Battle of Elaia–Kalamas

The Battle of Elaia–Kalamas (Greek: Μάχη Ελαίας-

Καλαμά, romanized: Machi Elaias-Kalama) took place in Epirus on 2–8
November 1940.[3] The battle was fought between the Greeks and
the Italians during the initial stage of the Greco-Italian War in World War
II. The Italian Army, 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. In Epirus, the Greeks held
the Elaia–Kalamas river line, and, even though the Greek army was
outnumbered, the local Greek forces under Major General Charalambos
Katsimitros stopped the Italian advance.[4] Along with the Italian failure in
the Battle of Pindus, these Greek successes signified the complete
failure of the Italian invasion, leading to the dismissal of the Italian
commander in Albania, Sebastiano Visconti Prasca, on 9 November. In
the next few weeks the Greek forces initiated a counteroffensive that
forced the Italians to retreat deep into Albania.

After the Italian invasion of Albania 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, 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–Aliakmon River–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.[4] 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 in the areas facing the Italians.[5]

The Greek High Command in the first days of the conflict was
pessimistic about the ability of the Greek Army 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, 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.[6]
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 (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 25 km (16 mi) south of the Greek-Albanian border, 34 km (21 mi)
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.[7]
The Italians faced difficulties because of the harshness of the terrain.
The next day, their light L3/35 tankettes and medium M13/40 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.[8] On 8 November, the fruitless Italian offensive was
suspended.[7] 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
After the successful Greek defense in Elea-Kalamas and in the
mountains of Pindus, the Greek forces were able to push back the
Italians, advancing into southern Albania. The Greeks would penetrate
30–80 kilometres (19–50 mi) into Albanian territory before the German
intervention in April 1941