This Day in Military History · November 2

1940 World War II: First day of Battle of Elaia–Kalamas between the Greeks and the Italians.

The Battle of Elaia–Kalamas (Greek: Μάχη Ελαίας-Καλαμά, romanized: Machi Elaias-Kalama) 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.

Read more: Battle of Elaia–Kalamas Text and image from Wikipedia