Battle of Meligalas

1944 CE.

Shown on the map at 37.223°, 21.954°.

The Battle of Meligalas (Greek: Μάχη του Μελιγαλά, romanized: Machi tou Meligala) took place during the Axis occupation of Greece in Meligalas in southwestern Greece on 13–15 September 1944. Greek Resistance forces of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) defeated a Security Battalion garrison loyal to the collaborationist government. Partisan ELAS forces, the military wing of the Communist-led National Liberation Front (EAM), had begun operating in the Peloponnese from 1942 and in 1943 began to establish their control over the area. In response, the German occupation authorities formed the Security Battalions, which took part not only in anti-guerrilla operations but also in mass reprisals against local civilian populations. The Security Battalions were increasingly targeted by ELAS in 1944. Following the withdrawal of German forces from the Peloponnese in September, a force of about 1,000 Battalionists gathered in Meligalas, where they were quickly surrounded by around 1,200 ELAS partisans. After three days of fighting, the ELAS forces broke the town's defences; victorious, they executed between 700 and 1,100 prisoners and civilians.

Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Meligalas, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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