Battle of Pindus

Battle of Pindus
Part of the Greco-Italian War

Italian Invasion of Greece 1940
Date28 October – 13 November 1940
(2 weeks and 2 days)
Location40°05′20″N 20°55′31″E / 40.08889°N 20.92528°E / 40.08889; 20.92528
Result Greek victory
Belligerents
 Italy  Greece
Commanders and leaders
Fascist Italy Mario Girotti Kingdom of Greece Konstantinos Davakis
Kingdom of Greece Vasileios Vrachnos
Kingdom of Greece Georgios Stanotas
Kingdom of Greece Sokratis Dimaratos
Strength

28 October:
3rd Alpine Division "Julia"

elements 47th Infantry Division "Bari"
Julia:[1]
10,804 officers and men
20 guns
mid-November:[2]
23,000 men
112 guns
28 October:
2,000 men
4 guns

13 November:
32,000 men
114 guns[3]
Casualties and losses
5,000 killed, wounded and missing[4] Unknown

The Battle of Pindus (Italian: Battaglia del Pindo, Albanian: Beteja e Pindit, Greek: Μάχη της Πίνδου Máchi tis Píndou) 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 stages of the Greco-Italian War. The elite Italian 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" invaded Greece from the Pindus sector. After its initial advance, the division was surrounded by the Greek army and forced to retreat after suffering heavy losses. In the aftermath, the Greeks were able to push back the Italians, advancing deep into Albanian territory.

  1. ^ "La Julia nella seconda guerra mondiale: La campagna Greco-Albanense". 2009.
  2. ^ Zizzo 2008, p. 86.
  3. ^ Η Ιταλική Εισβολή, ΔΙΣ, Αθήναι 1960, page 247
  4. ^ Jowett & Stephen 2000, p. 6.