THE ALBANIAN ARMY AND POLICE FORCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R000800190002-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 5, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: August 8, 1947
• Content Type: IR

Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved forRelease2012/09/05 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000800190002-5
steFetteowrRat
u. s. oppicuts ONLY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP
MIELL0fAX INTELLIGENCE REPORT
COUNTRY Albania
SUBJECT The Albanian Army and Police Force
ORIGIN
DATE
INFO.
DIST. iLugust 3924750X1-HUM
PAGES 3
SqPPLEMENT
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fOINI
EX L XiX
STAT I WAR I NAVY JUSTICE
,rgarLization and Strength
1. The Albanian Army' is organised into three Corps, each having two divisions
under its command. A division is composed of three infantry and one artillery
regiments, plus engineers and other services. There is also in the Albanian
Army one "People's Guards" Division, composed o, three regiments. '
2. Total strength is about 80,000 officJgband but this figure is likely
to increase as a number of classes have rec been called up. The
strength of the various groups within the an is as follows:
Officers and N. C 0.8
Artillery
Infantry
Engineers and other services
"People's Guards"
Po/ice
Yugoslav specialists
12,000
5,000
35,000
5,000
15,000
7,000
2,000
3. Each infantry regiment consists of three battalions, each having 200 to
300 men. Each batt as and a mortar section usually
armed with 81 mm. mortars. Each company 50X1-HUM
consists of four platoons with two German quick-firing rifles
and one Breda heavy machine gun.
4. The "People's Guards" Division has the function of an armed police force.
Its three regiments are divided up into twenty-four aasualt brigades with
specialist battalions made up of Frontier Guards.
The police force proper, the D.H.P. (People's Defense Division) commanded
by General Koci Xoxe, has recently been completely reorganised and now
consists of the following groups:
Political Police (in civilian clothes)
Mountain Police
Harbor Police
Highway Police (mans check points on the roads)
CONFIDENTIAL
DoetUnent No. P.P...--4?44-1-rre1irt 10 N TrAtitt,-, CONTSOL
NO CHANGE in Class. 0
Class. CHANGED TO: TS S
0 DECLASSIFIED
DDA Nemo, 4 APT* 77
Auth: DDA REG . 77 "
Date:
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/05: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800190002-5
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.1?R?militaksienonsm
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/05: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800190002-5
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. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP
- 2 -
Eguiprient
6. Army equipment is beginning to attain a certain homgeneity. Until recently
it consisted largely of small arms and mortars of miscellaneous types used
by the Albanian partisans, and included little artillery. T4are were only
a feu 75/13 and 75/17 field guns and a few German anti-tank
guns.
y. Since the war Soviet and Yugoslav equipment, including artillery, has been
delivered, mainly in Soviet vessels and in Yugoslav sailboats. In 1946
twenty heavy tanks were delivered from the USSR via Yugoslavia.
0. Recently the 3rd Corps at Argyrocastro received consignments of munitions
which were delivered by sea in Yugoslav vessels. This corps has also
recently received several dozens of 75/17 field gums from the USSR as well
as large quantities of hand grenades, woolen clothing, boots and rations.
Soviet instructors are training troops under this corps in the use of the
newly arrived long-barreled machine guns.
Locations
9. 3rd Amy Corps
"People's Guards,' Division
1st Regiment
2nd Regiment
3rd (iitorized) Regt.
1st Infantry Division
1st Regiment
2nd Regiment
3rd Regiment
Artillery Rogt.
2nd Infantry Division
1st Regiment
2nd Regiment
3rd Regiment
Artillery Regt.
3rd Infantry Division
1st Regiment
2nd Regiment
3rd Regiment
Artillery Regt.
OftiLIPLLITIAL
LiDeclassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved forRelease2012/09/05 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000800190002-5
.50VNET/CONTROL
U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP
- 3 -
WIT School
Cavalry School
esur
Tirana
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Tirana. The first cavalry squad-
rons have recently been activated
and are in training by members of
the Soviet mission.
10. In 1946 the Ministries of War and National Defense spent between them
123,882,000 Albanian francs. Included in this total are the costs of
constructing military roads running toward the Greek frontier.
limplav and Soviet Influences
U. Albanian territory is freely used by the Yugoslav Army. Locations of
Yugoslav troops at present in Albania are as follows:
Bilishti (on the Greek frontier) "Ochrida? Division made up of Serbs
and Montenegrins.
Elbasan
A regiment of Macedonians and
COssovars.
Pogradetz (Qafa Loka) An artillery regiment.
12. Recently about 1,500 Albanian em-partisams, together with recruits, were
sent to Yugoslavia. Albanian armored troop cadets have been sent to Bola
Grvue, near the Rumanian frontier.
13. All Albanian army medical services are under the control of the Soviet
medical mission which arrived in Tirana in January.
14. A Soviet mountain artillery regiment is stationed in the area Erseke-Tode-
Leskovik.
This document contains Information
affecting the national defense of the
United States within the meaning of
the Espionage Act, 500 U.S.C. 31 and
32 as amended. Its transmission or
the revelation of its contents in any
manner to an unauthorized person is
prohibited by law.
CONFIDENTIAL
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U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/05: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800190002-5