Description
Mehmet Shehu’s book On the Experience of the National Liberation War and the Development of Our National Army reflects the post-war Albanian state’s interpretation of partisan military tactics during the Second World War.
Written retrospectively, it examines the fundamental principles of partisan warfare in relation to the challenges facing a regular army, while also discussing the role of Albania’s distinctive topography in both contexts. Part of its value lies in the state’s explanation of how it achieved victory in the war, overcoming not only the Italian and German occupiers but also internal forces, including both collaborators and pro-Western opponents.
From the seizure of enemy weapons and what are described as partisan “incessant minor actions,” to the formation of brigades and later divisions, and finally the operations leading to the liberation of Tirana, the book follows the natural progression of the conflict. Throughout, the experience of the Soviet Army is presented as essential to success.
In this brief study by an author later disgraced, but who at the time served as Minister of Defence, contemporary readers can explore the historiographical foundations of Albania’s post-war political order.