Vlora incident
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The Vlora incident was a military confrontation between Albania and the Soviet Union in 1961. The Albanian People's Army blockaded the Vlora naval base, leading to the seizure of Soviet ships and equipment. The incident underscored the escalating diplomatic tensions between the two nations, ultimately resulting in the expulsion of Soviet forces from Albania.[1][2]
Vlora incident | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Cold War and Albanian–Soviet split | |||||||||
Withdrawal of the Soviet Navy from Pasha Liman Base, Vlora (1961) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Belligerents | |||||||||
Albania |
Soviet Union Supported by: North Korea[3] Warsaw Pact:[4][5] | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Enver Hoxha Mehmet Shehu Beqir Balluku |
Nikita Khrushchev Aleksei Antonov[7] Andrei Grechko[8] | ||||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
Albanian Armed Forces Albanian Naval Force |
Soviet Armed Forces 40th Naval Infantry Brigade KGB | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
6,000 soldiers[9] and dozens of artillery[10] | 4,000 soldiers and technicians[11] | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
none |
Material losses seized by the Albanian Army 4 |
Background and prelude (1945–1961)
After World War II, Albania came under communist leadership, and under Enver Hoxha's direction, the country grew to be one of the Soviet Union's closest allies in Europe. The Albanian government received financial and military assistance from the Soviet Union, which also helped to industrialize the nation.[citation needed]
However, in the 1960s, a rift developed between Albania and the Soviet Union as a result of divergent views on how to interpret
In 1960, Enver Hoxha caused a rift with the Soviets after he aligned his military with China.
The Soviet position in the Mediterranean
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union tried to increase its military presence and influence outside of its boundaries, notably in the Mediterranean area. The stance of the Soviet Union in the Mediterranean was mainly intended to counter the United States and NATO, who maintained a sizable naval presence in the area. The Soviet Union was successful in increasing its naval presence in the Mediterranean. Albania was one instance of this, giving the Soviet Union a portion of its coastline as part of the latter's swift push into the Mediterranean.[23] While comparatively insignificant politically and economically to the Soviet Union, Albania allowed the country to establish a strong military base that housed marines and larger units similar to destroyers.[24][25]
Vlora Base
Vlora Base, also known as
In 1961, the Albanian government decided to use military force to expel the Soviet forces from Albania and to take control of four of the twelve Soviet submarines. On April 7, 1961, Albanian troops began to position the Vlora base and encircle the Soviet soldiers. Soviet forces were ordered to evacuate the base and leave Albania. Soviet troops initially resisted, but after several days of siege and negotiations, an agreement was reached. Soviet forces left the Vlora base on April 12, 1961 and withdrew from Albania.[27] The Soviets withdrew, recalling eight submarines.[28]
After the Soviets tried to leave Albania, they were pursued by the Albanian Naval Force and threatened with gunships. During this crisis, a group of Soviets were killed and a Soviet ship was destroyed by the Albanian army.[12]
Following these events, Khrushchev sought revenge on Albania. In 1962 he engaged with Warsaw Pact members on how they could launch an invasion of Albania. However, this plan was curtailed by the advent of the Cuban Missile Crisis.[29]
Aftermath
It led to the expulsion of the
See also
- Face to Face (1979 film) Albanian film adaptation of the 1961 military conflict with the Soviets
References
- ^ Prifti, Peter R. (1971). Albania and Sino-Soviet Relations, 1971. Indiana University: Center for International Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. p. 35.
- ^ Abstracts, Russian and East European Series. ABSEES. 1971.
- ^ https://www.nknews.org/2019/08/comrades-disunited-north-korea-and-the-soviet-albanian-split/
- ^ ""Shqiptarët tentuan t'i merrnin të 12 nëndetëset!"- Zbardhet dokumenti sekret i arkivave sovjetike: Si dështoi plani që baza t'i kalonte Traktatit të Varshavës" (in Albanian). Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ "ГОТОВИЛСЯ ЛИ ПЕРЕВОРОТ В АЛБАНИИ? "ДЕЛО Т. СЕЙКО": ВЕРСИИ". libmonster.ru. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
- ^ "The Vlora incident—the whole story of Albanian submarine defection". min.news. 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
- ^ a b "Dossier: Të dhëna të reja dokumentare mbi ndarjen sovjeto-shqiptare ResPublica". www.respublica.al. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ "Enver's secret diary, March–April, '61: "Marshal Grecko threatened us that if the 'Vlora Base' did". Memorie.al. 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
- ^ "Ramohito: How 2000 landed Russian military us Paschaliman". Retrieved 2023-02-12 – via PressReader.
- ISBN 978-963-7326-08-0.
- ^ "CIA: Ja pse Moska ngriti bazat e saj ushtarake në Sazan dhe kapacitetet ushtarake që kishte Shqipëria, arsyet e shkarkimit të Beqir Ballukut". sot.com.al. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- ^ a b "Настоящие пираты: Как Албания "отжала" у СССР четыре подводные лодки и почему Хрущёв их не вернул". Life.ru (in Russian). 2021-08-08. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ISBN 978-0-521-64637-6.
- OCLC 1135666648.)
The expulsion was particularly unpleasant as the Albanians shot and killed several Soviet sailors and seized some Soviet Whiskey submarines
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link - ^ Quarterly Review of Military Literature. USA: University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. 1962.
- OCLC 1135666648.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link - OCLC 705944524.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-5216-4637-6.
- ^ Professional Journal of the United States Army. USA: Ohio State University. 1962.
- ^ "Gazeta AFP". gazeta.afp.al. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
- ISBN 978-1-793-63193-0.
- ISBN 978-1-351-56200-3.
- ISBN 9780262160704.
- ISBN 9780262160704.
- ^ Thought. University of California: Siddhartha Publications. 1970.
- ^ "Pasha Liman MAP · Remains of Paranoia". ausstellungen.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
- ^ "Ограбление по-албански: как в 1961 году Албания украла у СССР 4 подлодки". Русская семерка (in Russian). 2021-06-08. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
- ^ "Albania's Soviet-era sub awaits its fate, refusing to sink". France 24. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ "Zbulohet plani i Rusisë për pushtimin e Shqipërisë" (in Albanian). Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- OCLC 659564122.
- ^ Keefe, Eugene K (1971). Area Handbook for Albania. University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 223.
In December 1961, the Soviet Union broke off diplomatic ties with Albania,
- OCLC 1135666648.)
The expulsion was particularly unpleasant as the Albanians shot and killed several Soviet sailors and seized some Soviet Whiskey submarines.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link