Battle of Meritsa

The Battle of Meritsa (Μάχη της Μερίτσας) or Battle of Oxyneia (Μάχη της Οξύνειας) was fought on 11–12 February 1943 between some 800 men of the Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS), under Nestoras Vokas (nom de guerre "Tzavellas"), Nikos Zaralis ("Chasiotis"), and Ilias Kafantaris ("Adamantios") at the village of Meritsa (modern Oxyneia) near Kalambaka, against an Royal Italian Army battalion. In the battle, 137 Italians were killed, and 160 were taken prisoner, along with their entire equipment, including 4 mortars, 20 automatic weapons, and over 2,000 grenades. The partisans released their prisoners, but kept the equipment.