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).[2][3]
Albanian Kingdom
8 September 1943
29 November 1944
28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi)
52,667 km2 (20,335 sq mi)
1,063,893
1,701,463
Franga (1943–1944)
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]
Demographics[edit]
Using Italian estimates from July 1941 the population of the Albanian Kingdom was estimated at 1,850,000. The total population of "old Albania" (encompassing pre 1941 borders) stood at 1,100,000, while "new Albania" (consisting of Kosovo, Debar and parts of Montenegro) was 750,000.[42] The Kingdom consisted of approximately 1,190,000 (64.3%) Muslims (Sunni and Bektashi) and 660,000 (35.6%) Christians (Catholic and Orthodox).[42] The new state consisted of two main minority groups, the Serbs of Kosovo and recent Italian Colonists scattered across Albania.[13]