Spiro Moisiu
| Major General Spiro Moisiu | |
|---|---|
 Spiro Moisiu as Army Chief of Staff | |
| Born |
1900 Kavajë, Ottoman Empire |
| Died |
1981 Tirana, Albania |
| Service/branch |
.svg.png){kind=small} LANÇ |
| Rank | Major General |
| Spouse(s) | Aspasi Druga |
| Relations |
Alfred (son) Jolanda (daughter) Arqile (son) |
Spiro Theodori Moisiu (1900–1981) was the Major General of the Albanian National Liberation Army during World War II. He was the father of the former President of Albania, Alfred Moisiu.
Early life
Spiro Moisiu was born in 1900 in Kavajë, to Theodori Moisiu, an educated merchant fluent in several languages, and Ana Stavri. Spiro's father came from the well-known Moisiu family of Kavajë which had roots in the city as far back as the 16th century. He was a close relative of the famous actor Aleksandër Moisiu. Spiro's grandfather Gregor and Aleksandër's grandfather Kostandin were brothers and the sons of Themistokli Moisiu. Theodori was killed in 1913 by the rebels who opposed the Albanian government of Ismail Qemali. This left a young Spiro to be raised by his mother.
Military Monarchy of Zog
In 1925 Prime Minister Ahmet brought again to Spiro Moisiu the titled officer of National Army. Military career of Moses, came into prominence after years of 1929-1930-when he finished the military school of Officers in Tirana leaed by Prenk Pervizi, with good results, where on the 43 participants he was ranked first by taking the rank of captain . Throughout the period of Monarchy of Zog, Moisiu served military duty in several districts of the country and in 1935 at uprising of Fier , he was found alongside the faithful officers that oppressed the revolt. On the 25th anniversary of Independence, in 1937, he was promoted major, In April 1939 when Italy head the fascist aggression against Albania, Major Spiro Moisiu served in the office of the Commander of the Border in Shkodra. Seeing the bad stream of the evenements that Albanian ports was conquered in two hours, it was not able to do anything. He continued to stay in the Albanian army that Italians kept it like before.
Italian-Greek War
At the end of 1940 Major Moisiu commandant of Battalion "Tomorri", he was sent to participate in the Greek-Italian war in the regiment of Colonel Prenk Pervizi. Prek Pervizi After an incident where a Albanian unit it was decimated, the colonel protested at Italian command, that the Albanian army does not become cannon fodder. And with Moisiu and Albanian headquarters, it was decided the abandon the front war by Albanian troops. Moisiu was subordinate to Colonel Pervizi and enforce the order of the withdrawn of the battalion "Tomorri" in safe positions without damaging any soldier. This brought a great military defeat to Italy, That led to the occupation of the city of Korca by the Greeks. Italian command decide a trial against Moisiu, but Colonel Prenk Pervizi bravely opposed the Italians, that in this trial would be including the entire Albanian commandos with him in the head. will involve the entire. The Italians did not dare to do this, fearing the unexpected turmoil and were satisfied with the removal of Albanian troops from that front. The colonel Prenk Pervizi with his staff and part of soldiers was isolated in the mountains of Puka, while the battalion of Moisiu in Laç, in a field near the Prek Pervizi cluster. Moisiu will pass and another incident where te Pervizi intervention stopped. Italians wanted to lead Moisiu to fight in Montenegro, unaware of Albanian command that was represented by Colonel Pervizi. He also intervened at this time to the Italian command and stop the transfer of Major in Montenegro. From these circumstances, major Moisiu was appointed in Shijak and later in Lushnje, where in 1943 after the capitulation of Italy, he joins at the communist forces.
Communist period
With this action the Communists gave him the General Staff Command on rank of Major General, to give the people a patriotic image of their struggle. Because it was known that Moisiu was not a communist, but an officer of the Albanian Kingdom and loyal friend of General Prenk Pervizi. Withh Spiro Moisiu as Commander in Chief, everyone thought that in addition to the task he would be elected even the prime minister of the Provisional Government. But in fact happened that Enver Hoxha concentrated all functions in the hands becoming the Commander of the Army and General Commissar of the Nationalcomunist movement. Spiro Moisiu after two years in that high position, was sit in the rank of a deputy and as head of recruitment office and chairman of the Association of hunters. Here family consists of wife Aspasia and three children, Alfred, Arqileja Jolanda, that during the war years they had no problem un has lived quietly in Tirana. As regards relations with Prenk Pervizi he maintained his friendship and respect. When Pervizi stay fugitive in the mountains, he took the surrender of his family, not to be subjected to harm, in April 1945. Then, when opened word that two boys of Prenk Pervizi disappeared without trace, he found the way to informed inconspicuously security. He calmed down when he learned that had stopped in the Castle of Portopalermos. With these evidences fulfill the true biography of his, that although the circumstances of the war, he joined the Communists, he he was always a true patriot. We conclude that he became an officer at the time when are established courses run by Prenk Pervizi, which had been his commander in some military action , and at las from the Greek-Italian war until the capitulation of Italy. With this intervention we have tried to present a biography the most real of Spiro Moisiu.
Education
After finishing the elementary school in Kavajë and Durrës he was sent to complete his education in a college in Vienna, Austria. He returned from Austria in 1919 and after following a military course directed by German and Austrian instructors in Tirana graduated as lieutenant. In 1920, as a member of the Albanian governmental forces, Spiro was appointed to the protection forces of the Congress of Lushnje. Later that year he was appointed as a chief of staff of the Albanian government brigade fighting against Serb forces in the Martanesh area. During the uprising of June 1924, he supported the revolutionary forces led by Fan Noli. In December 1924, when Ahmet Zogu returned to Albania supported by Yugoslav forces, he fought against him in the Battle of Tujan. After Ahmet Zogu returned to power, Spiro Moisiu did not flee like the majority of his fellow soldiers but remained in Albania profiting from the amnesty that Zogu gave to most of those who had participated in the uprising.
Military service under the Zog Monarchy
Admitting his excellent capacities Zogu reintegrated Spiro Moisiu in the Albanian governmental forces. His military career was advanced further in 1929–30 when he achieved excellent results at the military school of "Officers perfectionism" in Tirana under the direction of Italian instructors. After finishing first on his course among 43 other officers he was appointed as captain. During the Zog monarchy he served in different cities, while during the anti-governmental Insurrection of Fier in 1935, he maintained his loyalty to Zog fighting against the mutineers. During 1937–8 he again achieved excellent results at military school in Tirana in studies for senior officers and was graduated as major.
Military service in World War II
Italian period
In April 1939 during the Italian fascist aggression he was the commander of border forces in the Shkodër region. He organised the forces at his disposal to make a stand in Shëngjin. Seeing the superiority of Italian forces and not wanting his forces to surrender to Italians, Spiro along with his men exiled to Yugoslavia and remained there until the beginning of 1940.
Accepting an invitation for his reinstatement into the Albanian governmental forces, Moisiu returned to Albania and at the end of 1940, while serving as the commander of Tomorri battalion, he was sent to the Italian-Greek front. Spiro did not want to fight against the Greeks and along with another Albanian major, Prenk Pervizi, withdrew his men from the front lines and induced many Albanians to desert. This caused him to be deported to a military post in Laç where he was kept under strict surveillance until the Italian High Military Court condemned him to death for desertion from the front lines. The sentence was later cancelled and his only punishment was dismissal from military service. This was because the Italians feared a mutiny of the Albanian soldiers who were still under Italian command.
Major General of the National Liberation Army
After his retirement from military service he was sent to the Berat region. He was there contacted by communists who on July 1943 proposed him to be the General Commander of Albanian National Liberation Army. He had the merit of turning the dispersed and not so organized Albanian resistance forces into a regular army. Under his military leadership the Albanian National Liberation Army was able to withstand two major offensives of Germans in winter 1943-44 and in June 1944 while in the same time kept them under constant attacks, to win the war with the opponents of Balli Kombëtar, Legaliteti and other nationalist forces who opposed the Albanian National Liberation Army and in the end to liberate the country on November 29, 1944 being the only country in Europe to have done so without the participation of Allied forces.
After World War II
Opposition to Yugoslavia
He opposed the model proposed by the Yugoslavs for the reorganization of the Albanian army, and preferred Soviet instructors to Yugoslav ones. He sent many Albanian officers to Soviet military academies in order to create a new generation of Albanian officers.
Retirement
During a trial in 1946 one of the defendants testified that they had the support of Spiro Moisiu in a possible coup d'état. This led to his discharge from active duty and military service while he was only 46 years old. Spiro Moisiu was married to Aspasi Druga from the reputable Druga family of Kavajë. The couple had three children, Alfred, Jolanda and Arqile.[1]
References
- ↑ "Gjeneral Spiro Moisiu by Vangjel Kasapi Published in 2000, Shtëpia Botuese e Ushtrisë (Tiranë)".
See also
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