Anastas Ngjela
Born(1934-03-03)3 March 1934
Sheper, Albania
Died24 July 1999(1999-07-24) (aged 65)
Albania
Service/branch Albanian People's Army
RankColonel
Unit Air Force of the Albanian People's Army
Battles/wars

Anastas Ngjela (3 March 1934 – 24 July 1999) was an Albanian pilot of First Class and the Colonel of Military Air Forces, of Albania Republic.[1]


Life

Anastas Ngjela grew up in an Albanian family in a small village in Gjirokastër in Sheper, he was the cousin of Kiço Ngjela, communist politician in Albania. Later on he moved to the capital Tirana. He was initially enrolled in the seven-year school "11 Janari"; then entered the "Skënderbej" military high school and, after that, the "Enver Hoxha" United Officers School, also in Tirana. In 1952, Anastasi, together with a group of friends, left for the Soviet aviation school. He began his theoretical studies at the Soviet school in the city of Borisoglebsk, Voronezh region, which is named after Valery Chkalov.[2]

The first flight missions

United States Air Force Lockheed RT-33 reconnaissance plane forced down by Albanian MiG-15 in December 1957, on display in Gjirokastër, Albania

In 1957, Anastas Ngjella and his Mahmut Hysa flew their first combat mission against a United States Air Force jet.[3] that had allegedly violated Albanian airspace.[4][5] Anastas Ngjela and his friend Mahmut Hysa immediately got ready and took off.[6] The American Lockheed T-33 jet was surrounded and forced to land on the unfinished runway at Rinas Airport.[7][8][9] The plane was impounded and the American pilot Major Howard J. Curran was arrested.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Shqiptare, Qendra Mbarekombetare e Koleksionisteve (2018-03-02). "4 March 1914, was born the pilot of Albanian Air Force, Colonel Anastas Ngjela". Qendra Mbarekombetare e Koleksionisteve Shqiptare. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  2. ↑ Nelaj, Niazi (2014-12-01). "Anastasi – Homazh për Anastas Ngjelën". Aviacioni Shqiptar. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  3. ↑ "Koha kur avionët e Enverit luftonin me botën". Konica.al. 2019-11-24. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  4. ↑ ""Në vitin 1957, një pilot i NATO-s, me gradën e majorit, uli avionin e tij "T-33" në aeroportin e Rinasit"/ Dëshmia". Memorie.al (in Albanian). 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  5. ↑ Vincent W. J. van Gerven Oei (2015). Workers Leaving the Studio. Looking Away from Socialist Realism. punctum Books. ISBN 978-0-692-48041-0. OCLC 945783129.
  6. ↑ Spektër (in Albanian). 2001. p. 19.
  7. ↑ Gloyer, Gillian (2018). Albania : the Bradt travel guide (Edition 6 ed.). Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks. ISBN 978-1-78477-078-5. OCLC 1030950211.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ↑ Regnery, Alfred S. (2019). Unlikely pilgrim : a journey into history and faith. New York, NY. ISBN 978-0-8253-0800-0. OCLC 1082977970.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ↑ Gibler, Douglas M. (2018). International conflicts, 1816-2010 : militarized interstate dispute narratives. Lanham, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-4422-7558-4. OCLC 1030585387.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ↑ Keesing's Contemporary Archives. University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign: Keesing's Limited. 1957. p. 15984.
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