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Was Italy neutral during WW2?
The Antifascist National Liberation War of the Albanian people started with the people's resistance against fascist aggressionon April 7, 1939 and ended on November 29, 1944. During the antifascist national liberation war, the Albanian people fought against Italy and Germany, which occupied the country one after the other. In 1939-1941 period, the antifascist resistance was led by communist groups and later by the Communist Party.The partizans entirely liberated Albania from German occupation on November 29, 1944. The Albanian partisans also liberated Kosovo,part of Montenegro and southern Bosnia and Herzegovina.National Liberation Army consisting of up to 70 thousand people, also took part in the war alongside the antifascist coalition. Albania was part of Allied forces and for the Albanians this is the proudest moment on their history. However, Albanians had fought alongside Axis forces during the 1940 Italian invasion of Greece from Albanian territory. The invasion force included several hundred native Albanian and Chams in blackshirt battalions attached to the Italian army. Their performance however was distinctly lackluster, as most Albanians, poorly motivated, either deserted or defected. Indeed, the Italian commanders, including Mussolini, would later use the Albanians as scapegoats for the Italian failure. These two Albanian battalions, namely, battalion Tomorri and Gramshi, were formed in the Italian army only three months before the invasion, and during the Greco-Italian War, the majority of them crossed to the Greek Army. The leader of these two battalions, Spiro Moisiu, would become the general in chief of the Albanian Anti-Fascist Army, and eventually a head of the Albanian Army after the war.
Why did Hitler not attack Switzerland?
He didn't have enough time to do it - invasion plans had already been dressed up - but first of all, regions like France, Belgium, etc. were conquered. Germany lost the Battle of Britain and turned directly upon Russia... it was easy going... they expected a fast victory... Hitler is cited with his remark "... we will hunt little Switzerland, when we are returning home..." - but they didn't return as they had expected. On the other hand a first-strike easy going short-term invasion of Switzerland just in the first days of war wasn't possible, as Swiss army moved up the border with several hundreds of thousands soldiers - the main clashes between both sides were air-to-air combats over Swiss territory... with some surprising outcome for mighty German Luftwaffe. Bridges and tunnels in Switzerland connecting fachist Italy with nazi Germany were charged with explosive, letting the public know that they would blow everything up before the German Wehrmacht would get in (and German Pioneers were stoped just before reaching Swiss airfields). Switzerland was declared neutral - with the most famous free radio station in Europe besides the BBC. But this could also be an advantage for allies and axis - spies could walk freely. And industrial or militar business was interesting... Swiss industry has been blamed after the war to have sold products to the axis (and allies). Last thing I will mention is the "Reduced Switzerland" defence plan - assuming a withdraw of the firepower into the Alps and letting the invasiors take the flat areas easily... but not getting into montanious territory without beeing hurt. All this might have helped to deturn an early German invasion when war started... but it wouldn't have cancelled Hitler's plan if Germany had won in Russia... what they never did.
