page_title: Battle of Driskos
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Driskos / Battle
caption_attribution_description: Divisa di Antonio Fratti macchiata del suo sangue, foto propria
context_page_description: The Battle of Driskos, took place on 26–28 November, 1912. It was a battle fought between Greek forces under Alexandros Romas and Ottoman forces under General Esad Pasha during the First Balkan War. The battle began when the Greek army attacked the Ottoman defensive line at the Hani of Kamber Aga.
  The Greeks seized the Ottoman camp at mount Driskos and cleared its surroundings. On 27 November, the Ottomans regrouped after receiving considerable reinforcements in both manpower and artillery, launching an assault on Greek positions. The Greeks began withdrawing at noon the following day, after realizing that they were at risk of being overwhelmed. The battle of Driskos marked the last intervention of the Garibaldini into Greek expansionist conflicts.
context_section_description: At 1:00 a.m. on 26 November, the Corps of Greek Red Shirts assaulted the Hani of Kamber Aga located between the Vigla and Toufekistra hills, which was defended by 600 Ottomans and 2 artillery pieces. The battle lasted until midday, whereupon the Garibaldini were able to secure the Ligkiades and Giobourtza villages and the Ottoman camp on Driskos. A total of 200 Ottomans were killed and a limited amount of material was seized. In the afternoon Romas's troops were reinforced with the rest of the Redshirts under Garibaldi and a unit of Cretan volunteers under Kriaris and Makris, which enabled them to repulse the Ottomans from the plain in front of Driskos. In the meantime, Garibaldi's wife and daughter organized a field hospital at Sotiros monastery, in the Greek rear.
  On 27 November the Ottomans regrouped, reaching some 7,000–10,000 men with the arrival of the 19th Ottoman Division, a powerful searchlight, 2 mitrailleuses and a battery of field artillery pieces captured from the Greek army in the aftermath of the Battle of Sorovich. They counterattacked from the direction of Tzoura with additional artillery support from the Kastitsa and Yanya Island batteries. The Garibaldini held their ground, but Makris was killed and three officers including Romas's deputy Mpardopoulos were wounded. On 28 November, the Ottomans launched another attack on Driskos after forwarding their battery to Hani of Lefkas. The Greeks were reinforced by 44 men and a single 75 mm Schneider-Danglis 06/09. The Greeks began experiencing a serious shortage in ammunition as the supply convoy from Grevena failed to arrive on time. Romas, Mpardopoulos and many other Greek officers including Lorentzos Mavilis were injured, leaving Peppino Garibaldi to assume command.  
  Just before he received a second, and ultimately mortal injury to his head, according to eyewitness Nikos Karvounis, Mavilis is said to have exclaimed:
  I was expecting honors from this war, but not the honor to sacrifice myself for Greece!
  Believing that the Metsovo Detachment was at serious risk, General Dimitrios Matthaiopoulos ordered it to withdraw to Metsovo through the Hani of Kamber Aga, at midday. Garibaldi's battalions which had played a limited role in the fighting, covered the Greek retreat and evacuated the wounded.
caption: Redshirt uniform of the Italian politician, Antonio Fratti, killed in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897
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