| Capture of Korytsa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the First Balkan War | |||||||
 A Greek lithograph of the capture. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Greece |  Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Konstantinos Damianos | Djavit Pasha | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 24,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
The Capture of Korytsa by the Hellenic armed forces, happened on 20 December 1912, during the First Balkan War.
During the early stages of the war while the Balkan allies were victorious, the Hellenic Army liberated Thessaloniki and continued to advance west in Macedonia to Kastoria and then Korytsa.
The Epirus front was also active and the Ottoman forces under Djavid Pasha placed 24,000 Ottoman troops in Korytsa in order to protect north of Ioannina, the urban center of the Epirus region. On December 20, three days after peace negotiations started, [1] the Greek forces pushed the Ottomans out of Korytsa. [2]
This would give the Greek forces a significant advantage in controlling Ioannina and the entire area in March 1913 at the Battle of Bizani.
After Ioannina was captured, the town was visited on 17 May, 1913, by Prince George (later George II of Greece). Prince George was welcomed by the Muslim mayor of the town and he visited a Dervish monastery nearby. [3]
Constantine I was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece expanded to include Thessaloniki, doubling in area and population. He succeeded to the throne of Greece on 18 March 1913, following his father's assassination.
The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states' combined armies overcame the initially numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, achieving rapid success.
The military history of Greece is the history of the wars and battles that took place in Greece, the Balkans, and the Greek colonies in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, respectively, since classical antiquity.
The Battle of Pente Pigadia or Battle of Beshpinar, took place on 22–30 October (O.S.), 1912. It was a battle fought between Greek forces under Lieutenant General Konstantinos Sapountzakis and Ottoman forces under General Esad Pasha during the First Balkan War. The battle began when the Ottomans attacked Greek positions at Anogi. Early snowfall prevented the Ottomans from launching a big offensive, while the Greeks managed to hold their ground for six days in the ensuing series of skirmishes.
The Battle of Bizani took place in Epirus on 4–6 March [O.S. 19–21 February] 1913. The battle was fought between Greek and Ottoman forces during the last stages of the First Balkan War, and revolved around the forts of Bizani, which covered the approaches to Ioannina, the largest city in the region.
The Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was a short-lived, self-governing entity founded in the aftermath of the Balkan Wars on 28 February 1914, by the local Greek population in southern Albania.
Konstantinos Sapountzakis was a Hellenic Army officer. He is notable as the first head of the Hellenic Army General Staff and as the first commander of the Army of Epirus during the First Balkan War.
The participation of Greece in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 is one of the most important episodes in modern Greek history, as it allowed the Greek state to almost double its size and achieve most of its present territorial size. It also served as a catalyst of political developments, as it brought to prominence two personalities, whose relationship would dominate the next decade and have long-lasting repercussions for Greece: the Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, and the Army's commander-in-chief, the Crown Prince and later King, Constantine I.
Michael Moutoussis was a Hellenic Army officer and pioneer of military aviation. Together with Aristeidis Moraitinis, he performed the first naval air mission in history during the Balkan Wars.
Georgios Tsontos also known with the nom de guerreKapetan Vardas, was a Greek guerrilla fighter, general, and later politician from Crete.
Christos Adamidis was a Hellenic Army officer and pioneer of military aviation. He was one of the first Greek officers who received aviation training in France and later participated in air operations during the Balkan Wars.
The following is the order of battle of the Hellenic Army during the First Balkan War of 1912–1913.
The Himara Revolt, was a Greek uprising during the First Balkan War that took place in the region of Himara, on November 18 [O.S. November 5] 1912. It successfully overthrew the Ottoman forces of the region, thus securing the coastal area between Sarandë and Vlorë for the Hellenic Army.
Nikolaos Delagrammatikas was a senior Hellenic Army officer who fought in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913.
Ioannis Velissariou was a Hellenic Army officer and hero of the Balkan Wars. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in the military history of modern Greece. He had a decisive role in the Battle of Bizani during the First Balkan War (1912–1913), forcing the Ottoman Army to surrender unconditionally.
The Pan-Epirotic Assembly of Delvino was a meeting of the representatives of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus, in June–July 1914, that ratified the Protocol of Corfu. The latter agreement granted an autonomous status for Northern Epirus, as well as a number of rights for the local Greek populations, inside the borders of the newly established Principality of Albania.
Georgios Soulios was a Greek guerrilla fighter of the early 20th century. He participated in the Macedonian Struggle, the Balkan Wars, and in the struggle for the establishment of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus.
The Battle of Driskos, took place on 26–28 November (O.S.), 1912. It was a battle fought between Greek forces under General Dimitrios Matthaiopoulos and Ottoman forces under General Esad Pasha during the First Balkan War. The battle began when a unit of Greek Redshirt volunteers attacked the Ottoman defensive line at Mount Driskos, Epirus.
The Medal for the Greco-Turkish War of 1912–1913 is a campaign medal of Greece for participation in the First Balkan War.
The Mosque of Kaloutsiani is a historical Ottoman mosque in the town of Ioannina, Epirus, in northwestern Greece. It was built in 1740, and since 2005 it been the subject of restoration campaigns and works. It is one of several surviving mosques in Ioannina, others being the Veli Pasha Mosque, the Fethiye Mosque and the Aslan Pasha Mosque.