ALBANIAN ORDER OF BATTLE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002700510001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 7, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 1, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For qe I ~1 P82-0?Q,
COUNTRY Albania
SUBJECT Albanian Order of Battle
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF INF
Army
DATE DISTR.13 MY 3,949
NO. OF PAGES 2
~A t1~~HnY NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW) 25X A2g 25X1 A2g
25X1A6a
REPORT NO.
l. The bulk of the Albanian Army is organized into three infantry divisions,
of seven to eight thousand men each., equipped with arms of Russian manu-
facture. Each division is composed of three regiments of infantry and
one regiment of artillery,
2,a The,. headquarters of 1 Division, commanded by Colonel Peqi, is at
Argirokastro- Headquarters of 2 Division, commanded by Colonel Nexhip
Velcani, is at Korce. Headquarters of 3 Division is at Tirana.
3. Each divisional artillery regiment consists of three battalions of artillery
and one company of 107 mm. mortars. 'Each battalion includes a machine gun
company-
The Army possesses both medium and heavy artillery, with pieces ranging
in character from 75/13 mm. to 205/15 mm. Pieces of the latter type are
of Russian manufacture.
5. Heavy, l8ng-range pieces have been mounted along the Adriatic coast, some
of which are probably of a caliber larger than 205/1.5. The following
coastal emplacements can be listed on the basis of present information-
a. Sarande - five pieces, caliber 205/15,
.f. Saseno island -? number and caliber of pieces unknown.,
d. Logora - eight pieces, caliber 205/15? Auth
Date
e. Karaburun - three pieces, caliber 205/15.
c. Himare - five pieces, caliber 205/15. Class
Doczume:rnt Pa.
b. Shen Vasil - five pieces, caliber 205115. $p.. (
Fusha e Sopikut - three pieces, caliber 2?5/15, and six pieces, caliber
75/13.
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ho R" ergucat - seven pieces of heavy caliber.
l)ofeneive Construction
6? The work of fortifying Saseno Island, Vlone, and the Karaburun peninsula
continues, although the exact nature of the defenses being erected is not
.nown, in Vlone itself, rumors that the Russians are constri ctinpl V-l
and Vc2 launching plAtforms on Saseno continue to be current, alt'-,tough
;nconfirmecdo
Near the Greek.frontier, defonsee consist of trenches, artillery and
machine gun empl.acemen d;s. The artillery emplacements ars located about
si...c to ten kilometers behind the border itself. Anti-tank trenches are
,.onstrueted about four meters wide and six meters deep. One of these runs
across the Lropulw1. plain on the J)ervican-Libohove-Lunxheri line, another
on the ofratike-Nepravishte line, and a third on the JergucatNepravishte
No defenses of the above types are being prepared in northern Albania near
the Yugoslav frontier. The only measures taken after the rupture of
relations with Yugoslavia was a reinforcement of the frontier guards ; be-
o.-re the rift only a few symbolic roamblocks had been maintained on the
frontier . At the present time, the Aumber of d uarcd posts is twice that of
the Pre-19450 period, and each one is manned by 30 to 40 soldiers, Each
guard post, in addition to its complement of rifles., is equipped with one
11 ;ht mortar, and one heavy and one light machine gun. Guard posts on the
Greek frontier have the same equipment, but are generally manned by not
more than 15 men each,
Security measures are most stringent in the zones of Vlone, Karabi run,
fit, e Ftotit, and Saseno Island. The coast is carefully patrolled between
Sarande and Durres; it is not heavily patrolled in the areas from Durres
north to the Yugoslav border, except at Potok and. Shengjin,
Depota
I_09 Tirana, Berat, and Elbasan have deposits of arms and munitions of Italian,
0 eruan,, Russian and Czechoslovak manufacture. Depots formerly located at,
.aibraahi have been removed to Elbasan because of danger of attack by
nationalist uerrill.as, Oil and gasoline is stored at Durres. Russia,
hobvever,, has not sent either gas or oil to Albania; on the contrary, since
the rift with Yugoslavia, the major part of the production of Kucova has
gorse to the Soviet Union0
P
z-.1,, The Di.vzsione ! brojte e Popullit M9, composed of 13,000 men, is organized.
Into four regiments, one of which has headquarters at Shkoder and another
I)el
1:. A., division of ordinary police, composed of eight to ten thousand men
,&Atationed throughout the country, has its headquarters in Tirana.
Approved For Release 1999/09/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457R002700510001-9