The Landing in Vlorë (Albanian: Zbarkimi në Vlorë) was a failed secret Operation in 1949 which took place south of the city of Vlorë by the British and American intelligence to weaken and overthrow Albania's communist government, led by Enver Hoxha.The operatives sent trained Albanian exiles from Malta to start an uprising in Vlorë, but the plan was exposed by Soviet agent Kim Philby. Albanian forces captured most of the operatives and 4 were wounded, which resulted to the operation being a victory for Communist Albania.[9][10][11]
Background
Albania was in an unenviable position after World War II,[12] as Greece claimed Albanian lands.[12]The Western Allies recognized neither King Zog I nor a republican government-in-exile, nor did they ever raise the question of Albania or its borders at major wartime conferences.[12] No reliable statistics on Albania's wartime losses exist, but the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration reported about 30,000 Albanian dead from the war, 200 destroyed villages, 18,000 destroyed houses, and about 100,000 people made homeless.[12] Albanian official statistics claim higher losses.[12]
British plans for the overthrow of Hoxha and the communist regime in Albania had existed since 1946.[13] The Russia Committee, established in 1946 by the British Foreign Office, was created to oppose the extension of Soviet control by promoting civil strife in Russia's western border nations.[14]
Aftermath
The landing failed, with infiltrators captured or killed. It strengthened Enver Hoxha's regime and exposed Soviet infiltration in Western intelligence through Kim Philby.[2]
Impact
The failure of the landing strengthened Hoxha's regime and boosted communistpropaganda. For the CIA and MI6, it exposed flaws and Soviet infiltration through Philby, damaging trust between the agencies and forcing a rethink of Cold War strategies.[2]
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