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A view of the history of Gard in years 1945-1990
 Prof. Dr. Valentina Duka, Tirana University
Ma. Artan Hoxha Tirana University
A view of the history of Gard in years 1945-1990
After the installing of the communist regime, were formed from the beginning all the state institutions and organs, which had as main intention the practice of the power and its protection. A part of these institutions and executive organs were build up from the partisan forces during the war, precisely in this group of the institutions was part the Gard, which like the Albanian Army after the year 1944 was build having as foundation the partisan units of the war time.
This way “The Security Battalion of the General Staff” of the National- Liberator Army, which had as task the guard of the heads of the Staff during war time, after the liberation of the country was denominated, in the first months of the year 1945, “Special Battalion of the General Staff” and was part of the People Protection Division, dependent from the Ministry of Defense. Two years later, precisely in February of 1947, this battalion would take definitively the name “Republic Gard”. The communist regime proclaimed as day of foundation of the Republic Gard the 12 February of 1944, which coincided with the foundation day of the gardist Company for the protection of the General Staff of the ANLW (Antifascist National Liberator War), day which stayed in vigor up to 6 December of 1993.
The Republic Gard would stay into Ministry of Defense dependence up to year 1951, year in which would pass into Ministry of Interior dependence. In the first years of liberation, starting from the very delicate interior and foreign circumstances, which coincided with beginning of the Cold War, the Gard arm, would have taken a great importance for the communist regime. Afterwards the Albania isolation, starting from the west and after that from the east, would fasten the communist regime to take very strong and great structures for the defense and security, among them the Gard arm would have had an key position.
Must be stressed that the Gard has had during the years 1945–1990 a continuous evolution and numerous changes, which have been conditioned from the necessities of growth of effectiveness and operational capabilities, also from the internal political interior and exterior development, between which was involved the Albanian communist regime.
During the first years of liberation the Gard personnel, officers and soldiers, was composed of ex-partisans, their devotion and loyalty toward the communist regime and its leaders was tried during the war time. Also during this period the Republic Gard was composed generally from strong and mature guys, which turned the Gard troops in a highly professional and qualified unit. Those two factors reached to balance professionally the absence of the military education of the most part of its staff.
Starting from the year 1949 in the service of the Republic Gard with a Communist Government Decision would be entering soldiers of the conscript system. The selection of the conscripts was done not only on mental and physical basis, but also on the family origin. The Gard soldiers must belonged to the communist families very devoted in long time to the regime, criteria which would have made the main rule of the selection of the soldiers who would serve in the Republic Gard lines. In this conditions, besides the family origin, the communist regime saw as a necessity that besides the compact training process of the soldiers preparation, which aimed to capacitate them in the correct grade to accomplish professionally the delicate task delegated, indoctrinate them in a extreme way that they could have had a immense loyalty to the regime and especially to the leaders of the regime. The motive which leaded our Gard in the period between the years 1945–1990, which expressed above all their moral code, was: “We are in the service of the people, homeland, to the eternity with every sacrifice!”
At the beginning of the 50’s in the lines of the Gard entered in service officers with a bigger military and organizational experience. This is noted especially in the lines of the heads of the institution. But even these cadres continued to come from the lines of the former partisans who in many cases had personal knowledge with the communist heads during the years of war and so their loyalty to the regime was total. The past experience was combined with that accumulated from other former communist countries experience which was inhaled from the Albanian officers educated in those countries military academies. Must be underlined that the, moral qualities and bravery composed another necessary condition for the officer’s involvement in the Gard troops.
In the trench of the 50’s the increase of professionalism was accompanied also with an increase in the quality of the training of the gardist like drill, armament also, the increase of the weaponry in possession of the Gard. These were gradually increased in quantity and quality. So in Vlora and Pogradec were established two Gard units, which had as task to protect the sites of the vacation chateaus of the high communist leadership in those two important tourist places. Also notable improvements were made even in the internal organization of the troops which enabled them with a high operative capability.
The Gard would represent further significant changes in the year 1968, year in which the Soviet Union attacked Czechoslovakia. The denouncement of this attack and the Warsaw Treaty form the Albanian communist government fear that Albania would endure a similar attack held to the enlargement and other notable structural changes on the Gard. In this period this one not only was reorganized, but also enriched with a varicosity of weaponry. So the number of infantry battalions has been increased from one to three. Also were four more reserve infantry battalions, stationed in Cakran, Feri, Lozhan of Korça, in Mëlovë of Skrapar and in Mullet, Tirana. Also, the Gard had permanent units not only in Durrës, Vlora and Pogradec, but during this time it created same posts in Korça and Lezha. In this period in the composition of Gard entered the Artillery Command and the Engineer and Chemical services. The Gard had unit of flamethrowers, tanks, anti aircraft, modern transporters etc, which completed even more this important military troop. As result of those qualitative and quantitative changes the Gard took the shape of a brigade more than a battalion. In year 1976, the denomination of the Gard changed in accordance with the denomination of the Albanian state, fixed in the Constitution of the 1976, year in which was denominated “The Albanian’s People Socialist Republic Gard”.
The Gard would protect fanatically its structure up to the year 1982, time in which it incur an new reorganization, product of the violent political war held in the middle of the high communist leadership and the fear it excited to them the diversion bands from the abroad, which aim was to eliminate the highest leaders of the regime with the intent to reverse this one. This reorganization brought not only the increase of the physical number of the gardists but also the enrichment of the Gard with new modern weaponry. Also plans for the combination and cooperation of its work with other organs and units of the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior were applied.
So the strategy for the protection of the life, residence and objects of the special importance for the state high personalities was recomposed across some circles of protection. In this period was formed the “Battalion for special services”, which had as aim the service in the close range circle of protection. Simultaneously was improved the communication between different parts of Gard. For the protection of the State High Personalities and for the successful fulfillment of the tasks, the Gard in this period started a close cooperation with the units of the Army and Navy which putted into its disposal respectively; a reconnaissance and infantry company, anti aircraft cannons battery and ground artillery, 4 torpedo-boats, which increased more the effectiveness of the Gard in the service of the heads of the Communist Government.
Must also be stressed that, the Gard has had its artistic and sport group. For the accomplished services it has been decorated in 12 February of 1984 with the Flag Decree. The Gard also represented the most fanatic and conservative structures of the communist system and was one of the institutions of that system that scent as last the aroma of the democratic changes in the beginning of the 90’s.
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