The Reçi War (), was the toughest and most successful resistance against the Italian fascists in the Shkodra region. This war took place in World War II in Albania, 1943 and was the last Albanian war against the Italian invaders.

Background

As the

Albanian partisans The National Liberation Movement ( sq, Lëvizja Nacional-Çlirimtare; or ''Lëvizja Antifashiste Nacional-Çlirimtare'' (LANÇ)), also translated as National Liberation Front, was an Albanian communist resistance organization that fought in World ...

retook many of the regions that were under Italian occupation, the situation in Albania got better and better. In order to clear the Mbishkodra area, where the influence of the National Liberation Movement was increasing and the partisan formations were growing day by day, they prepared the Italian fascists before a military operation. The direction of the

operation Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

was entrusted to Colonel De Blazio, the deputy

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the sector. The forces would be accompanied by artillery and the actions would be supported by aviation.

The War

The attack of the Italian fascists began on August 30, the

were prepared and defended themselves against the Italians. The Italians started the

on the village of

Reç Reç (also known as Reç i Poshtëm) is a settlement in the former Shkrel municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Malësi e Madhe. Notable people *Bekim Balaj, foot ...

with 200

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

. However, when the Italians expected a counterattack from the

, the Italians brought in reinforcements and had a total manpower of 1,200-2,400 soldiers, greatly outnumbering them. The

attacked the Italians back and also inflicted a great deal of damage on the Italians. The

were outnumbered they had about 143 soldiers in this battle. However, only 30 to 40 Albanian partisans took part in this Battle, nevertheless they fought to the end and remained steadfast.

Aftermath

The battle ended victoriously for the

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

, many of the

Italian soldiers Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

were killed or wounded in battle. Altogether it is estimated that 40-147

were killed in action by the

and several hundred wounded

References

{{coord missing, Italy Albania in World War II 1943 in Albania Partisans during World War II Battles of World War II involving Italy