Battle of Fardykambos

Battle of Fardykambos
Date 4–6 March 1943 Location Siatista, Italian-occupied Greece 40°13′59″N 21°32′50″E / 40.23306°N 21.54722°E / 40.23306; 21.54722 Result Greek Resistance victory, capture of the garrison of Grevena
Belligerents
ELAS Individual members of PAO Armed residents of Siatista	Royal Italian Army
Commanders and leaders
Dimitrios Zygouras (ELAS) Vasilis Ganatsios (ELAS) Ioannis Kontonasios (PAO)	Perrone Pasconelli (POW)
Casualties and losses
3 partisans, 1 civilian killed 10 partisans, 3 civilians wounded	96 dead, 79 wounded 565 or 553 POWs
class=notpageimage| Location within Greece

The Battle of Fardykambos (Greek: Μάχη του Φαρδύκαμπου),^[1] also known as the Battle of Bougazi (Μάχη στο Μπουγάζι),^[2][3] was fought between the National Liberation Front (EAM-ELAS) of the Greek Resistance against the Italian troops during the Axis Occupation of Greece. The battle was notable for the large-scale and spontaneous participation of the local populace, and of officers from other groups and organizations, including right-wing rivals to ELAS.

The three-day battle began with the successful ambush of an Italian transport column on 4 March 1943. The Italian battalion garrisoning the nearby town of Grevena came to the column's rescue, but was halted before the town of Siatista by Greek partisan forces. The Greek forces continued to swell as reserve officers and ordinary civilians flocked as volunteers to the sound of battle, reaching a force of some 2,000 men. By nightfall on 5 March, the Italian battalion had been surrounded by the Greeks, and after incessant harassment and attacks over the following day, was forced to surrender on the night of 6/7 March. Many weapons and supplies, including field artillery, were acquired by the Greeks, and over 550 Italian troops became prisoners of war. The battle led to the liberation of Grevena from Italian occupation a few weeks later, and was a major sign of the growth of the Greek partisan movement, and the collapse of Italian rule over rural Greece.