In April 1939, just prior to the beginning of World War II, Italian Fascist troops attacked Albania. Soon afterward the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses was banned, but our small group of about 50 Kingdom proclaimers continued to preach. Some 15,000 of our books and booklets were confiscated and destroyed during World War II.

Even though our work was banned and World War II raged in countries around us, we continued to do what we could to fulfill our commission to preach the Kingdom message. (Matthew 24:14) In 1944 a total of 15 Witnesses were in prison. Yet, during these difficult times, we never felt abandoned by Jehovah.