The “August 1949 provocations” were a series of attacks undertaken by Greek military forces against the People’s Republic of Albania during the civil war in Greece. The Greeks alleged that Albania was assisting the opposing forces. On August 2, 1949, three Greek battalions, supported by artillery and aviation, launched a sudden attack on Albanian territory. The assault occurred in the Bozhigrad sector (pyramid 54–55), with a front width of 700–800 meters. The Greek forces advanced about 300-400 meters into Albanian land and opened fire on the village of Vidohove. After five hours of fierce fighting, the Albanian border forces managed to push the enemy back to the border, restoring the previous situation. Greek military provocations continued throughout August and into early September 1949, affecting the sectors of Bozhigrad, Leskovik, Bilishti, Kapshtica, Konispol, and others. These incursions caused significant damage to both people and property; however, they were consistently repelled by the Albanian border forces. Ultimately, the Greek attacks were completely unsuccessful. (In the photo: Cannon batteries bomb near Bilishti.)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 3, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2009, page 2118-2119.
Photo: © https://telegrafi.com/viti-1949-provokacionet-greke-dhe-tradhtia-e-madhe/
Graphic processing: AHCF
