Corfu, one of the numerous islands comprising Greece, is deeply rooted in history.
Holding significant geographical importance, this territory has witnessed countless battles
among former empires throughout the ages. It was also occupied during World War 2 by
the Italians and then the Germans, both of whom eventually abandoned the island.
Throughout the conflict, Corfu also hosted a small British naval base,
providing shelter to ships engaged in combating the Axis navies.
Albania lies directly opposite Corfu's eastern coast. In the aftermath of World War 2, Albania
found itself under the control of Colonel-General Enver Hoxha, a communist-aligned tyrant who kept
his people isolated from the rest of the world. Hoxha established a rigid perimeter,
sternly warning that any vessel venturing near would face severe consequences.
Britain was fresh off their recent victory against the Axis powers and chose to disregard
the warning, only to quickly realize their error. The ensuing confrontation, consisting
of three separate incidents, is now regarded by historians as the opening volley of the Cold War…
Never Forget
From the mid-1940s, Albania was governed by Enver Hoxha,
a communist and authoritarian leader who transformed the nation into an
isolated faction, with Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union its sole allies.
During this time, the Colonel General prohibited foreign aid loans,
nationalized all local industry, restricted travel, and constructed
a booby-trapped barrier around the country, situated 600 yards within the actual border.
Additionally, the ruler asserted that the Corfu Channel fell within his nation's territorial
waters and insisted that those traversing the passage should seek Albania’s permission.
Separating the two nations and stretching towards the north is the Corfu Channel.
Acknowledged as international waters for centuries, this passage spans a precarious
dozen miles close to Albania, requiring ships heading northward to navigate through it.
The First Incident
On May 15, 1946, a full year after the war had concluded in Europe,
two Royal Navy cruisers, HMS Orion and HMS Superb,
navigated the Corfu Channel, which had been previously cleared of German contact mines.
Their marine equipment indicated the waters were safe, and their
north-to-south course would bring them within a mere mile of the Albanian coast.
As the two British naval vessels traversed the channel between Corfu and Albania,
only a mile of the latter's shoreline, the waterway narrowed to just three miles in width.
Suddenly, a deckhand aboard Superb spotted white smoke billowing from the Albanian hills, followed
by a loud bang and a sizable plume of water erupting 200 yards away from the ship’s stern.
The Albanians were firing at them.
The British cruisers, which recorded at least twelve shots fired at them as they
hastily retreated, refrained from retaliating, knowing that doing so would signal war between
the two nations. Instead, the commanders promptly reported the incident to the Admiralty in London.
When the British demanded an explanation and an apology,
the Albanians responded with evasive excuses and assertions of sovereignty over the Corfu Channel.
In response, the British warned Albania that, with nearly 3,000 warships at
their disposal, the Royal Navy would sail the international Channel whenever they pleased.
Should there be a next time, the British vowed to retaliate with formidable force.
Second Incident
On October 22, 1946, a more severe incident transpired in the Corfu Channel.
On that day, a Royal Navy flotilla consisting of cruisers HMS Mauritius and HMS Leander and other
destroyers was ordered to sail northward through the Corfu Channel. Their mission was to test the
Albanian response to their right of passage, with instructions to retaliate if attacked.
As the flotilla sailed near the Albanian coast, in what they believed to be a mine-free zone,
disaster struck just before 3:00pm. The destroyer Saumarez collided with a mine,
suffering extensive damage and requiring a tow to a nearby harbor.
About an hour later, HMS Volage also struck a mine and sustained heavy damage,
with her bows completely blown off.
The two incidents combined resulted in 84 casualties and numerous injuries.
In contrast to the previous encounter, the Albanian coastal batteries remained silent,
and one of their naval vessels approached the scene of the accidents, displaying a white flag.
Third incident
On November 12 and 13, the Royal Navy executed Operation Retail, a mine-sweeping operation
conducted within Albanian territorial waters but without the Albanian government’s authorization.
In addition to the mine clearance, Retail aimed to use the mines as evidence that
the Royal Navy was acting in self-defense by attempting to eliminate navigational hazards.
The task force included an aircraft carrier, cruisers,
other warships for protection, and a French naval officer serving as a neutral observer.
Upon reaching the area, the group meticulously scoured the Corfu Channel,
uncovering 24 contact mines anchored just 12 feet below the surface.
Further examination at a facility in Malta revealed that the mines were of German origin,
recently painted, and had lubricated mooring cables,
but showed no signs of rust or marine growth.
As a result, investigators deduced that the minefield must have been laid
shortly before the tragic events involving Saumarez and Volage.
Without a single naval vessel capable of laying mines,
Albania could not have committed this act alone.
Investigators ultimately concluded that Albania, likely with assistance from
Yugoslavs who had recovered German mines from storage following World War 2, had secretly
mined an international waterway and was therefore criminally responsible for the ensuing tragedy.
United Nations
Following the third incident in the Corfu Channel, Britain brought the case to the
United Nations Security Council, seeking an admission of guilt and repercussions for Albania.
At the same time, Enver Hoxha sent a telegram to the intergovernmental organization,
complaining about the Royal Navy's incursion into Albanian territorial waters.
During the trial, a surprise witness testified in favor of the British.
Yugoslavian Navy Lieutenant Karel Kovacic, a defector fearing for his life, had sailed
from the Dalmatian coast to freedom in Italy following the mining incident.
According to his testimony, around October 20,
1946, he saw two Yugoslavian minesweepers he had worked on days before the mining,
each laden with approximately 40 German mines, returning days later completely empty.
While the Western nations on the security council agreed that Britain could present
its case to the International Court in The Hague, the Soviet Union and Poland,
both communist countries, opposed any declaration that Albania was criminally
responsible for the human and material losses resulting from the incidents.
Nonetheless, the resolution passed with a majority.
Then, employing the veto clause to thwart the majority decision, Andrei Gromyko,
Soviet Ambassador to the United Nations, denied the British any satisfaction.
Having fought alongside one another in World War 2 against the Axis powers, the Soviet Union
had just launched the first salvo in the Cold War against the West. A new conflict had just begun.
The Hague
Dissatisfied with the outcome,
the British government took the Corfu Channel case to the International Court
of Justice following the failed attempt with the United Nations Security Council.
After three years of legal proceedings, during which Yugoslavian Navy Lieutenant
Karel Kovacic reiterated his testimony, the court ruled in favor of Britain over Albania.
Consequently, Albania was ordered to pay 847,000
pounds to Britain for ship repairs and compensation to the families of the deceased.
However, the initial jubilation of victory soon transformed into frustration.
Since the International Court lacked the authority to enforce this ruling,
it was left to the United Kingdom and Albania to negotiate the judgment's
execution. This time, the battle for repayment would persist for decades.
The Albanian government refused to pay the reparations, citing a lack of funds.
In retaliation, the British government withheld
3,472 pounds worth of Albanian gold from entering the country.
This gold, plundered from Albania by the Axis powers during World War II, was stored in the
Bank of England's vaults and was allocated to the Albanians by the United States, United Kingdom,
and France through a tripartite commission in 1948 after being recovered by the Allies.
At Last
﻿For years, the Corfu Channel incident remained unresolved, and Enver Hoxha remained
the tyrannical leader of Albania until he passed away in 1985 after more than 40 years in power.
With the end of the Cold War, diplomatic relations between
the two nations were finally established on May 29, 1991,
and the People's Socialist Republic of Albania ceased to exist the following year.
On May 8, 1992, Britain and Albania finally came to an agreement on the
Corfu Channel case after 46 long years. Both nations expressed their regret together.
Following extensive negotiations, the gold was finally returned to Albania after its
leaders agreed to pay two million dollars in delayed reparations.
Today, the Corfu Channel Incident and the subsequent
legal case are regarded as one of the first events of the Cold War.
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