ORDER OF BATTLE DATA ON ALBANIAN ARMED FORCES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R014300360001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 7, 2006
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 14, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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FEB 1952 51-~~N
CLASSIFICATION SECRET/CON7OL m U,S0 OFFICIALS ONLY
SECURITY INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT
CD NO.
COUNTRY Albania
SUBJECT Order of Battle
Data on Albanian Armed Forces
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE
ACQUIRED
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 793
AND 794, OF THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE-
DATE DISTR. Octo>t sr 1952
NO. OF PAGES 4
NO. OF ENCLS,
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. Composition of the Albanian Armed Forceas
25X1 a. Your infantry divisions d 6,000 men each.
b. One armored brigade m 500 men.
c. One antiaircraft artillery regiment m 800 men.
d. One antitank artillery regiment v 4.00 men.
e. One boast artillery brigade. --% men.
f. One signal regiment - 750 men.
One motor transport unit ? 600 men and 450 vehicles.
2. Disposition of Unites
a. Headquarters of the Albanian Armed Forces in located in Tirana.
b. 1 Infantry Division, Tirana.
c. 5 Infantry Division, Gjinokaeter.
d. 6 Infantry Division, Shkoder.
e. 8 Infantry Division, Koroe.
f. Unidentified armored brigade, Tirana.
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g? Headquarters of the coast artillery. brigade is located in Durres and its bat-
talions are located in Durres, Navaje9 Vlone9 Sa ?ande9 and the Island of Saseno.
3 Strength
a. Army
b. Navy
c. Air Force
d. Frontier Guards and Sigurimi units
Special Purouit Brigade
f. Police guards
4.
409000 officers and men
500 officers and men
500 officers and men
169000 officers and men
29500 officers and man
79000 officers and. men
Armaments used by all units of the .armed forces 8
a. Army - equipped mainly with Soviet type armaments and some German and Italian
equipment.
b. Frontier Guards - Italian and German type arms. None of the Frontier Guards
have been equipped with Soviet, arms.
c. State Police Guards and Sigurimi troops m German arms.
Vii, Municipal Police Italian rifles.
e, Pursuit Brigade German arms.
5. Armaments used by infantry unitss
a, Antitank guns 14.5 mm Soviet type.
b. Mortara 82 mm9 107 mm and 120 mm Soviet typo.
c, Antitank, guns 9 45 mm and 76.2 mi~ Soviet type.
d. Mountain guns 9 75/13 Italian type and 76.2 mm Soviet type.
e, Field guns, 76.2 mm Soviet type.
f. Antiaircraft guns, 76.2 mm9 37 mm Soviet type, 20 mm German and Czechoslovakian
type and 88 mm German type.
Rifles 9 automatic rifles 9 submachine guns 9 light machine guns, heavy machine
guns are of 7.62 mm Soviet type.
6. Armaments used by coast artillery units
a. 202 mm, and 152 mm guns Soviet type.
b. 150 and 105 mm gins German andCzsohoslovakian type.
7. Tanker
a. Sixty T 34/85 Soviet model.
b. Forty, old Italian and German model.
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c. Twenty., armored cars, Soviet model0
d0 Soviet SU 76, 24 inch self-propelled guns.
80 Aircraft-.
An unspecified number of Soviet YAKee and jet fighters are expected, There are
rumors that parts for approximately 60 Soviet planes have arrived and are being
assembled,
9. Navy
Six Soviet motor torpedo boats have been assembled in Vlone harbor by Soviet
specialists from parts brought from the Soviet Union. Each boat is ten meters
long, has a speed of 25 knots., carries a crew of fifteen men.,and mounts three
45 mm guns0
b0 In addition there are four Italian 70 ton patrol boats, five Italian 20 ton
NL B0?s., three Soviet 15 ton M.B,ue, and one German coastguard boat0 All are
lightly armed0 There are also an unspecified number of Italian and Soviet
small craft, and four midget submarines0
10. Total armament and equipment-.
200 field and mountain guns
140 antitank guns
90 antiaircraft guns
100 coastal guns
350 light mortars
150 heavy mortars
125 vehicles
60 T 34/85 Soviet type tank
25 motorboats
4 midget submarines
10 Y". fighters
70 unidentified type planes brought from the USSR
110 Mobilization8
a0 All units currently on active status can be brought to wartime strength within
one week0 Twro+e.dditional divisions can be organized within a month's time,
b0 Each year there are two mobilization calls, one in the awpring and the other in
the fall. Generally two classes are serving at one time0 There are approxi-
mately 12,000 men in each class.
c0 There are 6,OO0 regular officers and noncommissioned officers in the Army, and
approximately 5,000 former servicemen in the officers'reserve, Each year
reservists are called for a two month tour of active duty for refresher training,
d0 The total number of men between 15 to 50 years of age available for service in
200,000.
120 Military Districts,
There are three military districts.- Tirana, under the command of General MOISE SP 1l
Berat, under the command of General TARIR QUANDARAJEpe Shkoder under the command of
General SUKIT PEQI.
130 Morale,
Officers are devoted to their service, They,are well paid and well looked aftet?0
A large number of officers in the army, navy, and air force are sent to the Soviet
Union for training. The morale in the officers reserve, however, is very low,
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14., Organization and Defenses s
a, Every infantry division.has three infantry regiments each consisting of three
battalions and one artillery regiment. Units are especially trained and
equipped for mountain warfare, The general-mission of the Army is said to be
defensive,
b. Field and semi=permanent light fortifications have been constructed along,
Albania,us land frontiers. Two independent infantry regiments are statioed
along the coastal frontier. Minefields are layed opposite the island of
Corfu, between Sarande and Hima,re. A double minefield is located at the en-
trance of alone Bay between the Island of Saseno and the mainland,
15. Airfields.
There are airfields at Durres., Tirana., Vlone, and Berat. Seaplane bases are located
at Vlone and Durres. landing fields are located at Gjinokaster9 Korceg ICukesp
Shkoder, Kopkiks, Peshkepig Peq,in9 I,oaing(sic) and. Fier,
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