Royal Albanian Army
| Royal Albanian Army | |
|---|---|
| Ushtria Mbretnore Shqiptare | |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Disbanded | 1939 |
| Service branches | Royal Infantry Royal Artillery Royal Engineers Royal Navy Royal Gendarmerie Royal Guard Royal Border Guard |
| Headquarters | Tirana |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Marshal Zogu[1] |
| Minister of Defence | Xhemal Aranitasi |
| Chief of the General Staff | Gustav von Myrdacz |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18-36 |
| Conscription | 18 months |
| Reserve personnel | 29,860 |
| Deployed personnel | 15,600 |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | 21.3 million Franga in 1938 |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | United Kingdom Italy |
| Related articles | |
| History | International Gendarmerie Italian invasion of Albania |
| Ranks | Military ranks of the Albanian Kingdom |
The Royal Albanian Army (Template:Country data Ushtria Mbretërore Shqiptare) was the army of the Albanian Kingdom and King Zog I of the Albanians from 1928 until 1939. Its commander-in-chief was King Zog; its commander General Xhemal Aranitasi; its Chief of Staff was General Gustav von Myrdacz. The army was mainly financed by Italy from 1936 to 1939.[2]
List of weapons
Artillery
Machine Guns
Guns
Pistols
Manpower and Equipment
Army
- 780 officers + 13,200 soldiers + 1,620 NCOs
- Around 15,000 conscripts (1939)
- 9 military districts
- 12 infantry battalions
- 2 motorised infantry squadrons
- 9 engineer companies
- 1,200 tribal officers + 29,860 tribal militia
- 204 HMG
- 10,700 carbines (Carcano M1891, Mannlicher, Mosin)
- 1,104 revolvers (Glisenti M1889)
- 16,196 rifles (Beretta Model 38 &1918)
- 12 batteries of 65 mm Italian
- 6 batteries of 75 mm Skoda
- 2 batteries of 105 mm Italian
- 2 batteries of 149 mm Italian (8 guns)
- 1 coastal artillery battery in Durrës
- 3 AA artillery batteries
- Two Fiat 3000B tanks
- Six Ansaldo CV.33 tankettes
- Eight armored cars: 2 Bianchi, 6 Lancia IZM
Navy
- 158 personnel
- 2 gunboats (ex-German minesweepers type FM=Flachgehende Minensuchboote)
- 170 t, 43/6/1.7 m, 14 kn., 76 mm gun, 2 MG
- Built in 1918/19, bought c. 1925.
- Shqipnja (ex-FM 16) & Skanderbeg (ex-FM 23)
- 4 Italian MAS boats
- Built & bought in 1926 in Venice
- 46 t, 17 kn., 76 mm gun, 2 MG
- Tirana, Saranda, Durres, Shengjin
- 1 Royal Yacht "Ilirja".
Air Force
- 5 aircraft (Albatros C.XV aka. L.47), of which just 2 remained in service at the time of the Italian invasion.
- 2 Junkers f.13. Transport.
- Unknown number of personnel (some sources estimate around 15)
Gendarmerie
- 131 (officers) + 440 (NCO) + 3,206 (soldiers)
- 6 battalions (every battalion had 500 - 600 men)
- Behind vehicles are the numbers that were in use by the Albanian army
See also
References
- ^ Balliu, Julie. "King Zogu – Albanians in Exile". Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ^ "7 prill 1939, Udhekryqet e mbreti Zog".
- ^ Kidd, R Spencer (October 2013). Military Uniforms in Europe: 1900–2000. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781291187441.
Bibliography
- Piero Crociani, "Gli Albanesi Nelle Forze Armate Italiane (1939-1945)", Roma 2001
- Bernd Fischer, "Albania at War, 1939-1945", London, 1999
- Patrice Najbor, Histoire de l'Albanie et de sa maison royale (5 volumes), JePublie, Paris, 2008, (ISBN 978-2-9532382-0-4).
- Patrice Najbor, La dynastye des Zogu, Textes & Prétextes, Paris, 2002
- Time Magazine, April 17, 1939 (article "A Birth and a Death") & Albania: Zog, Not Scanderbeg (Monday, Jun. 17, 1929)
- "Jane's Fighting Ships", London, various years
- "League of Nations Armaments Yearbook", Geneva, various years 1924-1938
- e-archives of Korrieri, Tiranë Gazeta and other Albanian newspapers
- on-line articles of the Albanian Headquarters and General Staff website
- on-line articles of Ushtria Gazeta (Army Gazette)
| Leadership | |
|---|---|
| Branches | |
| Ranks | |
