Operation Pyrsos

Operation Pyrsos
Part of Greek Civil War
Date August 2–30, 1949 Location Grammos and Vitsi, West Macedonia, northwestern Greece Result National Army victory End of the Greek Civil War
Belligerents
Provisional Democratic Government Support:  People's Republic of Albania (until August 25)	Kingdom of Greece Support:  United States
Commanders and leaders
Markos Vafeiadis	Alexandros Papagos Konstantinos Ventiris
Strength
8,000–13,000[1][2][3]	50,000 (6 divisions) artillery 50 aircraft
Casualties and losses
1,182 dead about 3,000 wounded 1,632 prisoners and deserters	256 dead 1,336 wounded

Operation Pyrsos (Greek: Επιχείρηση «Πυρσός», "Torch") was the final campaign launched by the National Army of the internationally recognized Greek government against the communist forces during the Greek Civil War.^[4][5] After the success of the preceding Operation Pyravlos, communist forces in central Greece had been defeated^[6] and only the mountain strongholds of Grammos and Vitsi in northwestern Greece remained under their control.^[2][3] Yugoslavian assistance to the communists had come to an end in February 1949 amid the Tito–Stalin split.^[2] The National Army launched a diversionary attack on Grammos and their main force at Vitsi.^[3] On August 25, following a massive attack by the National Army with aircraft and artillery, the Albanian government of Enver Hoxha cut off its assistance to the Greek communist forces; he did not attempt to disarm the Greek communists on his territory, but threatened to cut off food supplies if they returned to Greece.^[3] The operation ended on August 30.^[7] The Greek communists formally surrendered in mid-October, ending the Greek Civil War.^[3]