Kalpaki - Ioannina | The historic "NO" and the Monument of the Greek Fighter 1940-1941 🇬🇷
The historic village of Kalpaki was the scene of fierce clashes in November 1940. Italian plans to occupy Greece initially envisioned a surprise attack on Epirus and Corfu to occupy them. Then they were to cross to Macedonia and Athens. While drawing up the Greek plans to intercept the Italians, Lieutenant General Charalambos Katsimitros, Commander of the 8th Infantry Division, was sure of how he should be dealt with. He was convinced that in the straits of Kalpaki (that is, Elea) it was the ideal place to stop the advance of the Italian troops towards Ioannina. And there was a very specific reason why he believed that.
The swamp of Kalamas would be the natural barrier that would weaken and would be a major obstacle for the Italian armor. And indeed it was confirmed in this thought. In the early hours of October 28, 1940, the Italian attack took place. Italian phalanxes began to cross the Greek border. The task of the 8th Division was not at all easy.
In the first two days of November 1940, the Italians now attempted to enter the Straits of Kalpaki while the Italian air force and artillery began bombarding the positions of the Greek soldiers. The defense of the Greeks would not break so easily. The Greek army responded with infantry and artillery fire, stopping the first attack.
The sequel is more difficult for the Greeks as the Italian and Albanian military units taking advantage of the snowstorm surprised the Greek squad on the hill of Grambala and managed to capture it. Only for a few hours since the dawn of the next day the hill was finally recaptured by the Greeks. The Italians in turn succeeded in recapturing Grambala.
There was a hand-to-hand battle and the Greek divisions managed to finally occupy and control the hill of Grambala. At the same time, an enemy phalanx of chariots attacked Kalpaki unsuccessfully. They only managed to become easy prey for the Greek guns. The following days showed that the Italians could not easily face the Greeks in Kalpaki. On November 8, the Italian divisions began to retreat and take a defensive stance. The victory was now a fact.
The losses of the 8th Division during the battle of Kalpaki (Elea-Kalama), from the 1st to the 5th of November, amounted to 3 officers and 57 hoplites dead and to 5 officers and 203 hoplites wounded. The losses of the Italian forces, however, according to the data of General Praska, amounted to 17 officers and 354 hoplites dead and to 65 officers and 1,134 hoplites wounded. 10 officers and 648 hoplites are reported missing.
The victory of the Greeks in the battle of Kalpaki proved decisive. It was an extremely key point for the outcome of the Greek-Italian war. The situation was almost irreversible for the Italians from the very first days.
Kalpaki is today a central village at a key point in the prefecture of Ioannina. It is located on the national road that connects the city of Ioannina with Konitsa. The village is spread over a large area and has everything serving the villages of Pogoni and Konitsa.
And of course the memories from the Epic of the '40s are alive and well. If you are in Kalpaki you will see that on the hill above the village dominates the imposing bronze statue of the Fighter of the '40s. It is a monument to the fallen in the Battle of Kalpaki, created by the professor of the Polytechnic and sculptor Lazaro Lamera. If you are there, it is certain that you will be overwhelmed with awe and emotion. Every year there is a representation of the battle of Kalpaki. At the entrance of the village there is also the Museum War Museum 1940-41 which was inaugurated in 1975. In the courtyard of the Museum are exhibited heavy Artillery weapons used in the Greek-Italian War.
Kalpaki is a Greek village with a long history that reminds you in the strongest way of the sacrifices and the struggle of the Greeks for freedom.
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12 сен 2024
