Battle of Elaia–Kalamas

Overview

The Battle of Elaia–Kalamas took place in Epirus on 2–8 November 1940. The battle was fought between the Greeks and the Italians during the initial stage of the Greco-Italian War in World War II. The Royal 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 Kalpaki (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. 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.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Elaia–Kalamas was fought in Epirus from 2–8 November 1940 during the opening phase of the Greco-Italian War. The Royal Italian Army had launched its invasion of Greece on 28 October 1940, with the main thrust directed through the Epirus sector. Despite being outnumbered, Greek forces under Major General Charalambos Katsimitros held the Kalpaki (Elaia)–Kalamas river line and stopped the Italian advance. Combined with the concurrent Italian failure in the Battle of Pindus, the Greek success at Elaia–Kalamas marked the complete collapse of the Italian invasion plan. The defeat led directly to the dismissal of the Italian commander in Albania, Sebastiano Visconti Prasca, on 9 November 1940. In the weeks that followed, Greek forces launched a counteroffensive that drove the Italians back deep into Albania, fundamentally reversing the strategic situation in the theater.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (8)