Phase I: Southern Albania Southern Albania served as the primary theater of the Civil War, as the two main factions,
LANÇ and
Balli Kombëtar, were heavily concentrated in the region. Both sides, but especially the communists, carried out massacres and assassinations, leaving hundreds dead across the south. On September 8, 1943, the Front executed six Ballist youth in the village of Ziçisht. Clashes had also occurred earlier, with a notable one in Libohovë in August. October 1, 1943, is considered the official start of the civil war. On that date, in a letter to the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Gjirokastër,
Enver Hoxha declared: • "The unity with Balli Kombëtar is now a dead issue and will no longer be discussed. Now the priority is their destruction." On the same day, Hoxha issued a circular letter to
Liri Gega ("Muzhiku") and all regional committees of the Communist Party, instructing them to initiate war against
Balli Kombëtar, disregarding all circumstances and consequences: • "Political work against Balli is not enough in these cases; it must support decisive military actions. Meetings and conferences are insufficient; power must be seized immediately." The communists struck first, catching the Ballists off guard, as their leader, Hysni Lepenica, had died in a clash with the Italians on September 16. Three days later, another Ballist commander,
Safet Butka, committed suicide. From mid-October onwards, violence escalated: • October 13: Communists massacred two Ballists in Melçem, Korçë. • October 13–18: Eight innocent civilians were killed in Pogradec during clashes. • October 16: Battles in Libofshë left 21 Partisans and 10 Ballists dead. • October 21: Partisan forces led by
Mehmet Shehu captured and massacered 68 Ballist soldiers in a village near Lushnjë. • Additional massacres occurred in Çermenikë (70 Ballists executed), Kuçovë, Kavajë, and elsewhere. In November, the Ballists reorganized and launched a counterattack, aided by the
German winter offensive against Partisan forces. While some Ballist groups joined German efforts, others regrouped in Berat, Korçë, and Gjirokastër. However, the communists, with support from British missions, broke the German-Ballist encirclement and concentrated their forces in Berat and Elbasan. By December, Balli had lost control of southern Albania and retreated northward with the Germans. The communists intensified their campaigns of terror, committing massacres across Vlorë, Mallakastër, and Voskopojë (where a mass grave of 185 bodies was found). Notable battles included: • Battle of Dukat (November 30): 14 Partisans and 10 Ballists killed. •
Battle of Gjorm: 52 homes burned after 26 hours of fighting. • Additional clashes in Mavrovë, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, and Berat.
Phase II: Northern Albania As Balli retreated north, fighting shifted to central and northern Albania. In March 1944, the communists clashed with Ballist forces led by Nezir Muzhaqi in Polis, Elbasan,
Xhem Hasa in Dibër. By spring and summer, battles expanded to central Albania in areas such as Kavajë, Shijak, and Tirana. In fall 1944, the communists launched attacks in Kosovo, targeting Ballist forces led by Ejup Binaku, as well as nationalist groups in Shkodër and Dukagjin organized by the Kazazi brothers, Mark Sadiku, and Ndue Pali. On June 1, 1944, the First Assault Division advanced into central and northern Albania, engaging Ballist forces in Çermenikë, Librazhd, and Zaranikë. In Tirana, the 5th Brigade fought against the Legality Movement's headquarters at Tujan Pass.
Abaz Kupi withdrew to avoid further civil war, informing King Zog of the bloodshed. In Mat, Partisans clashed with
Legality forces, including a battle in Fushë-Aliaj on July 9, where 21 Partisans were killed. The northern nationalist leaders, caught unprepared and divided, were defeated more easily than Balli in the south. Notable incidents included: • August 21: Anti-communist forces killed five Partisans in Vig, Shkodër. • August 29: Partisans burned the towers of
Gjon Markagjoni. In May 1944
Mit'hat Frashëri sent to the nationalist party of
Napoleon Zervas in Greece a letter asking for the creation of a Greek-Albanian federation after the end of the War. The main points of the letter were: • The question of creating a federation that would depend on the opportunities created after the war. Both sides pledged that they were ready to work towards the realization of this project. • The connecting link will be the independence and full sovereignty of both sides (Greece-Albania). • The Greek-Albanian borders remain those of 1939 and an official declaration will be made. • They undertake the implementation of a defensive and offensive alliance as well as the development of military ties. • Conclusion of financial agreements between the two parties. • Efforts to ensure that this connection is made as soon as possible, as well as a Greek-Turkish-Albanian connection. • In the event of war, general military command will be handed over to Greece. In August 1944, nationalist forces regrouped in Preza, Tirana, forming a government led by
Mit'hat Frashëri as prime minister and
Abaz Kupi as commander of the armed forces. Despite some regional alliances, such as those in Luma, Lura, Mat, and Dibër, the communists' numerical superiority prevailed. From September 21–23, clashes in Kukës resulted in five civilian deaths. On September 25, Partisans under Shefqet Peçi massacred 21 villagers in Buzëmadhe, Kukës.
Muharrem Bajraktari narrowly escaped an ambush by communist forces during failed peace negotiations. Communists also targeted forces led by
Gani Kryeziu in the Gjakova Highlands. On November 28–29, 1944, Shkodër fell to Partisans, and Albania was entirely under communist control. == Aftermath ==