Royal Artillery of Albania explained

Unit Name:Royal Albanian Artillery
Forcat Mbretërore e Artilerisë
Dates:1925 - 1939
Country: Albania
Allegiance:Royal Albanian Army
Branch:Artillery
Size:95 (officers)+ 26 (batteries)+ 64 (personnel)
Garrison:Tiranë
Garrison Label:Headquarter
Battles:Italian Invasion of Albania
Disbanded:1939
Commander1:Col. Sami Koka
Commander1 Label:Commander on April 7, 1939
Commander2:Maj. Ahmet Rrojte
Commander2 Label:Commander on April 7, 1939
Commander3:Lt.Col. Bombalti
Commander3 Label:Commander on April 7, 1939

The Royal Albanian Artillery was from 1928 till 1939 and was part of the Royal Albanian Army.

Structure

In 1939 the army had eight of nine planned batteries (x2) of 65mm L/17 mountain guns (3 days ammunition), four batteries mountain guns (2x of Skoda 75mm L/13) (3 days ammunition), and two batteries of field guns (4x Krupp Model 1906 75mm L/27) (one horse-drawn, one nominally motorized)(1 day's ammunition) (Note that in Italian practice, a day's ammunition for light artillery was 250 rounds) There may have still existed in 1939 a "school battery" of unknown composition There was also one battery of mountain guns (4x Skoda 75mm L/13)(horse-drawn) with the Gendarmerie and another (also 4x Skoda 75mm L/13 mountain guns) with the Royal Guard. At Durrës there was in 1939 a coastal battery ("Prandaj", Cpt. Gjergj Mosko) of four Krupp Model 1906 75mm L/27, covering the port, in casements presumably built by Italian engineers. Also at Durrës were two Turkish-era forts which had in 1912/1913 three light guns each, of unknown status in 1939. Possibly under the artillery arm was the "Artilërisë Kunder Ajrorë" (AA Artillery) established in 1931 (in 1939, commanded by Major Rauf Fratari). This comprised "small caliber" batteries at Durrës, Shëngjinit and Sarandë. The army possessed 18 Schwarzelose MG (1 day's ammunition) ceded by the Italians, and since these ex-Austrian weapons existed in an AA mount (of which the Italians had acquired several hundred), possibly each battery comprised 6 of these. Sources mention a formation called the "Grupi i Artilërisë Divisionalë" (Maj. Ahmet Rrojte ?). If this was the designation for the field/mountain artillery under army command, it comprised

The number of all batteries that were with the army were: