Part Four
Memorie.al / The War Diaries of the Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces (Kriegstagebuch des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht, KTB OKW), in the years 1940-1945, were kept by the Office of National Defense at the Operations Headquarters of the German Armed Forces (Abteilung Landesverteidigung im Wehrmachtführungsstabamt). These war diaries describe strategies, battles, troop movements, front lines, objectives, operational decisions and war plans and assessments of combat situations, by the highest leadership of the German military forces. The Secretary of the War Diaries at the Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces was Helmuth Greiner until March 1943 and then Percy Ernst Schramm. In the years 1961-1965 the war diaries were compiled by historians and published by the publishing house Bernard & Graefe Verlag für Wehrëesen, Frankfurt am Main. The main historian was Percy Ernst Schramm and his assistant historians, respectively according to the volumes, were as follows:
Continued from the previous issue
War Diary
Page 1147 – 27.09.1943. Insurgent actions continue in Albania.
Page 1151 – 28.09.1943. In an addendum to the announcement for the German military attaché in Sofia, on 23.09.1943, it is stated that the area of north-eastern Albania, up to the Vardar valley, will later be occupied by German troops.
Page 1154 – 30.09.1943. In Albania, gang activities are further intensified; more and more British agents are noticed.
Page 1164 – 01.10.1943. [These are instructions from the German High Command for the distribution of troops in the south-east]. …. The X Mountain Division is to be sent to Epirus or to the Albanian coast. …. The purges in Albania and Croatia continue.
Page 1168 – 03.10.1943. Hitler orders the appointment of a “General responsible for Albania”. K.S.F.A. issues an order to this effect.
Page 1171 – 04.10.1943. Hitler orders the Southern High Command and Army Group ‘B’ as follows: It is expected that the enemy will direct the main operations against the south-east region either from southern Italy to Albania – Montenegro – southern Croatia or, after the fighting from central Italy, against northern Croatia – Istria.
Page 1178 – 06.10.1943. A British attack is expected in the south-eastern region, against the Albanian-Dalmatian coast or, across the Aegean Sea, against Macedonia and Thrace.
Page 1181 – 07.10.1943. Gang activity intensifies in Albania and Croatia.
Page 1184 – 08.10.1943. An Albanian government has been set up in Albania with German assistance, which intends to create its own militia. The announcements of the army’s commanding staff, dated 09.10.1943 and 13.10.1943, on the release from the army of Albanians in the SS Mountain Division of Bosnia, have been rejected by the SS commander-in-chief, [Heinrich Himmler].
Page 1191 – 10.10.1943. K.S.F.A. agrees with the idea put forward on 01.10.1943, by the South-Eastern High Command, for the relocation of the reinforcement construction forces in the area of the 2nd Tank Army (Albanian-Dalmatian coast).
Page 1193 – 11.10.1943. The situation in the Balkans: Our purges in Greece continue. In Albania, fighting between the 100th and 118th Rifle Divisions and the remaining parts of the Italian Divisions “Firenze” and “Venecia”.
Page 1197 – 13.10.1943. The [Italian] government of General Pietro Badoglio declares war on Germany. The King of Italy renounces the titles “Emperor of Ethiopia” and “King of Albania”.
Pages 1208-1209 – 18.10.1943. Hitler informed the Bulgarian Regency Council, on 18.10.1943, that General M. R. von Weichs would visit them, regarding the reinforcement of the Thracian coast near Kavala, with a Bulgarian Division, as well as the measures that would be taken for the protection of the Bulgarian minorities in Eastern Albania.
Pages 1212 – 21.10.1943. K.S.F.A., defines the rights of the German plenipotentiary general in Albania, as well as the command, which would be established in Montenegro.
Pages 1221 – 25.10.1943. The Albanian government has no support. No contact has yet been made with the leaders of the Greek national movement and with Mihailovic [Dragoljub “Draža” Mihailovic, the commander of the Serbian Chetniks, pro-royalists].
Page 1252 – 05.11.1943. There are two groups of bandits in Albania: the communists who are connected to Tito and the nationalists, who do not want to be tarnished by the connection with the Germans.
Page 1254 – 05.11.1943. An Albanian national government has been created and sworn in……! The Central Army Headquarters, on 04.11.1943, for the meeting to be held on 05.11.1943, with the Bulgarian delegation at Hitler’s headquarters, submitted the following points: 1) the use of another Bulgarian Division, between the 7th and 16th Bulgarian Divisions. 2) Security in the border region, Bulgaria-Albania.
…..Since Hitler promised the Bulgarian Prime Minister the military protection of the border areas of Albania, the South-East High Command must keep this promise. (This is a region with Bulgarian minorities, an area that the local Bulgarian forces were ready to occupy, but were prevented by their government. The German troops declared themselves neutral. When the communists later attacked the Bulgarian minorities, the Bulgarians demanded the occupation of this area by the Germans.
The reason why the Bulgarians did not occupy that region themselves is unknown. The 1st Tank Division was foreseen for this task; since it was moved to the East, the minorities remained unprotected. After this and the repeated request for help, Hitler ordered the occupation of eastern Albania with German troops).
The South-East High Command receives on the same day the order for the cleansing of the Tetovo-Dibar-Struga-Kicevo-Gostivar area and the creation of local self-defense troops, with the help of the SS and the police forces of Greece and with weapons taken from the Italian forces. On 06.11.1943, the South-East High Command announces the measures it intends to take. Hitler agrees with them on 07.11.1943. The Commander of the Operations Headquarters in the K.S.F.A. [General Alfred J. F. Jodl] decides that the German battalions will wait until the militia, which should consist of Bulgarian Macedonians, has been established. The South-East High Command receives the necessary instructions.
Page 1268 – 10.11.1943. The South-East High Command considers the fight against Tito as the main task, even more important than the protection of the coastal border. Since the forces needed for this have been significantly weakened, due to the transfer of troops to the East, it is informed that Hitler has accepted the use of the 1st Mountain Division for the “Kugelblitz” operation [against the Yugoslav communist partisans, in December 1943]. After this operation, this Division should be positioned in such a way that it can be used as a reserve force in Albania and north-western Greece.
Page 1275 – 12.11.1943. The German plenipotentiary in Albania is General Theodor Geib, but the executive power is in the hands of the High Command of the 2nd Panzer Army (General Lothar Rendulic).
Page 1278 – 13.11.1943. Note in the file on the economic-military importance of Albania and the extraction of chromium there.
Page 1289 – 17.11.1943. There are difficulties in Albania, as the soldiers cannot be paid their salaries in the local currency, because the Albanian government refuses to give the necessary amount for this and we do not want to put more pressure on them. Envoy Hermann Neubacher is trying to find a solution to the problem.
Page 1290 – 18.11.1943. Completion of the 100th Rifle Division’s sweeps in Albania and fighting in Pelješac [on the Croatian coast].
Page 1292 – 19.11.1943. ….. Successful sweeps in Albania and northern Montenegro.
Page 1317 – 28.11.1943. Situation in the Balkans: Enemy bombing of road traffic and material depots in the area of southern Croatia, Montenegro and Albania.
Page 1330 – 02.12.1943.….Calm attitude of the gangs in Albania and Montenegro…..Due to the difficulties in financing the army in Albania, the Foreign Ministry is requested on 03.12.1943 to appoint a deputy for the envoy Hermann Neubacher. This is also reported to the High Command of the South-East, which also receives the relevant instructions. Since the enemy combat action is increasing in the Albanian-Croatian region, the High Command of the South-East informs about the danger created, especially for all the troops participating in the “Kugelblitz” operation.
Page 1335 – 04.12.1943. The Military Espionage Office receives the relevant instructions, regarding the position it should take towards the Foreign Ministry, regarding the Bulgarian-Albanian border disputes, on Lake Ohrid.
Page 1373 – 20.12.1943. The Regency Council’s efforts fail to draw the national forces into Albania.
Page 1461 – [Chapter: Documentary Notes in the War Diary] 04.10.1943. War plan for the Southern High Command and Military Group B: …. A) I expect the enemy to direct his main attacks against the south-east region, starting from Italy, perhaps with part of the forces from Africa. It cannot be predicted whether the enemy will direct his main attacks against Albania/Montenegro/Croatia from southern Italy, which is occupied by him, or will try to push the German forces into Italy northwards……! Signed Adolf Hitler.
Page 1474 – [Chapter: Documentary Notes in the War Diary] 10.12.1943. …. The Italian divisions ‘Arezzo’, ‘Taurinese’, ‘Ferrara’, ‘Emilia’, ‘Venecia’ and ‘Parma’, in Montenegro and Albania, have been placed under the command of the bandits; part of the ‘Florence’ Division [41st Infantry Division], fights under the command of their Division Commander, on the side of the bandits [in Albania]. In total about 11,000 men. Approximately 2,200 Italians, have been captured by the German army.
Page 1540 – German army leadership, in the culminating year of the war. Overview of the War Diary of the German High Command in 1943: …. After the Albanian airports had been occupied by our forces, even before the capitulation of Italy, preparations were made in September 1943 for the establishment of an independent Albanian state. The establishment of an Albanian-Montenegrin state was not well received, since they did not want to be dependent on Germany, which had practically lost the war. Finally, in early October, with the help of Germany, an Albanian government was created, which undertook to raise almost 30,000 volunteer forces.
Page 1545-1546 – [Chapter: Overview of the War Diary of the German High Command in 1943. In the section on Bulgaria, it is written]: …..The new Bulgarian government (after the death of Tsar Boris) apparently wanted the military support to be rewarded by the acquisition of lands in eastern Albania, where a scattered Bulgarian minority lived.
Thus, on 05.11.1943, when the Bulgarian policy of occupation in the Balkans was discussed, [Bulgarian Foreign Minister] Schischmanoff pointed out the good treatment of the Greek minority by the Bulgarians in Thrace. Hitler responded to this statement by the Bulgarian Minister, Schischmanoff, with the remark that this was a clever policy of the Bulgarians.
As for the exchange of views on Albania, [Bulgarian Prime Minister, present at the meeting] Bojiloff very carefully asked to consider the possibility of relocating Bulgarian troops to the endangered border area with Albania. [He said] Bulgaria has only a few and poorly equipped troops, but she will try to prepare the necessary troops for this purpose.
On the other hand, he believes that through direct negotiations with the Albanian government, a solution to the above-mentioned problems can be reached. Hitler maintains a negative attitude towards these demands and thinks that it would be best for the SS troops to raise a permanent corps, composed of Bulgarians. In this way, Bulgarian troops would be present in this region.
An idea of the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Bojiloff, that he wanted territorial revisions on the Albanian border, Hitler did not respond directly and explained that such a thing would complicate the situation in Albania without any benefit….! In the Bulgaria-Albania border area, a formation composed of Bulgarians from Macedonia will be raised by the SS troops, but the newly established Albanian government, at the beginning of November 1943, cannot be tarnished by the donation of territories [to the Bulgarians].
Page 1614 – [Under the section on the Balkans as a region of military operations, it is written]: …. In Albania, airports were occupied in time and, in addition, partisan groups neutralized each other, while a government created under the influence of the German army, accepted the recruitment of Albanian volunteers for the SS Division “Skanderbeg”. …. NOTE: Georg Kastriota, General Iskender-bey (Skanderbeg) was an Albanian nobleman (1405-1468), defender of Christianity and the freedom of the Albanians against the Turks.
Volume IV
January 1, 1944 – May 22, 1945
The Role of the Army Groups and Their Commands
Page 35. As great as the role of the other commands and Armies is, the role of the South-Eastern Army and Command (Army Group ‘E’ with Commander-in-Chief, Colonel General Alexander Löhr) was extraordinary. The reader of this book will notice how Hitler did not take into account the advice of the “experts”, who educated military men were, but whom he viewed with suspicion and contempt.
Only with great delay did he allow the withdrawal of troops from Crete and other Aegean islands, where there were still 60,000 soldiers. Surprisingly, the withdrawal of troops from the Peloponnese, where there was only one railway and one bridge connecting with the rest of Greece, was also carried out. The withdrawal of troops from Greece was also carried out, although there were two pairs of partisan forces operating there, which fortunately fought against each other.
Catastrophe was on the verge, when the troops were retreating through the Balkan Mountains, because under Soviet pressure, the Bulgarian forces, which had until then fought on our side, attacked us from the unprotected eastern flank. But that attack was not only resisted, but the positions were held until the last soldier left Albania.
Further withdrawal was hampered by mountains as high as 1400 meters and the onset of winter frost, two factors whose horrors can hardly be overestimated; however, it was even more dangerous because Tito’s troops, which until then had been held in check by German troops, could now operate freely. Tito’s army was therefore able to join up with the Red Army troops coming from Romania and occupy Belgrade.
Despite all these difficulties, Army Group ‘E’ of General Alexander Löhr managed to maintain a closed front, extending through Croatia and Bosnia, with a length of 1500 km, until April 1945. General Alexander Löhr managed to do what Napoleon Bonaparte failed to do during the retreat from Russia: he withdrew his troops and managed to build a new front, which was not broken face to face, but from the rear.
Italian Theater of War (01.04.1944 – 31.12.1944)
- The fighting from the capture of Rome, on June 4, 1944, to the capture of Florence (August 10, 1944) and the enemy landing in Southern France, on August 15, 1944
- Defense of the operational area of the Adriatic coast, including Istria.
Page 540. The increase in the action of the bands in Northern Greece, Albania and Montenegro could serve to block the German forces and prepare the landing of Polish troops, or other Slavic troops.
Page 541. Therefore, the South-Eastern Command must be prepared to cope with a landing in Southern Albania or North-Western Greece. ….. To protect the endangered coasts, Hitler ordered the reinforcement and expansion of the defense of the sea coasts, the reinforcement of coastal artillery, with a heavy focus on the Adriatic coast, by putting into action the artillery forces that had been in the Crimea and that are now ready for combat, against the gangs in Southern Albania and Northern Greece. Memorie.al
To be continued in the next issue
