Battle of Himara The Battle of Himara ( ) was a military conflict that took place in the Greco - Italian War in December 1940 , during the counteroffensive of the Greek Army that followed the failed Italian invasion of Greece . After the Greek victory in Himara , the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini , admitted that one of the causes of the Italian defeat was the high morale of the Greek troops . Background . 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 counteroffensive and penetrated deep into Italian - held Albanian territory all over the front . As a result the Hellenic Armed Forces entered the cities and towns of the region one after another : Korçë , on 22 November , Pogradec , on 30 November , Sarandë , on 6 December , and Gjirokastër , on 8 December . Battle . On 13 December , Porto Palermo , a coastal village south of Himara came under the control of the Greek forces . Two days later , the 3rd Infantry Division of the Greek Army continued the offensive toward Himara . However , the advance was slowed down due to heavy enemy counter - action , supported by air force raids , as well as extremely harsh weather conditions . On 19 December , the Greek forces after a hard fight captured the Giami height . Meanwhile , at the dawn of same day , the 3 / 40 Evzone Regiment under Col . Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos launched , without artillery preparation , a surprise attack against the Italian troops at Mount Mali i Xhorët ( or Mount Pilur ) , a strategic spot east of Himara . The Evzones of the regiment , after being informed about the topography of the region by locals , performed a charge with fixed bayonets from various positions against the Italian garrison . Although the snow was three - feet high , this eventually helped the advancing Greek troops to tackle the barbed wire to capture an Italian mountain battery . After three days of fierce fighting , the men of the 3rd Division took control of the height , as well as the Kuç saddle . The successful outcome of the capture of Kuç saddle was of significant importance , since the occupation of this location gave access to the valey of Shushicë . Furthermore , the Italian troops lost six artillery guns , a mortar company and a multitude of war supplies . The Greek losses did not exceed 100 killed in action and wounded , while the Italians had approximately 400 casualties and more than 900 were taken prisoners . On 21 December , the Greek forces captured the height of Tsipista northwest of Himara . To avoid encirclement , the Italians abandoned Himara . Finally , the Greek troops entered the town in the morning on 22 December , where they were welcomed by the locals with enthusiastic celebrations . Aftermath . The capture of Himara was celebrated as a major success in Greece and proved that the Greek army was in condition to continue the advance pushing the Italians further north . On the other hand , the Italian headquarters was alarmed by the Greek success , and on 24 December Benito Mussolini addressed his concerns to the Italian military commander , Ugo Cavallero . In his letter , Mussolini , does not doubt that one of the causes of the Italian defeat was the high morale of the Greek forces , which led to their capture of Himara .