Battle of Elaia–Kalamas
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The Battle of Elaia–Kalamas ( el, Μάχη Ελαίας-Καλαμά, Machi Elaias-Kalama) took place in
Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...
on 2–8 November 1940. The battle was fought between the
Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
and the
Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...
during the initial stage of the
Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdoms of Italy and G ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. The
Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
, deployed on the Greek-Albanian border, launched an offensive against Greece on 28 October 1940. The main thrust of the Italian invasion occurred in the Epirus sector, with a further flanking move through the
Pindus mountains The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metr ...
. In Epirus, the Greeks held the Elaia
Kalamas river The Thyamis ( el, Θύαμις), also known as Glykys (Γλυκύς) or Kalamas (Καλαμάς), is a river in the Epirus region of Greece. It flows into the Ionian Sea. It is long, and its drainage area is about , over 99% of which on Greek t ...
line, and, even though the Greek army was outnumbered, the local Greek forces under Major General
Charalambos Katsimitros Charalambos Katsimitros (; 1886–1962) was a Greek general who distinguished himself during the Italian invasion of Greece. Early life and career Katsimitros entered the Army in 1904. He participated in the Balkan Wars as a 2nd Lieutenant in ...
stopped the Italian advance. Along with the Italian failure in the
Battle of Pindus The Battle of Pindus ( el, Μάχη της Πίνδου) took place in the Pindus Mountains in Epirus and West Macedonia, Greece, from 28 October–13 November 1940. The battle was fought between the Greek and the Italian armies during the first ...
, these Greek successes signified the complete failure of the Italian invasion, leading to the dismissal of the Italian commander in Albania,
Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Sebastiano Visconti Prasca (23 January 1883, Rome – 25 February 1961) was an Italian general. He led the initial offensive of the Greco-Italian War, but was relieved of his command after two weeks for incompetence and substituted with General Ub ...
, on 9 November. In the next few weeks the Greek forces initiated a counteroffensive that forced the Italians to retreat deep into Albania.


Background

After the
Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...
in April 1939, the Greek General Staff was alerted to a potential Italian attack from Albanian territory. Faced with the strong likelihood of a concerted Italian-Bulgarian attack against both Epirus and Macedonia-
Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
, the main Greek contingency plan, codenamed "IB" (for "Italy-Bulgaria"), essentially prescribed a defensive stance in Epirus. Two versions of the plan existed: the first suggested forward defense on the border line, while the second dictated initial defense in an intermediate position prior to a gradual retreat to the Arachthos River
Metsovo Metsovo ( el, Μέτσοβο; rup, Aminciu) is a town in Epirus, in the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece, between Ioannina to the west and Meteora to the east. The largest centre of Aromanian (Vlach) life in Greece, Metsovo is a large r ...
Aliakmon River The Haliacmon ( el, Αλιάκμονας, ''Aliákmonas''; formerly: , ''Aliákmon'' or ''Haliákmōn'') is the longest river flowing entirely in Greece, with a total length of . In Greece there are three rivers longer than Haliakmon, Maritsa ( el ...
Mt. Vermio line, leaving most of Epirus in Italian hands. It was left to the judgment of General Katsimitros, commanding the 8th Infantry Division based in Ioannina, to choose which plan to follow. A significant factor favoring the Greeks was that they had obtained intelligence about the approximate date of the attack, and had just completed a limited
mobilization Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...
in the areas facing the Italians.


Battle

The Greek High Command in the first days of the conflict was pessimistic about the ability of the
Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...
to repulse an Italian attack against a position which was difficult to defend. The defensive line near the Greek-Albanian border could be only thinly manned before the general mobilization and concentration could be completed and thus was expected to only delay the advance of enemy forces. General Katsimitros, commanding the Greek 8th Infantry Division covering that part of the border, realized the defensive value of the mountainous and marshy terrain, which would partially negate the Italian superiority in men and tanks. Contrary to the directives from the High Command under Lieutenant General
Alexander Papagos Alexandros Papagos ( el, Αλέξανδρος Παπάγος; 9 December 1883 – 4 October 1955) was a Greek army officer who led the Hellenic Army in World War II and the later stages of the subsequent Greek Civil War. The only Greek career of ...
, he concentrated the main forces of his division there, with the intention of giving all-out battle. Papagos reluctantly approved Katsimitros's plan, after sending Colonel Drakos as Katsimitros's new chief of staff, who after careful study of the area, also agreed with the plan. The Italian forces attacked on the morning of 28 October. The Italian ''Ciamuria'' Corps, composed of the 51st Infantry Division "Siena", the 23rd Infantry Division "Ferrara" and the 131st Armoured Division "Centauro", pushed toward
Kalpaki Kalpaki ( el, Καλπάκι) is a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pogoni, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated about northwest o ...
(Elaia), supported on its right by a small brigade-sized ''Littoral Group'' of ca. 5,000 men. Following their defensive plans, the Greek screening units delayed the Italians while falling back to the main defensive line of Elaia-Kalamas, about south of the Greek-Albanian border, northeast of Ioannina. On 2 November, the Greek forces were positioned according to the defensive plan along the line Kalamas–Elaia–Grabala–Kleftis Hill. On this day, after repeated air and artillery strikes, the Italian infantry of the ''Ferrara'' Division attacked unsuccessfully in order to advance the bulk of their forces closer to the Elaia sector. The Italians faced difficulties because of the harshness of the terrain. The next day, their light
L3/35 The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tan ...
tankette A tankette is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle that resembles a small tank, roughly the size of a car. It is mainly intended for light infantry support and scouting.
s and medium
M13/40 The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II. It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vi ...
tanks were unable to cope with the hilly terrain and the muddy ground. The Greek defensive line could not be breached. On its right, the Littoral Group managed a slow advance along the coast and was able to secure a bridgehead over the Kalamas River on 5 November. The winter weather, poor leadership and minefields, caused the Italians many casualties. On 8 November, the fruitless Italian offensive was suspended. Because of the complete failure of the Italian operations, General Visconti Prasca was relieved of his command after only two weeks and replaced with General
Ubaldo Soddu Ubaldo Soddu (23 July 1883 – 25 July 1949) was an Italian military officer, who commanded the Italian Forces in the Greco-Italian War for a month. Soddu was born in Salerno. From 1939 to 1940, Soddu was under-secretary at the Ministry of War. ...
.


Aftermath

After the successful Greek defense in Elea-Kalamas and in the mountains of
Pindus The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metres ...
, the Greek forces were able to push back the Italians, advancing into southern Albania. The Greeks would penetrate into Albanian territory before the German intervention in April 1941.


Footnotes


References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elaia-Kalamas, Battle Of Conflicts in 1940 1940 in Greece Elaia Battles and operations of World War II involving Greece Battles of World War II involving Italy Epirus in World War II November 1940 events