Spiro Moisiu
Encyclopedia
Spiro Moisiu was the Commander General of the Albanian National Liberation Army during World War II. He was the father of the former President of Albania, Alfred Moisiu
.
, in the well known family of Moisiu and he was a relative of the famous actor Alexander Moissi. His father was killed in 1913 by the rebel forces who opposed the Albanian government of Ismail Qemali
. After he finished the elementary school in Kavajë and Durrës
he was sent to complete his education in a college of Vienna
Austria. He returned from Austria in 1919 and after following a military course directed by German and Austrian instructors in Tirana he was graduated as lieutenant. In 1920 as a member of the Albanian governmental forces he was appointed in the protection forces of the Congress of Lushnje. Later that year he was appointed as a chief of staff of Albanian government brigade fighting against Serb forces in Martanesh area. In the democratic revolution of June 1924 he supported the revolutionary forces led by Fan Noli. In December 1924 when Ahmet Zogu forces returned in Albania supported by Yugoslav forces he fought against him in the Battle of Tujan Scale. After Ahmet Zogu returned to power Spiro Moisiu did not emigrate like the majority of his friends but remained in Albania profiting from the amnesty that Zogu gave to most of them who participated in the uprising of June 1924.
region. He organised the forces at his disposal to make a stand in Shëngjin
. Seeing the superiority of Italian forces and not wanting his forces to surrender to Italians, he along with his men exiled in Yugoslavia and remained there until the beginning of 1940.
Accepting an invitation for his reinstatement in Albanian governmental forces he returned to Albania and in the end of 1940 while he was the commander of Tomorri battalion he was sent to the Italian-Greek front. He did not want to fight against the Greeks and along with other Albanian major Prenk Previsi he withdrew his men from the front and induced many Albanians to desertion. After that he was deported in a military post in Laç and kept under strict surveillance until the Italian High Military Cort condemned him with death penalty for desertion from the front line. This condemn was later transformed in only his dismissal form military service, because the Italians feared a mutiny of the Albanian soldiers who were still under Italian command.
region. He was there contacted by communists who on July 1943 proposed him to be the General Commander of Albanian National Liberation Army. He had the merit of turning the dispersed and not so organized Albanian resistance forces into a regular army. Under his military leadership the Albanian National Liberation Army was able to withstand two major offensives of Germans in winter 1943-44 and in June 1944 while in the same time kept them under constant attacks, to win the war with the opponents of Balli Kombëtar
, Legaliteti and other nationalist forces who opposed the Albanian National Liberation Army and in the end to liberate the country on November 29, 1944 being the only country in Europe to have done so without the participation of Allied forces.
Alfred Moisiu
was the fourth President of the Republic of Albania from July 24, 2002 to July 24, 2007. He is the son of Albanian Army general Spiro Moisiu....
.
Early life
Spiro Moisiu was born in 1900 in the small city of KavajëKavajë
Kavajë or Kavaja, capital of Kavajë District, Tirana County is a city situated on the western inlands, just a few kilometers off the Adriatic Sea, in Central Albania.The District of Kavajë has a population of 82,921 inhabitants as of January 1, 2010....
, in the well known family of Moisiu and he was a relative of the famous actor Alexander Moissi. His father was killed in 1913 by the rebel forces who opposed the Albanian government of Ismail Qemali
Ismail Qemali
Ismail Qemal Bej Vlora or commonly Ismail Qemali and in Turkish İsmail Kemal Bey or İsmail Kemal Vlora , was a distinguished leader of the Albanian national movement, founder of the modern Albanian state and its first head of state and government.-Life:He was born in Avlonya to a noble family...
. After he finished the elementary school in Kavajë and Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
he was sent to complete his education in a college of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Austria. He returned from Austria in 1919 and after following a military course directed by German and Austrian instructors in Tirana he was graduated as lieutenant. In 1920 as a member of the Albanian governmental forces he was appointed in the protection forces of the Congress of Lushnje. Later that year he was appointed as a chief of staff of Albanian government brigade fighting against Serb forces in Martanesh area. In the democratic revolution of June 1924 he supported the revolutionary forces led by Fan Noli. In December 1924 when Ahmet Zogu forces returned in Albania supported by Yugoslav forces he fought against him in the Battle of Tujan Scale. After Ahmet Zogu returned to power Spiro Moisiu did not emigrate like the majority of his friends but remained in Albania profiting from the amnesty that Zogu gave to most of them who participated in the uprising of June 1924.
Military service under Zog monarchy
Admitting his excellent capacities Zogu reintegrated Spiro Moisiu in the Albanian governmental forces. His military career was developed further when he finished in 1929-30 with excellent results the military school of "Officers perfectionism" in Tirana under the direction of Italian instructors. After finishing the first of his course among other 43 officers he was appointed as captain. During the Zog monarchy he served in different cities, while during the anti-governmental Insurrection of Fier in 1935, he maintained his loyalty to king Zog fighting against the mutineers. During 1937-38 he finished again with excellent results the studies in military school for high officers in Tirana and was graduated as major.Italian period
In April 1939 during the Italian fascist aggression he was the commander of border forces in the ShkodërShkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
region. He organised the forces at his disposal to make a stand in Shëngjin
Shëngjin
Shëngjin is a coastal town in the Lezha District, northwestern Albania. The town is home to one of Albania's entry ports, Port of Shëngjin....
. Seeing the superiority of Italian forces and not wanting his forces to surrender to Italians, he along with his men exiled in Yugoslavia and remained there until the beginning of 1940.
Accepting an invitation for his reinstatement in Albanian governmental forces he returned to Albania and in the end of 1940 while he was the commander of Tomorri battalion he was sent to the Italian-Greek front. He did not want to fight against the Greeks and along with other Albanian major Prenk Previsi he withdrew his men from the front and induced many Albanians to desertion. After that he was deported in a military post in Laç and kept under strict surveillance until the Italian High Military Cort condemned him with death penalty for desertion from the front line. This condemn was later transformed in only his dismissal form military service, because the Italians feared a mutiny of the Albanian soldiers who were still under Italian command.
General Commander of Albanian National Liberation Army
After his retirement from military service he was sent to the BeratBerat
Berat is a town located in south-central Albania. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat...
region. He was there contacted by communists who on July 1943 proposed him to be the General Commander of Albanian National Liberation Army. He had the merit of turning the dispersed and not so organized Albanian resistance forces into a regular army. Under his military leadership the Albanian National Liberation Army was able to withstand two major offensives of Germans in winter 1943-44 and in June 1944 while in the same time kept them under constant attacks, to win the war with the opponents of Balli Kombëtar
Balli Kombëtar
Balli Kombëtar was an Albanian nationalist, anti-communist and anti-monarchy organization established in October 1939. It was led by Ali Këlcyra and Mit’hat Frashëri...
, Legaliteti and other nationalist forces who opposed the Albanian National Liberation Army and in the end to liberate the country on November 29, 1944 being the only country in Europe to have done so without the participation of Allied forces.
Yugoslav oppose
He opposed the model proposed by Yugoslavs for the reorganization of the Albanian Army, preferring Soviet instructors sustaining that the Yugoslav instructors were themselves incapable of such a duty. Following his idea he sent many Albanian officers in the URSS military academies in order to create a new generation of Albanian officers.Retirement
During a trial in 1946 on of the defendants sustained that they had the support of Spiro Moisiu in a possible coup d'état. This led to his discharge form his active duty and military service while he was only 46 years old.See also
- History of AlbaniaHistory of AlbaniaThe history of Albania emerges from the prehistoric stage from the 4th century BC, with early records of Illyria in Greco-Roman historiography. The modern territory of Albania has no counterpart in antiquity, comprising parts of the Roman provinces of Dalmatia , Macedonia , and Moesia Superior...
- Military history of Albania during World War IIMilitary history of Albania during World War IIThe Albanian Resistance of World War II was a movement of largely Communist persuasion directed against the occupying Italian and then German forces in Albania, which led to the successful liberation of the country in 1944....