Most Greeks know about the golden pages of heroism written by the Greek soldiers in the mountains of Northern Epirus, when Greece bravely fended off the Italian attack in the Greek-Italian War of 1940.
Many, however, ignore the contribution of Greek women; their voluntary and spontaneous offerings and self-sacrifices remain a largely unknown side of the war, especially outside of Greece.
The women of Epirus offered their homes to accommodate Greek soldiers. They also provided food, blankets, and every kind of clothing. They did not hesitate to give all their supplies of food even to the horses of the army.
They were also known for knitting socks and other clothes to keep Greek soldiers warm during the cold days of war in the Pindus Mountains when temperatures reached dangerous lows.
In his war diary, Argyris Balatsos wrote: “I have met women carrying ammunition. One of them was 88 years old…The snow, the frost, the terrible cold, didn’t seem to scare them. All of them, full of joy, wanted to supply the army with what the transport vehicles couldn’t. Truly the miracle of women.”
The women of Epirus were unsung heroines of the Greek-Italian War
Climbing along steep ravines in extremely difficult weather conditions, these heroic women also acted as nurses, carrying wounded soldiers to safety and providing first aid.
Women also helped the Army engineers in the arduous labor of opening and repairing roads and bridges during the Greek-Italian War.
According to a testimony by Takis Ε. Papagiannopoulos, when the engineers failed to build a bridge over Vogiousa River due to the rushing waters, a group of women entered the water, and holding each other tightly around the shoulders, formed an earthwork that checked the rush of the river, making it possible for the bridge builders to complete their work.
There was also at least one recorded incident in which Greek women actually fought the Italian invaders in the village of Limni in Epirus on November 20, 1940.
A group of Italian soldiers had captured around a dozen young women and were taking them to the school of the village when Greek soldiers suddenly appeared.
The Italians were surprised by both the presence of the soldiers and the reaction of the women, who chased them away using axes and large chunks of wood. At least ten Italian soldiers were killed and twenty-five were taken prisoners in this incident.
Although the contribution of the women of Epirus to the war effort is not widely known, it deserves to be recognized, even decades later.
The Women of Epirus: Unsung Heroines of the Greek-Italian War IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2025-10-28 07:32:12 Latest news, world news, country news, most important news, latest news, most important, latest of the day, Justice, Petar Nizamov, Feathers, Petar Nizamov- Feathers, Justice bg, iustitia.bg, iustitia, iusticia, usticia, investigation, Burgas, Bulgaria, news, breaking news, news of the day, news of today, news from today, Bulgaria news, The news from Bulgaria, blitz news, top news, most important, most commented, latest news, Boyko Borisov, news, weather, coronavirus, news, news, weather, facebook, youtube, facebook, instagram, today’s news, last minute news, news today, today’s news, news, bg news, leading news, hot news, bg news, news site, all news, news bg, last hour news, latest, latest news bg, news from today, news today, last hour news, latest news, today, news bg, news, news vesti, 24 hours news, vesti bg novini, world news, bird bg, bivol bg, bivol, trud bg novini, latest news today, novinite bg news, hello bulgaria, political party coat of arms, delyan peevski, scandalous, bulgarian national television, free europe, television, scandal, exclusive, live, live tv right now, tv, tv online, tv program, bg, live now, tv news, online, live tv online, court, burgas court, burgas district court, burgas court, burgas district court, burgas district court, burgas district court, burgas court of appeal, burgas prosecutor, burgas prosecutor’s office, burgas district prosecutor’s office, burgas district prosecutor’s office, chief prosecutor, ivan geshev, prosecutor geshev, tsatsarov, mvr burgas, odmvr burgas, odp burgas, police burgas, district police burgas, prosecutor tsatsarov, sgs cases, court varna, chairman of the Supreme Court of Justice, court decisions in civil cases, decisions in cases, Plovdiv court, court decision, case decisions, Varna court, criminal, cases, district, district court decisions, work in court, Supreme Court of Justice chairman, Supreme Court judges, Sofia court, deputy judges, Plovdiv, Plovdiv court, judges Plovdiv, Supreme Court, Inspectorate of the Supreme Court of Justice, Supreme Judicial Council, Supreme Court, Supreme Judicial Council, lawyer, lawyer criminal cases, lawyer civil cases, lawyer matrimonial cases, lawyer administrative, criminal law, criminal process, civil law, civil process, administrative law, constitutional law,
