ALBANIAN ARMY MODEL 1943

[Zaim Qyteza]

Hi to all,

As Puma77 requested, I brought some pictures from Albanian Army, model 1943, during German occupation.

Tirana, october 1943. Military oath ceremony.

 

September, 1943. Albanian officer with Italian model hat and badge of German period.

 

Mixed patrol in Tirana streets, 2 Albanian gendarmes and two German feldgendarmerie.

Albanian officer with Italian model hat and badge of German period.

Hat badge model 1943, Italian production stamped aluminum and local production melted bronze.

 

Tiranë, November 1943. Headquarters of the Albanian Army and Gendarmerie, in a meeting organized in the Royal Palace (today the Palace of Brigades).

1. Major Muharrem Liku.

2. Colonel Sami Koka, Commander of the Gendarmerie Department and later Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard.

3. L/Col Faik Quku, Senior Gendarmerie Officer.

4. General Preng Pervizi, National Defense Commander.

5. General Gustav von Myrdacz, Chief of Staff of the Albanian Army.

6. Colonel Baron von Kirchner, Inspector General of the Albanian Army.

7. L/Col Hysni Dema, Commander-in-Chief of the Gendarmerie.

Regards,

Zaim

[puma77]

Great photos Zaim, i didn't expect to see the double headed eagle badge, thought only the helmet badge was used.

Any idea if the Albanian army at this time used the older pre 1939 collar patch colours ?

Green for infantry, scarlet for general officers / staff officers.

The enclosed photo is from a film of a ceremony (perhaps the same one ) found at the Bundes Archiv by Albanian historian Dr Marenglen Kasmi.

Ken.

[puma77]

The Albanians also had four battalions of militia, not entirely sure if these photos show them, but as some have military uniforms such as the officers and other in Yugoslav uniforms with collar patches.

Kosovo regiment perhaps ? Which was formed after the Italian armistice by the Germans.

[puma77]

Don't recognise these dark uniforms, look like Italian dyed dark.

Local village home guard unit ?

[Zaim Qyteza]

The ones in these pictures are not Albanians from Albania but Albanians from Kosovo. In general, the population of Kosovo was deeply anti-communist, as it linked communism with Bs and Serbs.
The Germans exploited much of this fear of the Kosovars from the Communists, to use them by mobilizing many under them, though without any real combat effectiveness.
For these reasons, the persons depicted in these photos have little to do with the Albanian Army at the time. Among them, there is only one uniformed person, since in Kosovo there was a civilian and military administration formally subordinate to the Government of Tirana.

Zaim

5 hours ago, puma77 said:

Don't recognise these dark uniforms, look like Italian dyed dark.

Local village home guard unit ?

The militias seen in this photo are not Albanian Army personnel, but municipal police in a comune of Kosovo.

Zaim

Edited March 25, 2020 by Zaim Qyteza

[922F]

Thanks to all for contributions and work on this thread!

[Ervin Bushati]

[ArHo]

Very interesting - I never knew that they used the helmet of Skanderbeg as model for a badge (I was for a long time fascinated by this masterpiece of late medieval armour!)! Thanks for showing!

Picture from Wikipedia, User Zenit, CC BY-SA 3.0

[Bayern]

Thanks for share ,  generally speaking i observe that the Albanian Army under President Zoghu then King Mbret Zoghu ,tended to be uniformed in Italian Style adapted first and later in openly Italian  pattern . once occupied and annexed to Italy the kingdom ,the Italians raised a Albanian Army again uniformed as Italian , the Skandenberg Helmet  reappeared as national Army emblem with Zoghu .

[dave123]

The second photo is interesting, it shows 2 Albanian gendarmes in Italian uniforms and i assume the red collar patches worn by the gendarmerie pre 1939. They also seem to have the double headed eagle cap and collar badges rather than the skanderbeg helmet badge.

 The pre war gendarmerie uniform was greenish-drab- khaki, stand collar with ref collar patches and peaked cap.

 

 

[Zaim Qyteza]

Dave,

They are not gendarmes, but policeman.

The Gendarmerie was part of Army and, as such, it held the Scanderbeg helmet on their hat.

The police force held the eagle on their hat.

Regards,

Zaim

[dave123]

Thanks for that extra information Zaim, do you know if there was a pre war uniformed police/ constabulary or something created during the Italian occupation ?

The only organisation i was aware of that did policing in Albania was the gendarmerie. Perhaps the situation in Albania was similar to the Yugoslav kingdom with a police force created in the 1920s and operating in towns and cities.

(Illustration and photos of the gendarmerie ).

 

[Bayern]

Hello ,during WW1 ,the Austro Hungarians occupated a part o Albania and created a Gendarmerie ,uniformed as the Austrian but with white fez .after the war many of these men served in the new Gendarmerie . The dark uniforms could be of the Italian Carabinieri . leased to the Albanians . 

[dave123]

Looking at one of the photos of the ceremonial parade ,  i can just make out 2 bars on the shoulder strap (figure on the left ) which is the pre 1939 Albanian insignia for a sergeant of 2 gold bars at the base of the strap.

 It's very likely that the  pre 1939 Albanian collar patch colours with green for infantry would be used.

On 22/03/2020 at 18:52, puma77 said:

Great photos Zaim, i didn't expect to see the double headed eagle badge, thought only the helmet badge was used.

Any idea if the Albanian army at this time used the older pre 1939 collar patch colours ?

Green for infantry, scarlet for general officers / staff officers.

The enclosed photo is from a film of a ceremony (perhaps the same one ) found at the Bundes Archiv by Albanian historian Dr Marenglen Kasmi.

Ken.

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by dave123

[dave123]

Seeing the earlier reply about the police and the two photos reminded me of these images of the 105th anniversary of the creation of the Albanian police a few years ago.

Always wondered what the grey uniform was. Must be an officer with the black collar and red cuff  / collar piping ,which i assume must be the colour of the collar patches.

[elephant12]

Local village militia or home guard ?

Some issued with cotton/canvas ammunition bandoliers.

[elephant12]

Northern tribesmen fighters.

 

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by elephant12
didn't crop the photo.

[Zaim Qyteza]

Dear Dave and Elephant,

Although during the WW2 Albania was united with Kosovo, creating the Great Albania, the response to the German occupation especially during the last year was different and distinct.

The Kosovo Albanians were anti-communist, and in Kosovo there is no real communist force.

The Albanians of Albania (or diferent called Old Albania) were divided into at least 4 different formations: Governatice forces, Communist partisans, Nationalist forces (National Front) and pro Monarchist forces (Legality). The Allies had representation in all these formations, except the Governative ones. All these formations, more fought against each other, then the germans. Of course the most powerful were the Partisans.

So when the Allies talk about North tribes, they are referring to the North of Old Albania, In fact Luma and Lura are tribes of northern Albania. In this case, we are talking about tribunes that were anti-communist but also against the government of Tirana.

For all of the above, I will make a clear distinction between situations, forces and uniforms between Albania and Kosovo.

 

Regards,

Zaim

7 hours ago, elephant12 said:

Local village militia or home guard ?

Some issued with cotton/canvas ammunition bandoliers.

 

Local irregulars of Kosovo mobilized w/o uniforms from their government to fight against communists (serbs or albanians).

Zaim

Edited March 29, 2020 by Zaim Qyteza

[Bayern]

16 hours ago, dave123 said:

Seeing the earlier reply about the police and the two photos reminded me of these images of the 105th anniversary of the creation of the Albanian police a few years ago.

Always wondered what the grey uniform was. Must be an officer with the black collar and red cuff  / collar piping ,which i assume must be the colour of the collar patches.

Recreations of uniforms and not so good .

[elephant12]

Zoggist or monarchist fighters.

[elephant12]

Photo posted last year by a fellow member, although they look like army rather than gendarmerie.

[dave123]

Some better photos of the gendarmerie.

[Bayern]

On 30/03/2020 at 08:41, elephant12 said:

Photo posted last year by a fellow member, although they look like army rather than gendarmerie.

Mostly Italian or Zoggist Army uniforms

[dave123]

General Pervezi after his defection to the British SOE mission.

[dave123]

Gendarme.