Draft:Landing in Vlorë(1949)
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| Landing in Vlorë | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Cold War and Operation Valuable | |||||||
_-_btv1b10104098m.jpg) Old map showing the region of Vlorë | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
 Soviet Union |
Western Bloc:  Albanian exiles[1] | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Enver Hoxha Mehmet Shehu Kim Philby |
 Dean Acheson Frank Wisner Franklin Lindsay James G. McCargar David Smiley Julian Amery | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
 Albanian People's Army Albanian People's Ground Force Albanian People's Navy Sigurimi |
| ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Minimal or None | Most operatives killed or captured | ||||||
The Landing in Vlorë(Albanian: Zbarkimi në Vlorë) was a failed secret mission in 1949 by British and American intelligence to weaken and overthrow Albania’s communist government, led by Enver Hoxha[4].Trained Albanian exiles were sent to start an uprising, but the plan was exposed by Soviet double agent Kim Philby.[1] Albanian forces captured or killed most of the operatives, making the operation a major victory for Communist Albania.
Background
[edit]Albania was in an unenviable position after World War II,[5] as Greece claimed Albanian lands.[5] The Western Allies recognized neither King Zog I nor a republican government-in-exile, nor did they ever raise the question of Albania or its borders at major wartime conferences.[5] No reliable statistics on Albania's wartime losses exist, but the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration reported about 30,000 Albanian dead from the war, 200 destroyed villages, 18,000 destroyed houses, and about 100,000 people made homeless.[5] Albanian official statistics claim higher losses.[5]
British plans for the overthrow of Hoxha and the communist regime in Albania had existed since 1946.[6] The Russia Committee, established in 1946 by the British Foreign Office, was created to oppose the extension of Soviet control by promoting civil strife in Russia's western border nations.[7]
Aftermath
[edit]The Landing in Vlorë failed, with infiltrators captured or killed. It strengthened Enver Hoxha’s regime and exposed Soviet infiltration in Western intelligence through Kim Philby.[2]
Impact
[edit]The Landing in Vlorë failure strengthened Hoxha's regime and boosted communist propaganda. For the CIA and MI6, it exposed flaws and Soviet infiltration through Philby, damaging trust between the agencies and forcing a rethink of Cold War strategies.[2]
See Also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Prados 2006, p. 63.
- ^ a b c "BBC World Service - World Update, The CIA's Secret Failure in Albania". BBC. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Gloyer, Gillian (2008). Albania: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-246-0.
- ^ "Η άγνωστη αποτυχημένη προσπάθεια ανατροπής του Ενβέρ Χότζα από Βρετανούς και Αμερικανούς (1949 – 1958) και ο ρόλος της Ελλάδας". www.protothema.gr. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
- ^ a b c d e Sudetic, Charles (1994). "World War II and the Rise of Communism, 1941-44". In Raymond E. Zickel; Walter R. Iwaskiw (eds.). Albania: A Country Study (2nd ed.). Federal Research Division. ISBN 0-8444-0792-5. LCCN 93042885. OCLC 165149425. OL 1431418M. Wikidata Q100997825.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Οι προσπάθειες ανατροπής του Ενβέρ Χότζα από Βρετανούς και Αμερικανούς και ο ρόλος της Ελλάδας". www.himara.gr. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Lulushi, Albert (3 June 2014). Operation Valuable Fiend: The CIA's First Paramilitary Strike Against the Iron Curtain. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781628723946. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
