German occupation of Albania

Albanian Kingdom
*Mbretëria Shqiptare* (Albanian) *Albanisches Königreich* (German)
Albanian Kingdom Mbretëria Shqiptare (Albanian) Albanisches Königreich (German)
1943–1944
	Flag Coat of arms
	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 / 41.517°N 19.800°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)
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Italian protectorate of Albania
Democratic Government of Albania
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia
	^ As Chairman of the Provisional Executive Committee ; ^ As Chairman of the Provisional Administration Committee ;

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).^[2]^[3]

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.^[4]^[5] 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.^[6]

^ Pearson, Owen (2006). Albania in Occupation and War: From Fascism to Communism 1940-1945. I.B.Tauris. p. 272. ISBN 978-1-84511-104-5.
^ Cite error: The named reference Fischer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Owen Pearson (2006). Albania in the Twentieth Century, A History. Vol. III: Albania as Dictatorship and Democracy, 1945–99. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-105-2.
^ Thomas, Nigel; Abbott, Peter (2010). Partisan Warfare 1941-45. Bloomsbury USA. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-85045-513-7. Balli Kombetar, however, preferred German rule to Italian and, believing that only the Germans would allow Kosovo to remain Albanian after the war, began to collaborate.
^ Winnifrith, Tom (2002). Badlands, Borderlands: A History of Northern Epirus/Southern Albania. Duckworth. ISBN 978-0-7156-3201-7. Balle Kombetar, strongly Albanian nationalist, Muslim and at times pro-German
^ Robert Elsie. "Balli Kombëtar: The Ten-Point Programme". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.

[A-2] As Chairman of the Provisional Executive Committee

[B-3] As Chairman of the Provisional Administration Committee

[1] Pearson, Owen (2006). Albania in Occupation and War: From Fascism to Communism 1940-1945. I.B.Tauris. p. 272. ISBN 978-1-84511-104-5.

[Fischer-6] Cite error: The named reference Fischer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Owen_Pearson-7] Owen Pearson (2006). Albania in the Twentieth Century, A History. Vol. III: Albania as Dictatorship and Democracy, 1945–99. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-105-2.

[8] Thomas, Nigel; Abbott, Peter (2010). Partisan Warfare 1941-45. Bloomsbury USA. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-85045-513-7. Balli Kombetar, however, preferred German rule to Italian and, believing that only the Germans would allow Kosovo to remain Albanian after the war, began to collaborate.

[9] Winnifrith, Tom (2002). Badlands, Borderlands: A History of Northern Epirus/Southern Albania. Duckworth. ISBN 978-0-7156-3201-7. Balle Kombetar, strongly Albanian nationalist, Muslim and at times pro-German

[10] Robert Elsie. "Balli Kombëtar: The Ten-Point Programme". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.

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