German occupation of Albania
The German occupation of Albania occurred between 1943 and 1944 during World War II. Before the armistice between Italy and the Allied armed forces on 8 September 1943, Albania had been in a de jure personal union with and was de facto under the control of the Kingdom of Italy. After the armistice and the Italian exit from the Axis, German military forces entered Albania and it came under German occupation, creating the client-state, the Albanian Kingdom (Albanian: Mbretëria Shqiptare; German: Königreich Albanien).
Albanian Kingdom | |||||||||||
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| 1943–1944 | |||||||||||
Flag
Coat of arms
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| Motto: "Shqipëria Shqiptarëve, Vdekje Tradhëtarëvet" "Albania for the Albanians, Death to the Traitors" | |||||||||||
| Anthem: Himni i Flamurit Hymn of the Flag | |||||||||||
The Albanian Kingdom in 1943 | |||||||||||
| Status | Client state of Nazi Germany | ||||||||||
| Capital | Tirana 41°31′N 19°48′E | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Albanian | ||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Albanian | ||||||||||
| Government | Regent constitutional monarchy under military occupation | ||||||||||
| Head of State | |||||||||||
• 1943 | Ibrahim Biçakçiu | ||||||||||
• 1943–1944 | Mehdi Frashëri | ||||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||||
• 1943–1944 | Rexhep Mitrovica | ||||||||||
• 1944 | Fiqri Dine | ||||||||||
• 1944 | Ibrahim Biçakçiu | ||||||||||
| Legislature | Regency Council | ||||||||||
| Historical era | World War II | ||||||||||
• German takeover | 8 September 1943 | ||||||||||
• Liberation | 29 November 1944 | ||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||
| 1939 | 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| 1940-1943 | 52,667 km2 (20,335 sq mi) | ||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
• 1939 | 1,063,893 | ||||||||||
• 1940-1943 | 1,701,463 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Franga (1943–1944) | ||||||||||
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| History of Albania |
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| Timeline |
The Germans favoured the nationalist Balli Kombëtar over King Zog I's Legalists and the occupation was marked by collaboration between them and the Germans. Albania under German occupation retained control of the areas it had received during Italian rule, including most of Kosovo, as well as Western Macedonia, the town of Tutin in Serbia and a strip of Eastern Montenegro. It was the policy of the Balli Kombëtar to have all Albanian populated territories under one state.