Capture of Klisura Pass
| Capture of Klisura Pass | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Greco-Italian War | |||||||
Greek soldiers next to a captured Italian tank | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Italy | Greece | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ugo Cavallero |
Alexander Papagos Dimitrios Papadopoulos | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
131st Armored Division "Centauro" 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" 7th Infantry Division "Lupi di Toscana" |
29th Infantry Regiment 5th Infantry Division | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 300 killed and 350 captured (including 25 officers) | Unknown | ||||||
The capture of Klisura Pass (Greek: Κατάληψη της Κλεισούρας) was a military operation that took place during 6–11 January 1941 in southern Albania, and was one of the most important battles of the Greco-Italian War. The Italian Army, initially deployed on the Greek-Albanian border, launched a major offensive against Greece on 28 October 1940. After a two-week conflict, Greece managed to repel the invading Italians in the battles of Pindus and Elaia–Kalamas. Beginning on 9 November, the Greek forces launched a major counteroffensive and penetrated deep into Italian-held Albanian territory. The Greek operations culminated with the capture of the strategically important Klisura Pass in January 1941.