Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The Italian invasion of Albania was a brief military campaign which was launched by Fascist Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime minister and dictator Benito Mussolini .
Albania's political confusion continued in the wake of World War I. The country lacked a single recognised government, and Albanians had reasonable fears that Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece would extinguish Albania's independence and carve up the country. Italian forces controlled Albanian political activity in the areas that they occupied.
The Italian Armed Forces committed 22,000 troops under General Alfredo Guzzoni to the invasion of Albania. [1] The main force, tasked with capturing the capital Tirana, was placed under the command of General Alfredo Guzzoni and was to be landed at Durrës; it consisted of two battalions of the 3rd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", one battalion of the 47th Infantry Regiment "Ferrara", five ...
1940 Albanian Kingdom Laissez Passer issued for traveling to Italy after the invasion of 1939. But, soon after the Italian invasion, the Greeks counter-attacked and a sizable portion of Albania was in Greek hands (including the cities of Gjirokastër and Korçë). In April 1941, Greece capitulated after an overwhelming German invasion.
Albania was declared a monarchy by the Constituent Assembly, and President Ahmet Bej Zogu was declared King Zog I. The kingdom was supported by the fascist regime in Italy, and the two countries maintained close relations until Italy's sudden invasion of the country in 1939. Zog fled into exile and never saw his country again.
In June 1940, after Italy entered World War II, Guzzoni commanded the Italian 4th Army during the invasion of France. On 29 November 1940, Guzzoni succeeded Ubaldo Soddu as Under-Secretary of War and Deputy Chief of the Supreme General Staff. In 1943, Guzzoni was General Officer Commanding the Italian 6th Army on Sicily and commander of the ...
The revolutionary movements [11] in Italy made the presence of the last 20,000 soldiers of the Italian Army in Albania basically impossible. On August 2, 1920, the Albanian-Italian protocol was signed, upon which Italy retreated from Albania (maintaining only the island of Saseno). This put an end to Italian claims for Vlora and for a mandate ...
Eligibility for the medal extended to personnel of the Italian Army, Regia Marina (English: Royal Navy), and Regia Aeronautica (English: Royal Air Force) and to merchant marine crews who took part in the invasion and occupation of the territory of the Albanian Kingdom between 7 and 16 April 1939, as well as to military and civilian personnel who supported the invading forces in Albania between ...