Battle of Kalavryta | |||||||
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Part of the Greek Civil War | |||||||
![]() View of Kalavryta | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Stephanos Giouzelis Kostas Kanellopoulos | Nikolaos Arvanitakis | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,000–1,100 | 700 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
10–27 killed 25–40 wounded |
44–50 killed 160–300 captured | ||||||
Location of the battle in Greece |
The Battle of Kalavryta (Greek: Μάχη των Καλαβρύτων) took place between 11 and 12 April 1948. It was fought as part of the Greek Civil War, pitting forces of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) led by Stephanos Giouzelis against the government garrison of Kalavryta under Nikolaos Arvanitakis.
In the early morning hours of 11 April, DSE fighters launched an offensive on Kalavryta from multiple directions, while small groups of commandos infiltrated the city center. DSE had seized most of the city by noon, with the last defenders surrendering the following day. Following their victory at Kalavryta, DSE seized large amounts of food and military equipment. However, disagreements among DSE's commanding officers and underdeveloped logistics caused it to narrowly avoid encirclement, losing the spoils of the battle in the process. The Battle of Kalavryta was among DSE's most significant victories in the Peloponnese front.