page_title: Battle of Kleisoura Pass
section_title: Greek forces
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Kleisoura Pass / Prelude / Greek forces
caption_attribution_description: English: View of Kleisoura, Greece
context_page_description: The Battle of Kleisoura Pass took place from the evening of 13 April 1941, when first contact was made, until the midday of 14 April, when Greek organized resistance collapsed. The battle was fought over the narrow pass that crosses between Mt. Vitsi and Mt. Siniatsiko, between elements of the Greek 20th Infantry Division which were occupying the pass and the German Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, a mechanized infantry unit of brigade level. The pass was strategically important for it stood on the main Allied defensive line, behind which passed the withdrawal route of the Greek army engaged against the Italians in Albania.
context_section_description: While battalions I/87 and II/80 were already present at the pass since 10 April, the bulk of the 80th Regiment (battalions I and III) and the 6th Positional Machine-gun battalion began arriving after a night march to Kleisoura village from midday 13 April. At 15:00 about one-third of the regiment had arrived. By the fall of the night the regiment had reorganized and took its assigned positions in the center of the location. Stragglers continued arriving until the morning of 14 April. Battalions were at half-strength in manpower and one-third in heavy weapons (machine-guns and mortars). Ammunition, medical and communications materiel stocks had largely been abandoned at Komnina and Ptolemaida. The 20th Division’s commander gave orders to immediately supply ammunition from nearby Kastoria.
  Between 13 and 14 April the forces on the pass were:
  Infantry battalion I/87 and one company of X border sector (Fanos screening company) deployed defensively on heights Soubrets (1623 m) and Sargonitsa (1386 m) north of the road from Florina, and another company (9th/X Border Sector) on a height northeast of Daouli col and south of the same road—all since 10 April and in relatively good fighting condition
  The 6th Positional Machine-gun battalion, with great shortages and 10 machine-guns deployed on Daouli col astride the road from Amyntaio
  Infantry battalion  I/80 deployed defensively on the heights north and south of Kleisoura village, lacking one rifle company and a machine-gun platoon, with its present companies at half-strength and greatly fatigued
  Infantry battalion  III/80 west of Kleisoura village, in reserve, in similar condition as I/80
  Infantry battalion  II/80 further to the south of I/80, deployed defensively between heights Stoulma Manou (1534 m) and Petra Markou (1655 m) since 10 April and in good shape; (the battalion saw no action during the battle)
  Col. Panagiotis Dedes, formerly commander of the 21st Brigade, was appointed at the early hours of 14 April to command all Greek units at Kleisoura pass. However he was unable to reach the pass in time due to demolitions on the road, and during the entire battle the commander of 80th regiment, Lt. Col. Vasilios Mantzouranis, was the effective overall commander.
caption: The village of Kleisoura
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