The short period from 1943 through 1945 was a critical one for Europe, witnessing the great final battles of the Second World War, the defeat of Italy and Germany, the initial stages of post-war recovery, and the beginning of a new era. For Albania, too, this short time span was of monumental significance, indeed these decisive years were arguably even more important for Albania. They saw the exit of the Italians, the coming the Germans and the German occupation, the end of the remnant of the old regime, the maturing of the resistance movement, the intervention of the Allies, the victory of the communists and the construction of the Hoxha regime which would rule Albania with an iron fist for the next 45 years. While most of Europe has left the struggles of this period behind, not Albania. We are still witnessing the fallout from this period today. It is present not only in the discourse concerning the creation of the Albanians' image of themselves as a people and a state, but remains important in terms of contemporary political discourse. In a way the period from 1943 through 1945 is still a vital part of the twenty-first century cultural and political landscape in Albania. In part because of this continuing contemporary significance, a clear understanding of this period is particularly important. Scholars have recognized its pivotal role and as a result these few years has been studied extensively both within Albania and abroad. These studies have of course taken many forms including oral and traditional histories. As the years pass, along with the contemporary witnesses of those events, further study - always necessary because of the availability of new material and the fact that there is no single interpretation of history - becomes more heavily dependent of documents produced during the period.

The Second World War in Europe has generated more literature than perhaps any other event in modern history. Much of the interest has focused on military history, occupation policy, puppet governments, and resistance movements in Europe's principal states. Often ignored in this flood of material, however, are the small nations of southeastern Europe. Yet in the small states the human suffering was no less profound, the destruction no less devastating, the heroism no less laudable, the treachery no less despicable, and the impact no less profound. Albania at War reviews the most important developments in Albania from the Italian invasion of the country in 1939 to the accession to power of the Albanian Communist Party and the establishment of a "people's democracy" in 1946. Fischer analyzes in great detail Italian goals and objectives in Albania and explains the eventual failure of Rome's policy, the subsequent German invasion of the country against the Axis Powers. This unique path breaking book provides a vigorous and thought-provoking analysis of competing external interests in Albania and explores the great obstacles that the Albanians faced in regaining their independence at the end of the war. Albania at War, 1939-1945 thoroughly covers the developments in Albania during that turbulent period. It is essential reading for all students of Albanian history.

In the Fall of 1943, 30 members of the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron were stranded behind enemy lines. For the next 62 days they would try to find their way back. Sgt. Lawrence Abbott, rarely spoke of his WWII experiences to anyone. Years after he passed away, an unpublished manuscript he wrote in 1945, was found, detailing this experience. The story is now available for all to learn about

In late January 1945, the new communist rulers of Albania began a campaign to prepare and sensitize public opinion in the country for the Special Court for War Criminals and Enemies of the People. The daily newspaper Bashkimi decried the leaders of Balli Kombëtar and Legality as traitors, noting on 2 February: “All without any exception will give accounts before the Albanian people and before Albania. Today or tomorrow the sword of Albanian justice will fall on their necks…” The Special Court, set up on 25 December 1944 by order of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation Council, opened its doors at the Kosovo Cinema, the building later to house the National Theatre, on 1 March 1945. On trial were sixty men.

The compelling untold story of a group of stranded U.S. Army nurses and medics fighting to escape Nazi-occupied Europe. When 26 Army nurses and medics-part of the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron-boarded a cargo plane for transport in November 1943, they never anticipated the crash landing in Nazi-occupied Albania that would lead to their months-long struggle for survival. A drama that captured the attention of the American public, the group and its flight crew dodged bullets and battled blinding winter storms as they climbed mountains and fought to survive, aided by courageous villagers who risked death at Nazi hands to help them. A mesmerizing tale of the courage and heroism of ordinary people, The Secret Rescue tells not only a new story of struggle and endurance, but also one of the daring rescue attempts by clandestine American and British organizations amid the tumultuous landscape of the war.

From the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 through to the waning months of the World War II in 1945, Fascist Italy was at war. This Fascist decade of war comprised an uninterrupted stretch of military and political engagements in which Italian military forces were involved in Abyssinia, Spain, Albania, France, Greece, the Soviet Union, North Africa and the Middle East. As a junior partner to Nazi Germany, only entering the war in June 1940, Italy is often seen as a relatively minor player in World War II. However, this book challenges much of the existing scholarship by arguing that Fascist Italy played a significant and distinct role in shaping international relations between 1935 and 1945, creating a Fascist decade of war.