Battle of Amfilochia

About 300-350^[1] guerilla fighters of ELAS, with about 1000-1500^[1] supporting reserves positioned on the connecting roads to Arta, Agrinio and Vonitsa (other sources raise the total count of ELAS forces to 2500-3000 fighters^[3][4]) started the operation at 20:00 at night capturing the German outposts on the city limits and at midnight the attack for the capture of the city began. The fighting lasted until the afternoon next day, and took place mainly around the buildings which the Germans had commandeered, since they had been taken by surprise and had not had time to disperse. At dawn, the attackers set fire to the Gendarmerie building with its contents after receiving shots from it, even though the Gendarmerie had agreed with ELAS not to participate in the battle.^[3] The tide began to tilt in favor of ELAS in the morning, when the reserves started to get involved in the battle. The ELAS forces withdrew without having completely cleared all the positions of the Nazis, because at 18:00 German reinforcements (three ships from the sea and tanks from Agrinio) began to pour in.^[4][3]

This victory for the Greek resistance resulted in protecting the second major resistance organization EDES and preventing the planned attacks against it from taking place. As a response, the Germans planned the large liquidation operation Echidna (August 5 to 31) against the base of the ELAS rebels in the mountain massif of Roumeli, which, although it failed in its main objective, was responsible for the killing of approximately 170 civilians and the partial or complete destruction of dozens of villages and towns.^[5]