MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION ON ALBANIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R004800500004-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 17, 2013
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: May 11, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/10/17: CIA-RDP82-00457R004800500004-7
. CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
?
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO,
Albania
BRIFORMATOON REPORT
CONFin
I-JEW-JAL
Viscellaneous Information on Albania
CD NO.
DATE DISTR. Ir mAy
NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
50
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
A.
Albanian Army
1. In addition to the regular forces in the Albanian Army, drawn from
the classes of 1904 - 1929, there are auxiliary troops, as follows:
a.
About 10 000 "cadets" (from 14 to 18 years of age), armed with
carbines and various types of machine guns. They
wear military uniforms with cadet insignia and live in barracks.
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b. About 6,000 women assigned to auxiliary services. They are armed
with Soviet-type automatic carbines and with automatic pistols.
C. A few thousand pro-Communist peasants, armed with hunting rifles.
Recruiting is done by the conscription system. Voluntary enlist-
ment is permitted only for officers.
2. There are many schools for training military personnel of all ranks.
The officers and noncommissioned officers are selected according to
their political ideology. One who is completely subservient to the
government and proves his loyalty to Communism with deeds, is slated
for rapid advancement. The prestige of military personnel, especially
officers, is great throughout the country, as much of the authority
of the state is in the hands of the military authorities.
Discipline in the army and among the auxiliary forces leaves much
to be desired. Frequently officers may be seen in the city streets
noisily consorting with women and soldiers of lower rank. The moral
of the troops is rather low, chiefly because of their pay, which is
ridiculously inadequate to meet living costs. The soldiers are well
fed, but cannot support their families on their pay. The troops
appear to be loyal to the rovornment, but in reality at least 60
per cent of them are opposed to the regime. The most loyal are found
among those from the southern provinces of Korce, Gjinokaster, and
Sarande. The least loyal come from Shkoder (almost all of them are 50X1-
Catholic), Durres, Tirana, and the coastal district
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I in case
ox revolt they would be willing to fight against the present govern-
ment, and maintain that it could be overthrown easily if there were
a push from outside()
STATE
NFI
ENTIAL:
CLASSIFICATION s 7. rirtootirrftca. _ TT R WS" I ? TAT q
DISTRIBUTION
ARMY
e,
ihereoy regraded to L
n accor ance with the
etter of 16 October 1978 from the
Director of Central Intelligence to the
Archivist of the United StaZes.
Next Review Date: 2008
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Document No
Noihants
Eti DtclesL:-
Class. CIsa:cl
Auth.: q
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/10/11: .CIA-14DP82-00457R004800500004-7
;
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/10/17: CIA-RDP82-00457R004800500004-7
Spelt.17.1;NTROL - U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP
-2-
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4.
Tho infantry is armed with small arms, heavy machine
guns, a
few
mortars, and a few small guns. These weapons reportedly
came from
the Armies, and were not furnished
by the
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ussp.
5.
The artillery has many weapons of all calibers and
types, from
pack artillery to the large-caliber artillery
suppled by
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6.
There are said to be 22 tanks, of which three are
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light
one medium-heavy the others medium and heavy
Soviet
(the last being similar in type
and size).
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7.
The pontonier unit of the engineers has a pontoon bridge
and much material necessary for repairing iron bridges, suppliei by
Yugoslavia two or three years ago.
8.
The cavalry is equipped with all the latest Soviet equipment. It
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used to be in Tirana on garrison dutY
Albanian Na
1.
Albania, which has no naval units as such, has two small gunboats,
each armed with a small 40 millimeter gun, and five
submarine chasers armed with machine guns. Propaganda maintains
that the USSR will give Albania naval vessels, but
nobody believes this.
2. Along the coast between Durres and Cape Pali there are two old
coast artillery emplacements, on which camouflage work has boon done
recently, so that the guns are no longer visible from the coast. A
third emplacement half-way between Durres and Cape Pali is under
construction. The work is being done by 200 senora. Materials
are transported at night.
3. Five miles from the sea between Durres and Revajo, a pontoon has
recently been operating for about a month; it is.said to have been
laying minas. At one point of the barricade, two signal buoys with
battery-operated electric lights, one red and one green, have boon
set/ up.
a In Durres harbor, construction
of reinforced concrete,
is in progress
on a now breakwater
5- 'Despite the lack of warships, Albania has many
sailors andnaval officers, all of whom year uniforms
C. Albanian Air Force
1.
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the Albanian Air Force has a total of two or
three aircraft. It has very few aviation personnel, who wear Uni-
forms There are practically no specialists.
Apparently the government is not considering the formation of an
effective air force, but depends upon the protection of the Soviet
Air Force in case of need.
2. 'There are three airfields in Albania (one each at Tirana, Gjinokaster,
and Korco), which are kept clear and in fair condition. Soviet and
Balkan civilian and military aircraft land there. These fields,
however, have no modern equipment, and the sheds and hangars that
were destroyed by Allied bombing during the war have not been rebuilt.
lart