Part XXIX: Loose Ends

June 14, 1941. London, UK.

Fan Noli always considered one of the most interesting aspects of his job to be his incorporation into Zog's "Empire of Letters." To date, he'd never quite figured out what spurred his formal rival to massively shift strategies upon his coronation in 1928. As far as Noli knew, Zog had probably written less than a hundred letters in his entire life prior to that point, a number which he doubled before the end of his first month on the throne. Perhaps it was due to his expanded ambitions, or a shift in strategies concurrent with his ascension to the throne, or some other inscrutable factory. Noli looked forward to speaking with the man in person and finding out. Given that the war showed no signs of ending that future meeting could easily be over twenty years from the last time they'd seen each other before Noli had driven Zog into exile in 1924. That their rapprochement alone, never mind all of Zog's other commercial and diplomatic coups, had been accomplished solely through text was a testament to both the strength and influence of the written word.(1)

Even with Zog currently fighting an entire Italian army in Albania, correspondence continued to flow through back channels. Knowing that Albania could never prevail on its own strength, Zog had marshaled his entire network into the war effort, spending millions of dollars on ensuring Malta held alone. By all accounts, he was apparently spending who knows how much more on other intelligence. Every letter of his that was smuggled out contained a surprising number of insightful observations and requests which could only come from a vast information gathering network. Established during the 1920s and 30s, this network still bore the marks of an anti-colonialist conspiracy, divided into isolated cells to provide layers of redundancy. Noli had a few more guesses at who the other participants were now that he had become one, but out of a respect for the process and its contribution to national survival had prodded no further. Instead, he turned his attention to the task at hand: finalizing an executive report on the Mediterranean theater before sending it off to be encrypted and sent to Zog.

One of many I'm sure…how else could he display such insight?

Noli often wondered if Zog had a better understanding of what the British were doing than they did themselves given his frequent suggestions. Most striking among them the fact that only now were the British finally admitting their mistakes shifting Fighter Command's attention from France to Malta like Zog had suggested over six months ago. Granted, the shift was not as dramatic as initially hoped for, as the British were only sending a squadron or two of Spitfires to start. To think what those same planes would have been able to do back in January if a trio of Hurricane squadrons had succeeded in gutting the remnants of the Regia Aeronautica and shooting down nearly two hundred German aircraft! Only after months of fruitless sorties over Northern France standing in stark contrast to RAF victories over Malta was Fighter Command beginning to make the necessary shifts. Even now, proponents of the current strategy were decrying such a shift based on "celebrities" like Robertson, Maclachlan, and Zog, but Churchill had made up his mind. The Spitfires would cement the RAF's resurgence over Malta and be the final piece needed to bring back more bomber wings, and, more importantly in the Prime Minister's view, warships as a part of a broader attempt to bring an end to the fighting in North Africa.(2)

Thus, in addition to 64 Spitfires onboard the Ark Royal and Eagle, the Formidable and the rest of Force H were escorting a massive fast convoy, some of which was headed for Malta, but the majority of which was headed for North Africa.(3) Carrying, among other things, brand new "Crusader" cruiser tanks to replace the current battered machines the 7th and 2nd Armoured divisions, Churchill believed that these vessels' cargos carried the final piece to victory in North Africa. Emboldened by the supposed coming withdrawal of Luftwaffe units and the Royal Navy's utter dominance of the Mediterranean, this series of convoys was even more ambitious than the ones that had surrounded the raid on Taranto back in November and hoped to deliver a similar coup. Only time would tell if the intelligence underlying it would hold up. (3)

If it didn't, the entire operation would likely be kiboshed in favour of sending the material to the region via other routes. The same thing had happened back in January when the arrival of Fliegerkorps X promptly transformed the Siege of Malta into a very real phenomenon and necessitated a different approach. While the Spitfires would likely fly off to Dakar and then across the Sahara up to Benghazi and then to Malta like the dozens of Hurricanes that preceded them, the rest of the cargo would have to make its way around the Cape.(4) Admittedly much safer, the delays in taking such an approach simply paled in comparison to the benefits of running them across the Mediterranean in the current environment. Assuming the British received their new tanks in June, they would potentially be able to launch their final offensive in North Africa before the end of the year and bring an end to a front which had remained almost static since the end of Operation Compass in late January.(5)

At first, the decision to stop at El Aghiela and dig in was a practical one given the exhaustion of the Western Desert Force. All of their vehicles were on their last legs, the relatively green ANZAC needed time to acclimatize, and ultimately the logistics just weren't there. (6) Following the arrival of Italian reinforcements in March, there were real concerns that the Axis would attempt a counterattack, prompting a continuation of the defensive posture but outside of a handful of skirmishes, no Italian offensive materialized. Instead, the battle was fought in the skies above and in a series of pitched engagements between the Italians and Anglo-French raiding companies as each side sought to flank the other using the seas of water and sand on either side of the opposing armies. Though there was thought of launching an attack earlier this month back in February, the logistical challenges of taking Tripoli coupled with the needs of other theatres prevented serious consideration. Fortunately, the situation was beginning to change as, by all accounts, morale among the forces in Egypt was already starting to suffer, particularly among the Albanian troops, who had grown tired of training while their comrades bled and died in Albania and the skies above their heads.

Perhaps the most important of the contributing developments to the overall shift in the strategic situation was the long-awaited resolution of the East African Campaign. Despite the rapid fall of Addis Ababa in February and the subsequent surrender of the surrounded Italian troops in Mogadishu 2 weeks later, the remainder of the Italian forces under D'Aosta had successfully held out in the North. Another combined Anglo-French effort, this time with the aid of the Royal Navy had managed to take Assab and Massawa at the end of February fairly easily, but the fighting in the mountains had proven more difficult. Fortunately, the decision to push through in an attempt to liberate the first of Mussolini's victims before the beginning of the severe rainy season had borne fruit. Gondar had fallen three weeks ago and with it the last regular Italian forces in East Africa. Italian and Eritrean guerillas would likely be a problem in the coming months and years, but a manageable one at that.(7)

However, in Noli's mind, the Allies had been even more fortunate in their subsequent operation. By all accounts, the prospect of an actual shooting war between British and Vichy forces in Syria was on the table in 1941. A concatenation of factors ranging from Vichy anxieties over a string of Gaullist victories, the most recent being the rallying of the American colonies in early 1941, to German efforts to facilitate an Italian counter-offensive in Libya, to the prospect of an Iraqi revolt had the British rushing in troops. For a while, it even seemed that the First Albanian Motorized division would be pulled in alongside Indian and South African troops, some fresh from the fighting in East Africa. Such fears had likely played a substantial role in pushing forward the proposed trans-Mediterranean convoy, but had all come to nought less than a week ago. Recognizing that his force was both cut off, facing a hostile native population and massively outnumbered, General Henri Dentz came to the negotiating table rather than face mutiny or war. This decision, in turn prompted Admiral Godfoy in Alexandria to also quit his wavering and join the Free French, which only served to further amplify Allied naval supremacy in the Mediterranean. (8)

Without the potential of Axis support either from Syria or Libya, King Ghazi's belligerence "mysteriously" vanished, though obviously not enough to completely obliviate the need for a sizeable Indian Army contingent in Kuwait. If the Iraqi's were going to make a move, it would likely wait until after the British had launched their offensive towards Tripoli. Even then, Ghazi would only pull the trigger if he knew support was coming from elsewhere. The young Iraqi king had been one of the most aggressive of the Arab monarchs in their attempt to emulate Zog's success on the stock market and had been devastated when his efforts did not produce similar returns. Millions of Iraqi Dinar going up in smoke, coupled with an assassination attempt in 1939 had bridled his aggression to the extent that many of Noli's sources seemed to think that he was leaning towards contently riding out the war if the British succeeded in taking Tripoli. (9)

Lord willing…

So far, the situation seemed to be trending in that direction. With both East Africa and Syria dealt with, the Allies were finally free to focus the majority of their efforts on the theatre. Even the once tantalizing sure prospect of a Greek campaign was now seemingly far off, as with their new German trade deal they seemed unwilling to go any further than turning a blind eye to weapon shipments. Without the Greeks, the Turks were completely committed to neutrality, barely being willing to accept the constant flow of young "Albanian" men to join Vehib Pasha in Egypt. All of that meant that, even with the recent Italian reinforcements, the Allies were nearing numerical parity in Cyrenacia. If Wavell's 20,000 had been able to reach El Agheila from Mesa Matruh, surely Tripoli must be in reach.

Then again, if Tripoli fell, what was to stop the entire unbridled fury of the Fascist war machine from falling on Albania? There were nearly 100,000 Italians in the country at the moment, without Africa or any other theatre of war immediately at their disposal, what would stop them from doubling that number following the fall of Africa. Zog was so sure that his forces would be able to contain any Italian offensive and continue their guerilla war, but surely there was a limit. Even the most optimistic estimates put his strength at roughly 20,000 men. Would they really be able to triumph against 10 to 1 odds? Noli had his doubts. Often, he wondered if it would have been better to pursue Zog's initial musings about maintaining the African front as a sink for Italian manpower. That would have likely made the resistance's job in Albania that much easier, but it would have never flown here in London. Drunk off the victories of Operation Compass and Addis Ababa, Churchill was determined to stop at nothing less than completely expelling the Axis from Africa.

With the Albanians at the fore once again…

Having learned the necessity of supporting armour with mobile infantry, the British Army had begun restructuring their divisions almost immediately following the decision to stop at El Agheila. Though it had taken some time to get his preferred outcome, Percy Hobart had been among one of the loudest voices calling for that change and had secured the incorporation of the Albanian mobile infantry brigade into the 2nd Armoured division a few months ago. With new vehicles and equipment, this incorporation placed the Albanians on the front lines again as together with the 6th Australian and 2nd New Zealand divisions, the 2nd Armoured stood poised to strike the first blow against the last fascist bastion in North Africa.

In the meantime, they had to live vicariously through their comrades in No. 325 squadron and the newly formed No. 326 composite squadron. So far, the former had taken most of the prestige by stalwartly defending Benghazi from Axis attacks with their "new" ex-French H-81 fighters. When coupled with none other than Prince "Dine" flying regular sorties and recently scoring his 10th aerial victory, 350 squadron's performance helped buoy morale throughout the Free Albanian movement. However, Noli had a feeling that the men of No. 351 squadron would give them a run for their money. Consisting of pre-war Ala Littoria pilots which had been freed from their duties ferrying planes across the Sahara and a sprinkling of Albanian Americans fresh from the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the squadron had inherited 325's old H-75s to augment their hodgepodge of other equipment. Too slow to be employed as interceptors, 326 had picked up another one of Zog's odd ideas and mated the aircraft to a pair of even more obsolescent 37mm C.O.W. guns. Though these new weapons and some additional armour slowed the aircraft even more, initial tests with new ammunition promising enough to provide the Allies with a vital tool to take Tripoli. (10)

XP-36F_38-172_Wright_Field_2.jpg

An example of the XP-36F from OTL which mounted 2 23mm Madsen autocannon.​

Unfortunately, Noli had a sneaking suspicion that the Albanians would get far less press for their coming engagement unless something went drastically wrong. Having established their fighting prowess in Operation Compass, the British wouldn't be shocked at their performance this time around and if Churchill's new plan succeeded, the entire performance would be barely noticed. After months of badgering on Zog's behalf, Churchill had finally gotten onboard and convinced the Royal Navy to dispatch the elderly HMS Centurion to the Mediterranean to serve as a blockship. Though it ended up being far too late to impact Operation Compass, the elderly battleship and her volunteer crew had made their tortuous way around the Cape and now sat in Alexandria waiting to deliver the decisive blow to Italian logistics. It was a risky mission with no sure chance of success, but even a partial blockage of Tripoli's harbour would hamstring the Italian army. When presented with a choice between a victory on land and yet another glory for the vaunted Royal Navy, Noli had a feeling which one the British people would prefer…(11)

"Kryëminister Noli?"

"Of course, the train!"

His secretary's voice brought him back to the present. Glancing at his watch, he knew instinctively what he needed to do. Standing up, he closed the file and handed it to the young man to take to the encryptors. He usually only perused them anyways, only adding a few pertinent details and sometimes a few personal updates. Those, if anything were far more surreal to him than even his participation in Zog's government in exile. The fact that Zog had entrusted him with the care of not only his eldest sister Adile and her children, but his only son baffled him far more than his role as Prime Minister in the Free Albanian government. The only thing that baffled him more was the fact that over the past year, he'd grown quite fond of all of them, Leka in particular. As far as he knew, the feeling was mutual. Leka had practically begged him to come up after he finished the school year and Noli had no qualms. Leka's idyllic home with his aunt and cousins in Berwick-upon-Tweed provided Noli far more comfort than he was supposedly providing to them.

Notes:

1. Noli's coup was from OTL. See parts III, VIII, XIX, and XXIII for the rest of his story in TTL.

2. These are Spitfire I's but they're coming in roughly a year earlier than OTL. Also worth noting that the ground conditions on Malta are far superior to the ones present during the disastrous first shipment of Spitfires in OTL.

3. These changes stem primarily from the Illustrious not being damaged at Malta in January 1941. Due to the better supply situation, the convoys are cancelled once the Luftwaffe arrives in force. This in turn means that the Formidable is not needed to replace the Illustrious and can relieve the Ark Royal instead. While the Ark Royal is being refitted, the Eagle and the Hermes (no collision due to no Operation Catapult) take the Formidable's place in the South Atlantic.

3. This operation is largely analogous in terms of ships used to OTL's Operation Tiger but is a bit bigger due to different convoys from 1940-1941.

4. Unlike OTL where they unloaded in Ghana, the defection of French West Africa in TTL means that British aircraft ferries can use the far superior port of Dakar.

5. No DAK in TTL means that there's no pressing need for an offensive like Battleaxe giving the British valuable time to train and get used to their new equipment.

6. Noli's overstating the "greenness" of the ANZAC here. The logistics was the bigger issue in both TTL and OTL.

7. No Greek campaign and a quieter Mediterranean in TTL allow the Allies to focus on wrapping up East Africa ASAP. When combined with their possession of the best port in the region (Djibouti) and no need to send the 1st South African Division to Egypt, it means that the campaign ends 6 months earlier than OTL. Following Operation Compass, the 4th Indian division undergoes a brief period of rest and refitting before heading south and joining #50 commando in backing up the forces at Aden used in OTL's amphibious assaults in the Red Sea. Supported by the HMS Eagle, they neutralize the Italian Red Sea Fleet by taking Assab and Massawa in a northern thrust from French Somaliland. This cuts off D'Aosta at Keren and allows the Allies to bring an end to the campaign far more rapidly.

8. Playfair hints at Dentz being willing to negotiate if the British could have presented overwhelming force. While they never got close in OTL, without Operation Catapult in TTL and with a quiet front elsewhere, I think its plausible.

9. Ghazi's survival is an example of the Butterfly effect. He died in 1939 in OTL paving the way for the rise of Rashad Ali and ultimately the Anglo-Iraqi war. Without Iraq and Rommel and Greece and Syria, the Shah's going to have a different experience in TTL as well as is another ostensibly neutral country...

10. The H-81 was the French designation for the P-40s that they ordered in OTL. Due to similarities in gauges and throttles, the Albanians take over the order from the RAF in summer 1940 and get them into service earlier. The H-75 was the French designation for the P-36. In OTL the US experimented with a variant of the P-36 known as the XP-36F with 2x 23mm Madsen cannon under the wings but abandoned it due to its slow speed. Though TTL's Albanian version has much heavier weapons in the 37mm C.O.W. weapons, they have a larger engine and 4x fewer .30 machine guns to help offset the cannon's weight and some additional armour. There was no AT ammunition made for the 37mm C.O.W. gun in OTL. Though these aircraft are far less effective than OTL's Hawker Hurricane "tin openers" which appeared in 1942, Zog's hoping that they will serve as a proof of concept. Given the RAF's reluctance to embrace the concept in OTL, they're going to have a long road ahead.

11. This proposal to use the Centurion received serious consideration in OTL. Churchill was a big fan. In TTL, Zog gets the ball rolling a bit faster and thus things are set in motion for its participation in the upcoming attack.

(Excerpted from Gerald Pawle' "The Secret War 1939-45" (London, G. G. Harrap, 1956)(12)

12

THE BIRTH OF THE HEDGEHOG​

…

The alternative was to invent a new type of weapon altogether, which could hurl explosive charges far ahead of the ship. When this idea was first conceived its sponsors were still thinking along the lines of using depth charges as missiles, but it was soon found that the effort of throwing these huge projectiles any considerable distance would set up a terrific thrust on the deck of the ship. The normal charge was designed to explode at a certain depth whether it struck an obstacle or not, and therefore had to be large enough to cause damage over a wide area. It now occurred to the scientists that if they used a missile which exploded only when it hit the target they could afford to cut down its weight very substantially. If, also, they could devise a species of gun which hurled a whole pattern of these smaller charges in a circle they would enormously increase the chances of success. Charges which detonated only on contact had a further advantage. If the pattern of bombs missed the target altogether there would be no violent underwater explosions to put the hunting ship's Asdic gear temporarily out of action. This 'ring attack' method was evolved in the Royal Navy's Anti-submarine Experimental Establishment before the war started, but little headway was made with the design of a satisfactory weapon, simply because the rigidity of the allocation of duties prevented this establishment from carrying out any experiments, except secretly.

Goodeve first heard about the new 'ahead-throwing mortar' from Dr. Bullard in the spring of 1940, when he was clearing up his work on the magnetic mine. Like many others, Bullard realized that the U-boat threat was only in its infancy but soon the losses from enemy submarine attack would increase, and he was worried at the slow progress of the new weapon. When Goodeve later pressed a very senior officer as to why this was the case, the very mention of the spigot mortar produced a violent diatribe against the device and all its advocates.

"This idea was put up by Major X in 1910, and it was turned down by the Ordnance Board then. The spigot mortar was put up by Colonel Blacker in 1930, and it was turned down again. It was put up by Major Jefferis in 1939, and the Ordnance Board turned it down for the third time. If God Almighty Himself sponsored the spigot mortar, I tell you it would still be turned down by the Ordnance Board!"

Unfortunately for Dr. Bullard and Col. Blacker, Goodeve had no opportunity to examine the project there and then, for he was on the verge of joining Admiral Somerville's staff, and for a long time afterwards he was busy with anti-aircraft research. Work only resumed in early June as Col. Blacker adapted his initial design into a land-based weapon intended to replace for the anti-tank guns lost at Dunkirk. However, the unexpected entry of Albania into the war only a few days later accelerated the weapon's development beyond either man's wildest dreams.

As part of the deep preparations laid by Zog in anticipation of an Italian invasion, Chatin Sarachi, the Albanian minister in London, possessed not only an extensive intelligence dossier but hundreds of pages of technical drawings and several working technological demonstrators. Though most commonly known for introducing the Hyde Mark III and the Fire-Fist to the British Arsenal, Sarachi also brought with him an example of an "anti-submarine mortar" developed by the Albanian Navy as a part of King Zog's later well demonstrated fascination with the weapons. (13)

As early as 1928, Zog had hoped that some kind of mortar would be able to allow his navy to punch above its weight just as effectively as it would later aid the army. To that end he ordered the training of dozens of sailors and, once money from his investments began to roll in, funded the development of a naval mortar as well. In an attempt to improve its lethality, Zog turned to the spigot mortar — an unusual device which completely reversed the normal process by which a missile was discharged into the air. The base of the bomb itself fitted round an ingenious electrically actuated peg — the spigot — and it was this which fired the projectile. Though this approach allowed for far larger and more varied projectiles than standard mortars, it could not overcome the inherent vulnerability of Albanian naval craft. So, despite his considerable investments, Zog abandoned the project in favour of maintaining a largely symbolic fleet and a force of elite naval infantry.

Yet not all of those funds proved to be wasted for, in addition to the spigot mortar concept, the Albanian Navy had also developed a unique fuse in an attempt to counter a hypothetical submarine attack. Consisting of a mechanism set in motion by a propeller which began to turn as the projectile hit the water, this fuse had been extensively tested and shown to be quite effective before ultimately being shelved along with the rest of the weapons system due to the limitations of launching a sufficiently large projectile from a wooden caique. Fortunately, Zog displayed his characteristic prescience by preserving a number of prototypes and sending them abroad well before the onset of hostilities in the hope that they could be adapted to serve on proper naval vessels. (14)

Following his initial rejection by the Ordinance Board, Sarachi continued to "shop" the spigot mortar to interested parties, eventually attracting the attention of Major Richard Jefferies in the autumn of 1940. From there the relatively mature design went up the chain to Goodeve and despite a rather tepid endorsement from the Directorate of Naval Ordinance, Goodeve ordered Jefferis and Richardson to mate the design with the pre-war "ring attack" concept. When combined with data from the existing prototype, the new weapon, ultimately named "Hedgehog," promised to be even more effective than its closest competitor, the Fairlie Mortar, and a good deal more seaworthy.

…

Flower Class Corvette.jpg

A Model of the RANS Durrës. Note the installation of the Hedgehog on the foredeck. Albanian sailors would play a prominent role in popularizing the weapon and by extension winning the Battle of the Atlantic​

...

Ultimately, the personal support of both Zog and Churchill coupled with pre-war Albanian experimentation and the ingenuity shown by the "Wheezers and Dodgers" proved to be too much for the obstinate Ordinance Board. Operational testing began in January 1941 following the installation of the first weapon on the HMS Whirlwind and accelerated when a second example was installed on the RANS Durrës, a Flower class corvette transferred to the Albanian navy on December 1940. (15) Much like the Polsten Gun, the influence of the small Albanian naval detachment in the UK proved particularly effective in bypassing the Navy's skepticism and facilitating Hedgehog's widespread use by Summer 1942… (16)

Notes:

12. Most of this section is adapted from the OTL book with the same topic. It's a great read and I highly recommend it as it's one of the only sources on the development of the Hedgehog and other weapons.

13. See Part X for more details.

14. In OTL this fuse proved quite complicated to design and was a major hold up to beginning testing. The other major problem stemmed from getting the dispersal pattern correct, which proved difficult because the DNO was using cordite data from the 19th century! Once more modern data was used the pattern was solved.

15. In OTL testing began in Summer 1941. For those of you concerned with the plausibility of the size of the Albanian forces in exile, the addition of the RAN Durrës and No. 351 Squadron are the final pieces. This would put their total size at 1 Motorized infantry brigade, 2 fighter squadrons + support crews, roughly 10 caiques, and 1 Flower Class corvette. The Albanian diaspora is reaching the limits of the force it can support. Pilot losses for example might force 350 and 351 to merge. The Durrës is crewed by sailors from the diaspora who want to volunteer but do not want to/are not able to serve on the caiques in the Mediterranean.

16. More on the Polsten gun later. Work on it began in the late 30s in Poland. Given Zog's desire to buy cheap 20mm weapons, I think it's plausible for him to funnel funds to it and keeping things going after the fall of Poland.

June 20, 1941. Boshigra, Albania. (17)

"So, this is it…"

William Stirling shook his head and smiled "You know old friend I think I'm going to miss that fatalistic attitude of yours…"

Stirling.jpg

William Stirling (1880-1958) Inspector General of the Albanian Gendarmerie 1923-1926, Inspector General of the Civil Administration 1926-41.​

Old friend… Even now hearing those words seemed strange to Musa Juka's ear. To be fair, it wasn't the first time the old Brit had used those words. At first, Musa had thought it a cultural peculiarity only to realize that, though it may have started as such, a genuine respect had formed between them which had blossomed into a true friendship. Forced to work together on reforming the Gendarmerie by the King, their conflicting visions of Albanian pragmatism and British idealism had clashed from the outset. Without the King's continued financial support and personal insistence Musa probably would have killed him long ago and in so doing lost one of his only true companions. (18)

"…but not for long."

Musa sighed. "We're both old men Colonel. Worse, we're both old men playing a young man's game. We both know what happens to men like us in times like these."

Stirling smirked "You know, I remember you saying that to me almost ten years ago, those exact words. The 'base Albanian nature' was going to swallow us up along with Zog and everyone else who supported him. Yet here we are! Who could have imagined this of all things? This…" he gestured to the bustling village square around them "…was beyond even my wildest dreams! Remember what we both thought the invasion and occupation would look like? Yet here we stand! Whole swaths of this country have never even seen an Italian soldier and are still paying taxes to Zog!" (19)

"For now…"

"You're incorrigible Musa." Stirling sighed "You know as well as I do that the Italians are running out of steam. Our boys, the ones you and I trained, are out there giving them hell each and every day. Every time they strike at the civilian population our cause grows stronger and every soldier stationed here is one less stationed elsewhere. Just you watch, soon they'll pull back to the cities and the main roads just like they did last time."

Musa couldn't help himself. "Shame you won't be here to see it." He quipped sardonically.

Neither of us will be…

That drew a laugh from the old Brit. "No, I'm afraid that like Moses I can only glimpse the promised land instead of enter into it." He shook his head "Well, not quite. I am coming back as soon as London allows me. In the meantime, you'll have Colonel Woodhouse to keep you company." (20)

Musa scowled.

"I know his Albanian's not the best, but is Greek is quite good and should be invaluable in keeping the weapons shipments coming. (21) Besides, I believe the plan is to rotate back some of the old Albania hands eventually. So you'll have someone to keep you honest and practice your English with in no time."

"Eventually…"

"We may have written the book on modern guerrilla warfare, but there really is only so much to tell. I'm sure that Percy, myself, and others will all outlive our usefulness eventually. They only want us right now because they've got no bloody idea what they're doing but that won't last. At the rate the Nazis are plundering Europe to feed their war machine, I doubt the SOE will be wanting for local volunteers. Europe's going to light itself aflame with or without our help. (22) All we're doing is throwing a bit more fuel on the fire as it were. Once that happens the plan is to rotate men back like I said. Only a handful of my men speak other languages and more than a few have quite a good grasp of Shqip so I'd place a large wager that the more adventurous will be returning. Percy in particular! Lord knows we had to almost drug him to get him to leave."

The man does love his Scouts… Even though the man had children of his own, the Scouts were in many ways like an extended family to him. Rumor had it that he knew almost all of them by name and had only begrudgingly accepted the King's insistence on their incorporation into the resistance. Though that reluctance had turned to pride once the former Scouts became the backbone of the Resistance with even the youngest serving as vital spies and liaisons between increasingly decentralized çetas, he still mourned the losses they suffered. Only time would tell if he could shepherd the organization back into the peaceful mold he had imagined prior to the war.(23)

"And you?"

Stirling shook his head "That'll be a bit harder to arrange, I'll grant you that. I'm the continuity after all. Churchill can draw a straight line with me, Lawrence of Arabia to Albania to the SOE in Europe. (24) For all my insistence that it was really you and Zog who were doing most of the work, you know how some Brits can be… Churchill in particular… Still, they've got to afford me some privileges don't they?"

"One would think so." Musa said and extended his hand. He had no use for extended goodbyes. "Until we see each other again Colonel."

"Indeed, Minister." Stirling said with a smile as he shook it. "For all our fighting we did some truly amazing work didn't we? Back in 1931 the Gendarmerie could barely wipe its own ass…"

"…Deliberately so…" Musa shot back with a twinkle in his eye.

"Indeed! And now…I'd wager the old Gendarmes are doing better than the Army in hitting the Italians where it hurts. All that training is paying off…"

"You don't want to leave do you?"

"…You know me, I've never much liked desks…"

Reaching into his pocket, Musa pulled out a file and gave it to the man.

"What's this for?"

"The chains."

Notes:

17. A small mountain village south of Korça

18. See Part V. Sorry if this seems rushed, but the friendship between Musa and Stirling that grew as they worked together to reform the Gendarmerie received more time in earlier drafts. I still wanted to keep a bit of it though.

19. Keep in mind that in OTL most Albanians barely saw any occupying forces if they lived away from the major cities and farms and that was without an effective partisan force to speak of.

20. Christopher Montague "Monty" Woodhouse was a key figure in the SOE's Greek activities from 1941 in OTL.

21. Woodhouse also was one of the few SOE agents to speak Greek in OTL.

22. Remember that the Nazis have far less Gold than they did in OTL due to the defection of French West Africa. As a result, they are pillaging Europe more thoroughly to help prepare for the invasion of the USSR.

23. Jocelyn Percy succeeded Stirling as leader of the Gendarmerie in 1926 after the Italians insisted that he be removed and was the big proponent of an Albanian Scout organization in OTL. In TTL Stirling is not fired in 1931 due to Zog's stronger position against the Italians and continues to exercise considerable influence on the Gendarmerie and Musa Juka so Percy has more time to spend on the Scouts and is thus far more invested.

24. Sterling served with Lawrence in OTL as his chief of staff and was by all accounts a tough old man, surviving several gunshots during an attempted assassination in 1948.