ON THIS DAY, April 8th, 1939, Fascist Italy invaded and annexed the Albanian Kingdom, in what was one of the opening moves in the gathering storm of World War II.
Benito Mussolini, the Fascist Dictator of the Kingdom of Italy, was becoming restless as he watched fellow Axis dictator Adolf Hitler conquer Austria and Czechoslovakia. Fearing that Italy was becoming second fiddle to Nazi Germany, Mussolini turned his own sights on the nearby Albanian Kingdom for the Italian Empire's next conquest. On March 25th, 1939, Rome issued an ultimatum to King Zog I of Albania, demanding that he allow Albania to come under direct Italian colonization and occupation. King Zog I refused, and on April 8th, the full force of the Italian Military was unleashed upon Albania.
It was, at least, a quick and relatively painless skirmish. Albania lost only 160 men; Italy, 26. The Albanians organized quickly, but realized they were no match for the vast technological superiority of the Italian Military. Four days later, on April 12th, King Zog I would flee into exile, and the Albanian Kingdom left to its fate.
This, however, was not the end of Albania. Nationalist, Royalist, and Communist partisans would continue to resist bravely, and would remain a thorn in Italy's side for the next 4 years.
.svg.png) |
| The flag of Occupied Albania. |
No comments:
Post a Comment