fighters in Tirane, 1944

Albanian guerrilla fighters pose under a sign identifying their hometown of Tirana on November 28th 1944, the end date of the German occupation of the country.

Albania was set up as a protectorate state following the Italian invasion of April 1939 and was later occupied by German forces. The fascist regime initially received support from the population, but this started to change following the failed Italian offensive in Greece in late 1940.

Resistance was strong in Albania, mostly by communist partisans with later help from British operatives. The partisans included Enver Hoxha, who ruled what would become communist Albania between 1944 and 1985.

Book suggestions ⤵️

📖 Albania at War, 1939-1945 (Bernd Jurgen Fischer, 1999)

📖 Albanian Assignment: The Memoir of an SOE Agent in World War Two (David Smiley, 1985)