Part XV: WAR
Captain Mujo Ulqinaku focused on the rhythmic sound of the waves caressing the shore of the island in an attempt to calm his racing heart and pounding in his ears. He knew that while the enemy might not be able to hear it, he needed to focus on the task at hand. The King's words from his pre-recorded speech still rang in his ears.
"…For decades, Sazan has reminded Albanians that the Italians would return to claim what they thought should have been theirs. (2) For decades we have been too weak to do anything about it. Today you and your comrades across our nation will show them just how strong we have become. Together we will show them our resolve and show them just how much they will have to pay for their dreams of empire. Together we will destroy the final shackles of imperialism that have bound our nation for 400 years!"
All of the training…all of it leads to this…
While his superiors never explicitly stated that Sazan would be the target of their first and perhaps only operation, in hindsight all the training exercises had led to this point. All of the forced marches, the nighttime operations, the amphibious attacks on "smuggler bases" all had led up to this moment. . Instead of investing in ships, Zog had invested in men, paying them handsomely and transforming them into physical specimens capable of sailing, swimming, running, and of course, shooting better than anyone thought possible. While everyone was seemingly focused on the fact that Albania was the only European country to rely on wood and sail in the 20th century, Zog had secretly built a battalion of elite naval infantry and armed them to the teeth.
Until today, he couldn't understand why Zog had ignored the Royal Albanian Navy's for the entirety of its existence, instead allowing it to serve as an emblem for the Kingdom of Albania's underdevelopment and poverty. To the rest of the world and especially to the Regia Marina the ships and the men who crewed them were only deemed worthy of scorn. Perhaps the Italians felt some apprehension about the Gendarmerie with its British advisors and new weapons, but the Albanian Navy was completely discounted. What kind of force relied on wooden vessels in the 20th century? Even within the country, the Navy was seen as little more than an opportunity for poor fishermen to take part in what people were calling "The Albanian Economic Miracle." That may have been why some men joined, Muso himself among them, but it was not the reason they stayed.
They stayed because they had become part of a family.
They stayed because they believed that the King had a plan and the country would need them even if they didn't understand how their ships and their training would be used.
They stayed because of today.
Today they were given the chance they had always dreamed of. A chance to say to the world that mocked them, a world that saw the Albanians as little more than Italian appendage, that they would not go quietly into the night. They would show the world that the spirit of Skanderbeg had not died out and that Albanians were ready to once again rally to the cause of freedom no matter how hopeless that cause seemed.
"For Freedom…" he whispered as he tightened his grip on his submachine gun and waited for the signal to begin the attack.
Seconds seemed like days, yet with each one's passing Muso knew that their odds of success improved. The truth of the matter was that the most dangerous part of the operation had already passed. The entirety of the Albanian navy and a few loyal fishermen had already assembled and successfully landed their crews on Sazan's shores without attracting Italian attention. (3) At sea, the Albanian navy was horrendously vulnerable. Even the pair of minesweepers currently at the Italians' disposal would have been able to completely slaughter their entire force if they caught them at sea. If, now, after the landing the base's garrison suddenly realized what was happening, there wasn't that much they could do about it.
Except scuttle the vessels and destroy the stores…
Zog's focus on building up the Albanian economy had come at the military's expense and resulted in all his recent defense spending turning out to be too little, too late. Albania was still desperately short of a host of things necessary for a modern nation to make war. So, the King had ordered that they try to capture as much as they could from the Italian base before razing it to the ground and to that end Mujo and his men had volunteered. While the rest of the battalion took up positions on the hills surrounding the base, Mujo and his company of men would attack from the north bypassing the fences by skirting the shore's edge and moving as quickly as possible to prevent the destruction of the trio of naval vessels and other stores along the waterfront.
Sazan attack.jpg
Sazan Island: Located off the coast of Vlora, The Italian coast is visible from this island on a clear day. It is just short of six square kilometers in area and its highest point is 342 meters. The Italians occupied it in the aftermath of World War I and maintained a small submarine base/depot on the island which was later taken over by the Communists and used until the 1990s.
Even though he had been expecting it for the entire duration of their march along the coast, the sudden burst of white light still briefly startled Muso before the years of training kicked in.
"SULMO!" (4) he thundered as he rose from his position and sprinted forward. His heart raced as his boots began to hit the sand in quick succession propelling him forward and nearly drowning out all other noise such as the chorus of sharpshooter fire which mercilessly took down the night watchmen or the staccato of his machine guns laying down suppressive fire or the explosions wracking the guard tower as it was hit by his company's grenadiers. Though not as powerful as the heavier mortars emplaced on the hills above the base, they proved to be perfectly adequate for the attack at hand along with the rest of his company's equipment.
Ahead of him, Muso was tempted to watch as the entire base was thrown into chaos by the sudden Albanian attack. Instead he did his best to focus on the task at hand and turned away from the base to run up the causeway, contenting himself to merely listen to the cacophony confused screams in Italian all too often being cut off by more rifle fire. His muscles burning, Muso pushed on past the first Italian Minesweeper Vendetta and the water tanker Pagano until he reached his target the Vigilante. (5) Sparks erupted from the ship's hull as some of his men stopped to provide suppressive fire, but it wasn't needed. As he drew closer, Muso could see that the poor crew of the vessel was hardly ready for the coming conflict with only a few beginning to emerge from their bunks, poorly dressed and barely armed.
They really had no idea…
He would have to feel pity for them later. Until they surrendered, they were to be treated like the vanguard of the Italian invasion: without mercy.
Reaching the foot of the gangplank, Muso raised his M1934 Hyde submachine gun and squeezed the trigger, sending a stream of 9mm Parabellum towards a group of disheveled Italian sailors. Behind him, Muso heard his men doing the same and he derived a grim satisfaction as their drills bore fruit. Screams echoed out and the light from yet another star shell revealed Italian blood flowing freely down onto the minesweeper's deck. With the Italians cowering behind whatever cover they could find, Muso took advantage of the suppressive fire to run onto the ship and move towards the bow. Opening the nearest hatch and tossed a smoke grenade down into the ship's bow compartments before taking cover behind the ship's 76mm gun turret and providing more covering fire from another angle.
To their credit, the Italian sailors did their best, but for the most part they were armed with pistols and they were simply overwhelmed by the volume of fire coming from Muso's men.
Thank you George Hyde… Muso thought grimly as his men methodically pushed forward, driving the Italians back below decks and throwing more smoke grenades behind them. He doubted if any of the Italian sailors would be able to sufficiently before his men proceeded to clear the decks.
Yet before he could find out, Muso saw a man extend a white flag tied to a mop from the minesweeper's bridge. Behind him he could hear shouts from his men and the rest of the battalion as the rest of the base surrendered to the overwhelming Albanian attack. Turning his head, he saw with satisfaction that, though there were a few fires here and there, the main depots remained intact. The rest of the base was surrendering, and the black clad men of the Royal Albanian Navy were moving to secure the remaining buildings.
So ends the first Battle of the Royal Albanian Navy… Despite the fact that everyone saw this attack as their baptism of fire, the ugly truth of the matter remained that they would have to wait for further Italian attacks. Muso couldn't help but notice the blood of Italian sailors squelch under his boots as he made his way towards the bridge as the rest of his men continued to secure the vessel. Perhaps it is for the best… There was no honor in slaughtering sleeping boys and rear echelon conscripts. Soon enough he and his men would face a truly worthy foe as the rest of the invasion force arrived.
Now the hard part begins… Once they'd landed, Muso had no doubt that he and his men would be able to take the base. The real question had quickly become how much could they capture and how much could they move to Vlora before the Italians delivered their retribution.
Taking a deep breath he bellowed to his men. "Secure the vessel! I want the crew disarmed and ashore and I want this tub ready to get underway before dawn!"
Notes
1. Mujo Ulqinaku was born in 1896 to an Albanian family in Ulcinj, Montenegro. In OTL he left his career as a fisherman to join the Royal Albanian Navy and fought with Zogist forces at the Battle of Durres in 1939 as a machine gunner. His vessel the MAS boat Tirana was laid up and its crew largely demobilized save for the platoon or so of sailors under his command. He was killed by an Italian shell during the battle and was later venerated by the Communist government with a statue and a film to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the battle.
2. The Albanians agreed to let the Italian navy maintain a base on Sazan after their defeat at Vlora in 1920.
3. In OTL the Albanian partisans captured Sazan in 1944 from the German force which had occupied it after the Italian surrender in 1943. They also used fishing vessels to transport their troops across at night.
4. Charge!
5. Italian vessels are from OTL. Even though Italy didn't invade in TTL, Albania is still seen and behaves like an Italian ally, so they do not allocate additional forces.
(Excerpt from "King Zog the General: Foresight or Fortune?" by Xhemal Hyseni)
…Though Rear Admiral Vittorio Tur (6) is often lambasted for his quick surrender in the face of the Royal Albanian Navy's swift attack on the night of June 10, 1940, the cold reality is that he was in position to do nothing else. Had he been given proper intelligence, his forces alone could have slaughtered the Albanian Navy at sea and if properly deployed, could have even made an amphibious landing or a battle for Sazan's heights incredibly bloody. Yet with no warning of the attack, Tur was confronted with a heavily armed force of naval infantry which not only surrounded him and his small command but possessed a seemingly overwhelming advantage in firepower. To offer further resistance would have only resulted in the slaughter of his men and even then, Captain Muso Ulqinaku's personally led force attacking along the coast would have likely prevented the wholesale destruction of the Italian stores serving as justification for such a move. Rather than an object for ridicule, Tur's unenviable position should serve as a microcosm for the larger state of unreadiness the Italian military found itself in during the opening days of their invasion of Albania.
Despite Zog's laconic phrase "Kështu, ështe Lufta!" (7) going down in history, the reality again was more complex. Zog's consistent use of brinkmanship with his previous negotiations with the Italians, most notably during the lead up to the signing of the 1939 Pact of Tirana had given Ciano and others the false impression that Zog would never risk his achievements or his country's economy and negotiation was always possible. This impression coupled with Zog's willingness to parrot Italian talking points resulted in the occupation of Albania falling down to the bottom of Italian priorities in the heady days of Spring 1940. Rather than prepare for a proper invasion, Mussolini believed that Zog would once again put up some rhetorical resistance before allowing Italian troops to land in accordance with the 1939 Pact. (8) Thus instead, of laying the foundation for the invasion of Albania months before the fact, Mussolini only ordered preparations to begin in the week leading up to issuing his ultimatum. (9) Part of these preparations entailed some aerial reconnaissance, but here again the Italians were completely unprepared for Albanian strategic deception efforts and the willingness of the nation's fishermen to aid in the Navy's sneak attack. (10)
For the Italians, the true beginning of their invasion of Albania came during the predawn hours of June 11, when the initial reports from Sazan and other Italian areas were deciphered, clarified, and passed up the chain of command. Here again, the historiographic focus on the attack on Sazan is understandable but unwarranted. The capture of a pair of minesweepers, a water tanker, as well as several hundred tons of munitions and supplies was significant, but far less so than the capture of Italian oilfields and the reported destruction of the infrastructure Italy had invested so much in. (11) Though the Regia Marina had built up a substantial strategic reserve during the interwar period, the German monopolization of Romania's oil supplies following the signature of the "Oil-Weapons Pact" on May 28 meant that the 200,000 barrels a year produced by Italy's Albanian concessions were the only oil source available to the kingdom of Italy. This oil, while not suitable for naval consumption, was intended to contain demands from the rest of the economy on the strategic reserve. (12) Though Albania's strategic position and national pride certainly motivated and shaped the subsequent Italian invasion, minutes from the planning meetings show that the most prominent point of discussion was the capture and reconstruction of the oil infrastructure in Southern Albania.
These recently released minutes from the Italian archives, along with other notes surrounding the planning of the initial Italian invasion challenge the traditional narrative highlighting the importance of the capture of Sazan. Contrary to the propagandistic wartime claim echoed to this day that Sazan was "the vanguard of the Italian invasion," Italian documents show that the Island played no role in their initial plans. Even in the initial plan, all forces were to be shipped directly from Italy with no participation from Sazan nor a pre-invasion buildup. In fact when considering that the initial Italian invasion was not intended to face armed resistance, Zog's attack on Sazan caused far more harm than good to the Albanian war effort by forcing the Italians to revise their plans and allocate more significant forces. Given the success Albanian forces experienced against the reinforced invasion attempt which actually occurred it is likely that they would have been able to completely slaughter the force Mussolini initially envisaged invading the country with. Such a defeat would have served to not only hasten Mussolini's demise but also further delay the Italian occupation if not avert it altogether. Though it is true that Zog did not have access to these Fascist planning meetings, the island's small size and limited groundwater should have been noted when planning the initial operation.
While it is easy to blame leaders for the paths not taken, there is no need to resort to hindsight when criticizing Zog's handling of the Italian invasion as he largely squandered the additional time he purchased with the attack on Sazan. For over two weeks in the aftermath of the capture of Sazan, forces on both sides of the Straits of Otranto worked feverishly to prepare for the coming conflict. Yet whereas the Italians were politically united but facing multiple different demands, the Albanians were politically divided despite facing a clear and unified external threat. Rather than take full advantage of the delayed Italian attack, Zog chose once again to interfere and prioritize his political goals instead of the good of the country by merging the Albanian Army and the Gendarmerie. (13) Though presaged by the dozens of training exercises which occurred during the previous decade and presented as the Army's absorption of the Gendarmerie, the reality was the inverse. Despite no hard evidence to the contrary, Zog had serious doubts about Army's loyalty and rather than allowing it to deal with the removal of Italian advisors on its own, chose instead to incorporate the Gendarmerie and promote a mixture of Gendarmes and his own favourites to command positions. While some of Zog's fears about the army's loyalty might be justified due to the deep divisions his pre-war policies had caused, the eventual performance of supposedly "questionable" Army formations in the battles to come show that the Army was more than willing to fight for their country even if they disagreed with Zog's social and political policies.
Still, the speed and precision of Zog's reorganization of the armed forces in June 1940 points to such a maneuver having been planned well in advance. Even if Zog had wanted to avoid the destabilization it caused, he might not have been able to do so. Given the dearth of archival evidence to the contrary, it is quite possible that Zog had always questioned the Army's loyalty due to its Italian advisors and had always planned on utilizing the more politically reliable Gendarmerie to provide otherwise unreliable forces with a bit more backbone. The fact that most Gendarmes were integrated on a squad level as Light Machine Gun and Grenadier crews further reinforces this theory. (14) Yet if indeed Zog was merely adhering to a past plan which had become outdated, it points to the fact that he was far from a superb military commander who thrived on improvisation but was far more ordinary than the usual hagiographic portrayals make him out to be.
Had Zog been able to adapt to the unfortunately unforeseen loyalty of the Albanian army during the initial Italian invasion, it is likely that the two week pause between the occupation of Sazan and the eventual Italian invasion could have been even more effectively utilized. Again, given how well the Albanian military performed under the constraints it faced, it is likely that the Italians would have fared even worse against a force that did not have its preparations hamstrung by such a massive political upheaval. Fortunately for Zog, he was once again bailed out by his commanders, most notably Spiro Moisiu, Abas Kupi, Prenk Pervizi and the former Ottoman General Vehib Pasha. When seen in light of subsequent events, it is tragic that Zog chose to trust these men but not the social classes which produced them. Their performance, as well as the performance of the Albanian Army as a whole is indicative of the fact that the Vërlaci's flight was not a normative attitude among the upper classes but rather that even as late as June 1940 they were largely willing to put aside their differences with Zog to fight for Albanian independence.
Notes
6. Tur was commander of the Sazan base in OTL.
7. I was going for echoing Metaxas rather than Palpatine here but whatever… When confronted with the Italian ultimatum in October 1940 in OTL, Metaxas did not say "Oxi" exactly but rather answered in French "Alors, c'est la guerre!"
8. This might seem odd, but keep in mind that Italo-Albanian relations are better in TTL than they were in OTL. Even in OTL, Italian commanders were ordered to negotiate with Zog if his envoys met them at the docks on April 7, 1939. Also it is worth keeping in mind just how bad the Italian preparations for war were in OTL. IMO this is not unrealistic at all, especially given how Jack has been playing them.
9. Italian preparations for their OTL invasion of Albania were similarly halfhearted even though relations were substantially worse and the likelihood of resistance much higher.
10. The Italians had problems with their OTL aerial reconnaissance during the invasion of Albania. Even the slightest effort at strategic deception is going to give them fits in TTL.
11. Without the need to spend money elsewhere propping up Zog, or needing to pay their Albanian workers (see past updates) the Italians are able to better develop their oil extraction infrastructure. Not that it does them any good…
12. Italy's reluctant reliance on Albanian oil is all from OTL.
13. In case anyone is having difficulty here, the author is writing from a specific politically motivated point of view. Some reading between the lines is necessary for this section.
14. See Part XI
June 12, 1940. Durres, Albania.
It almost feels like home… Mehmet Vehib Pasha thought as he looked out at the city of Durres from the Ottoman era fortress. He'd been studying the maps Zog had provided for over three years now. He knew every hill, every fortification, every building, every farm, even every tree. More than that, for the first time in his life, Mehmet Vehib Pasha was fighting alongside his kinsmen. Hearing other uniformed figures speaking Albanian as their primary command language had taken some getting used to due to his experience in the Ottoman and Abyssinian armies, but it was a welcome change made easier in no small part by the fact that so many of Vehib's subordinates spoke the same dialect he had grown up with in Yanya.(15)
Once again Zog never ceases to surprise… Prior to being employed by the King, he'd always thought of him as just a northern mountaineer who'd gotten incredibly lucky. Even in Alexandria he'd wondered just how pervasive Zog's desire to found a truly national movement was. Deep down he always suspected that though FMSh was predominantly staffed with Southern Albanians, the military would continue to be dominated by northern mountaineers. Yet in the two weeks he'd been in the country, he'd been pleased to find that the military, and in particular the modernized portions of the military were heavily staffed with southerners. Years of integration efforts and joint training exercises had paid off both in cohesion and the creation of what was effectively a new dialect which borrowed from north and south to comprise something mutually intelligible to both.(16)
…still, to reorganize your army on the eve of an invasion… That particular part of the plan still struck him as absolute folly. He'd corresponded enough with Zog to know the rationale: Italian influence and pressure had made it impossible for him to modernize and reform the army to his liking. Instead he had invested in the Gendarmerie in the hope that it could effectively replace the Italian advisors that would eventually be removed. Mehmet still thought it would have been better to replace those advisors with candidates from within the Army itself, but he also understood the limitations of working covertly and the benefit of having additional training. Still, the success with which Moisiu's "New Albanian" society (17) led the Albanian army to participate in "Order 66" seemed to suggest that Zog's concerns about the reliability of the men within it had been largely overblown.
Though the Navy's seizure of Sazan was spectacular and would likely garner the most attention, the most impressive aspect of the operation had been the coordinated uprising across the country. Mere hours after Zog's declaration of war, his national network had succeeded in either arresting or killing almost every Italian in the country. (18) To his knowledge, only a handful of military advisors had managed to escape, yet it seemed that they would not last long. Even if they did, they had failed to inflict any serious damage to the Army's capabilities. Zog's fear of losing over half of his artillery to their sabotage efforts proved to be entirely unfounded as Moisiu's men responded far better than anyone including Mehmet suspected. (19) The number of guns was still far too low for his liking, but it was far better than the scenarios he had occupied himself with planning for the past few years.
"General Pasha! We have the latest reconnaissance photos from Bari."
That had also been a pleasant surprise. Zog's hopes of having some kind of fighter unit by the time the war started may not have come to fruition, but he'd somehow manage to cobble together an air force in the past 48 hours. Years of investing in pilot training programs and expanding Albanian participation in Ala Littoria had essentially created an air force without planes. (20) Zog had even managed to contract out aerial surveying work to ensure that the requisite camera equipped aircraft were present in Albania at the outbreak of the conflict. It was yet another testament to Italian unpreparedness that those aircraft and so many other assets were still in the country when war was declared, just like it was a testament to Zog's preparedness, that only a few hours later those same aircraft had been repainted and were being flown by Albanian pilots. Still, with no fighter aircraft in the country for the fighter pilots to fly it wouldn't be long before the Regia Aeronautica swept the Albanian planes from the sky and placed him back in the same situation he had been in in Abyssinia.
Well not quite the same… he thought as he wordlessly took the recently developed photographs. He had not had any aerial reconnaissance in 1935, nor did he have a coastline to defend, nor did he have even enough boots for his entire command. Everyone paid so much attention to the Abyssinian army's lack of gas masks, they failed to notice that it was the lack of boots that really did them in. When inhaled the gas had horrible effects, it even killed his friend and fellow commander Ras Nasibu, but the havoc it wrought on barefoot troops had been the real cause of their defeat. (21) All of his men's hard work simply couldn't compete. With any luck the fact that the Albanians were European and very likely would be allied to the British and French in the next few days would prevent the use of gas and allow for a more even playing field where the preparations they had made could be put to good use.
Here, they were exceptionally well prepared in certain ways, but horribly unprepared in other ways. To his credit, Zog had stockpiled the supplies necessary to construct his improvised fortifications but they just did not have enough time. Even with the mobilization of the local population into work crews, Mehmet had sincere doubts that his Adriatic Wall would be anywhere near complete before the invasion came.
Not if the number of Italian ships in Bari is any indication…
He could only hope it would be enough.
Fortunately, if the past day's experiences were any indication, his fears of Italian bombing proved to be incredibly overblown. Zog's confidence in his men's skill in camouflage and strategic deception had been well founded. Yesterday's air raid had resulted in quite a lot of drama but very little actual damage. With any luck that trend would continue and help lead the Italians directly into the trap they were laying here at Durres. Everything depended on the majority of Italian resources being sent to Albania's main port. He knew for a fact that preparations at Shengjin, Vlora, and Saranda were nowhere near as advanced. Of those three ports, only Vlora had stockpiles of beach obstacles and while both it and Shengin had some artillery, Mehmet doubted if it either had enough to contest a serious Italian attempt. Most of that was his fault of course, Durres sat on a peninsula and was vulnerable from both the North and South. Moreover, it was the largest port in the country and was strategically located in Albania's geographic center. The same factors which had transformed it into the largest Albanian city during the interwar period made it almost indispensable for the coming Italian invasion attempt. (22) Though it was risky to concentrate so much force here, when it came down to it, everyone knew that it was the right decision.
Durres invasion map.png
Albanian fortification efforts around Durres.
"Is everything alright General? Are you still planning to inspect the fortifications at Bisht I Palles?"
Mehmet forced a smile. "Of course, Lieutenant. Nothing unexpected, we will have more than enough targets in a few weeks. The Italians will come and they will die. I must say though, the humidity is different here than in Alexandria. I think a ride up to the cape would do us all good."
"Shall we take the car?"
Mehmet nodded. "No, you may send it back to the city. It will be better used carrying women and children out of harm's way. (23) Besides, this will probably be a long war and I will need to get used to horseback at some point." He failed to add that the added time gained by travelling to the point by car wouldn't do much good. He'd spent 3 years preparing for this moment and unless something went drastically wrong in the coming days he'd done all that he could. All he could really do now is wait well along with the rest of his men.
Notes
15. Ioannina in Greece. Prior to the Balkan wars it was a very mixed community of Albanians, Greeks, and Jews.
16. In OTL Zog attempted to popularize the Elbasan dialect. TTL's dialect is more of an organic creation.
17. See Parts V and X.
18. It's worth pointing out again that in TTL the number of Italians in Albania is far lower than it was in OTL due to Zog's financial independence. There are at most around 400 in TTL with most of those being Italian agricultural colonists.
19. In OTL the Italians completely dominated the Royal Albanian Army's Artillery and effectively rendered it ineffective during the Italian invasion. In TTL, Zog has invested a great deal in securing the loyalty of the artillery batteries, but was still apprehensive about how successful he would be.
20. MAJOR RETCON: So I found out that the date of insertion was too late to prevent Italian dominance of Albania's airlines. Though Ala Littoria did take over in 1935, the company it took over from was a private Italian one which Zog had given a concession to in 1927.
21. Thanks to @von Adler for bringing this to my attention!
22. Durres experienced considerable growth in OTL but Tirana ended up becoming Albania's largest city. In TTL, Zog's interference in Italian plans for Tirana coupled with his investments in Durres make it so that Durres outstrips all other Albanian cities and has close to 200,000 people by 1940.
23. Zog ordered the evacuation of Durres in OTL as well but it was not carried out. In TTL he has some more time to address this situation.