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47-520: The command was established in western Macedonia prior to the Italian attack on 28 October 1940. Based at Kozani , it was commanded by Lieutenant-General Ioannis Pitsikas and comprised the II Army Corps (Lieutenant-General Dimitrios Papadopoulos ) and III Army Corps (Lieutenant-General Georgios Tsolakoglou ), each of two infantry divisions and an infantry brigade. The total forces available to TSDM on

94-535: A new force structure for the Greek armed forces, in April 2013 KYSEA decided the disbandment of I Army Corps. From its component units, 24th Armored Brigade came under 2nd Mechanized Infantry Division , the 15th Infantry Brigade was reduced to regimental level, the 8th Infantry Division was reduced to a brigade—while retaining its former name—and along with the 9th Infantry Brigade came under III Army Corps . The motto at

141-627: A permanent basis. Six corps were provisionally envisioned in August 1913. On 28 November 1913 (O.S.), by Royal Decree the Athens Army Corps was reorganized as a "model" formation. Alongside its constituent units, it was to serve as a training formation for the entire Army. For this purpose, it also included all military schools and academies, and was to be commanded by the head of the French military mission to Greece and extensively staffed by French officers of

188-585: A result, Pitsikas was moved from TSDM to command the Epirus Army Section (comprising I and II Corps), leaving TSDM to II Corps Commander Tsolakoglou. Following the start of the German invasion of Greece on 6 April, Papagos ordered TSDM to launch an attack towards Elbasan, in conjunction with Yugolav forces. The attack began on 7 April and the 13th Division made some progress but the Yugoslav army, also attacked by

235-442: A total population of 283,689 inhabitants (2.6% of the country's total), thus it is a low-density populated region (30 per km , as compared to the country's 81.96 per km average). This is mainly due to the mountainous nature of the region, as 82% of the total surface are mountainous and semi-mountainous areas. This is also reflected in the population distribution, as a majority of the population (56%) lives in rural areas. The capital of

282-547: Is located in Zone of Alternate Urban Planning (ZEP) in the city of Kozani. The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 4.0 billion € in 2018, accounting for 2.1% of Greek economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 17,700 € or 59% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 79% of the EU average. The unemployment rate stood at 19.7% in 2021, one of

329-466: Is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece , consisting of the western part of Macedonia . Located in north-western Greece , it is divided into the regional units of Florina , Grevena , Kastoria , and Kozani . With a population of approximately 255,000 people, as of 2021, the region had one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union . The region of Western Macedonia

376-501: Is produced in the Region) and the fur-leather sector. However, "soft" structures have not followed the general improvement of heavy infrastructures, a situation that has to be remedied, in order to achieve an overall higher economic development of the Region. The R&D services are at a rather low level: only 3,5% of the country's total research foundations are situated in the Region. Among them,

423-477: Is situated in north-western Greece, bordering with the regions of Central Macedonia (east), Thessaly (south), Epirus (west), and bounded to the north at the international borders of Greece with the Republic of North Macedonia ( Bitola , Resen and Novaci municipalities) and Albania ( Korçë County ). Although it covers a total surface of 9,451 km (3,649 sq mi) (7.2% of country's total), it has

470-521: The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) brigade, to offer surrender. The protocol of surrender was signed at 18:00 of the same day between Tsolakoglou and Dietrich. Presented with the fait accompli , Pitsikas was informed an hour later and resigned his command. Western Macedonia Western Macedonia ( Greek : Δυτική Μακεδονία , romanized :  Ditikí Makedonía , Greek pronunciation: [ðitiˈki makeðoˈnia] )

517-585: The Centauro Division. Leaving five battalions to secure its rear, III Corps attacked with twenty battalions and 37 artillery batteries. Due to the lack of tanks or anti-tank weapons to counter Italian armour, the Greeks decided to limit their movement along the mountain ridges, never descending to the valleys. The offensive was launched on the morning of 14 November, with the corps' three divisions moving on converging lines of attack towards Korçë. To achieve surprise,

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564-612: The Korçë plateau, which controlled access to the interior of Albania along the valley of the Devoll river. The plateau lay behind the Morava and Ivan mountains on the Greco-Albanian frontier, which were held by the 29th Piemonte , the 19th Venezia , and the 49th Parma divisions. The Italians were later reinforced by the 2nd Alpine Division Tridentina , the 53rd Arezzo Division, and 30–50 tanks of

611-505: The Seleucids from Orestis and the Antigonids from Elimiotis . The population of Western Macedonia was 283,689 according to the 2011 Greek census . Today, the region is predominantly ethnic Greek with Slavophone Greeks being a minority. The former are mainly concentrated in the towns Florina , Kastoria and Ptolemaida . There are also around 1,400 Slavophones—approximately 0.5% of

658-659: The University of Western Macedonia plays an important role in supporting the regional research and educational efforts. However, an enhanced interaction with SME's will be a crucial factor, in order to improve the productivity and the added value of products and services generated in the Region of Western Macedonia. Some of its more famous products are marbles , Saffron ( krokos Kozanis), fruits, Florina peppers , local wines ( Kozani , Amyntaio ), furs ( Kastoria , Siatista ) and specialized arts and crafts industry. The A2 motorway (Egnatia Odos, Trans–European Network) that crosses

705-532: The ancient Greek regions of Orestis , Elimiotis , Eordaea , Tymphaea , part of Lynkestis , of Upper Macedonia . Miltiades Hatzopoulos and other scholars suggest that the Argead Macedonians wandered from Orestis to Lower Macedonia where they founded the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon . Three of the most important Hellenistic dynasties originated from Upper Macedonia : the Lagids from Eordaea ,

752-602: The 51st and 61st Brigades, and later the 81st Military Region ( Corinth ), the 82nd Mil. Region (Athens) and the Lamia Military Command. With the outbreak of the Greek Civil War , the corps was engaged in combat against the Communist-led Democratic Army of Greece . Under the command of Lt. Gen. Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos , it played a major role in clearing southern Greece of the guerrillas and then in

799-588: The Germans , rapidly collapsed and the operation was cancelled. On 12 April, GHQ in Athens ordered the Greek forces on the Albanian front to retreat but the decision was too late. The Greek commanders knew that Italian pressure, the lack of motor transport and pack animals, the physical exhaustion of the Greek army and the poor transport network of Epirus , any retreat was likely to end up in disintegration. Advice to retreat before

846-507: The Greek advance stalled. Despite the Greek successes in Albania thus far, in February 1941 dissension within the Greek leadership emerged over strategy towards the expected German attack and the need for a withdrawal in Albania. The front commanders in Albania represented their views to GHQ in Athens and in early March, Papagos moved to replace virtually the entire leadership in the Albanian front. As

893-615: The Greek right and apply pressure on the Italians in front of them, while the reinforced I Corps would move north along the Gjirokastër – Tepelenë –Valona axis. II Corps would form the pivot of the movement, securing the connection between I Corps and TSDM, as well as advancing in step with its western neighbour in the direction of Berat . Despite its role being limited to pinning down the Italian front in its sector, TSDM's 10th Division captured Moscopole on 24 November, and Pogradec , evacuated by

940-477: The Greek right wing in place. Despite the atrocious weather and the heavy snowfall, the Greek offensive continued on the left (I and II Corps) throughout December. OMK, now renamed as the V Army Corps , but still comprising only the 10th Division),managed to advance up to Mount Tomorr and secure the connection between II and III Corps, which remained in its positions. After the Capture of Klisura Pass in mid-January,

987-401: The Greeks came on 18 November, when elements of the 13th Division panicked during an ill-coordinated attack and the division almost retreated; its commander was sacked on the spot and the new commander, Major-General Sotirios Moutousis , forbade any further retreat, restoring the front. On 19–21 November, the Greeks captured the summit of Morava. Fearing that they would be surrounded and cut off,

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1034-516: The Italians retreated towards the Devoll valley during the night, and on 22 November the city of Korçë was captured by 9th Division. By 27 November, TSDM had captured the entire Korçë plateau, suffering 624 dead and 2,348 wounded. Further south and west, I Corps and II Corps had moved to evict the Italians from Greek territory, which they achieved by 23 November. II Corps further moved across the border line, capturing Ersekë on 21 November and Leskovik on

1081-543: The Italians, was captured by 13th Division on 30 November. OMK under Lieutenant-General Kosmas (now essentially reduced to the 10th Division) captured the Ostravicë Mountain on 12 December, while III Corps—since 1 December reinforced with 17th Division , which replaced 13th Division—completed its occupation of the Kamia massif and secured possession of Pogradec. On 2 December, Papagos, accompanied by Crown Prince Paul , visited

1128-467: The attack was not preceded by an artillery barrage. The Italian forces were indeed taken by surprise, allowing the Greeks to force several breaches in the Italian positions on 14–16 November. On 17 November, III Corps was reinforced with 13th Infantry Division , and on the next day, with 11th Division, which along with the 10th Division formed a new command, the "K" Group of Divisions or OMK (Lieutenant-General Georgios Kosmas ). The most critical moment for

1175-690: The battles of the Asia Minor Campaign until the final Greek defeat and evacuation in August–September 1922. During the Interwar years, I Corps, still at Athens, comprised the 2nd Infantry Division (Athens), 3rd Infantry Division ( Patras ), and 4th Infantry Division ( Nauplia ). The corps was a mainly reserve formation, covering southern Greece while the majority of the Greek army was concentrated in Macedonia and Thrace against Bulgaria. Following

1222-400: The divisions of II Army Corps began to disintegrate, with men and even entire units abandoning their positions. On 16 April, Pitsikas reported to Papagos that signs of disintegration had also begun to appear among the divisions of I Corps and begged him to "save the army from the Italians". On the next day, TSDM was renamed to III Army Corps and placed under Pitsikas' command. At this juncture,

1269-622: The elections are held together with the European Parliament elections for a five-year period. The region is based at Kozani and is divided into four regional units (the pre-Kallikratis prefectures ). It comprises 12 municipalities (down from 61 pre-Kallikratis local administrative units). Along with the neighboring Epirus region it is supervised by the Ioannina -based Decentralized Administration of Epirus and Western Macedonia . The modern region of Western Macedonia roughly corresponds to

1316-573: The final defeat of the Communists in the battles of Grammos and Vitsi in 1948–1949. Following the end of the civil war, I Corps, since 1951 based at Trikala , was also responsible for the recruitment of the Greek Expeditionary Force in Korea . In 1962, the corps headquarters was moved to Kozani , where it remained until its disbandment. Following a wide-ranging defence review that decided upon

1363-404: The front. Generals Pitsikas and Tsolakoglou urged him to order an immediate attack on the strategic Klisura Pass , without waiting for I and II Corps to level with TSDM. Papagos angrily rejected the proposal, and issued orders to continue the prescribed plan, with III Corps relegated to a passive role. This decision was later heavily criticized; coupled with the onset of winter, it effectively froze

1410-549: The highest regional unemployment rates in the European Union . As one of thirteen administrative regions , the Western Macedonia Region ( Greek : Περιφέρεια Δυτικής Μακεδονίας , Periféria Dytikís Makedonías ) was established in 1987, comprising the prefectures of Kastoria , Grevena , Kozani and Florina . In the absence of a working budget the administrative regions however remained unable to fulfill even their limited responsibilities, until in 1994 they assumed

1457-558: The last decade, providing the regional population with adequate services and modern facilities. The last years the region is being developed in tourism mainly on winter. It is the only Greek region without sea coast, but there are a lot of lakes, mountains, villages and two big ski centers in Florina ( Vigla ) and Grevena ( Vasilitsa ) and one other under construction in Kozani ( Velvendos ). The administrative building of Western Macedonia region

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1504-550: The local population—who profess a Slavic Macedonian identity. Other smaller communities include Aromanians and Arvanites . The region has shrunk by 28,633 people between 2011 and 2021, experiencing a highest percentage population loss in Greece of 10.1%. The biggest towns in each regional unit, according to the census of 2011 (only communities with population more than 2,000 recorded): The University of Western Macedonia provides technical education to stimulate growth throughout

1551-561: The major part of its force (2nd and 13th Divisions under Major Gen. Konstantinos Nider ) to the Crimea and Ukraine , as part of the unsuccessful Southern Russia intervention . 1st Division was tasked with the occupation of Smyrna and the Erythrae peninsula, and then formed part of the Army of Asia Minor along with the rest of I Corps, evacuated from Russia in late 1919. I Corps then participated in

1598-479: The mission. The new peacetime establishment was further modified and formalized by Royal Decree on 23 December 1913 (O.S.), and the I Army Corps was officially established on that date, comprising three infantry divisions ( 1st Infantry Division at Larissa , 2nd Infantry Division at Athens, and the newly raised 13th Infantry Division at Chalkis ), a cavalry regiment, an artillery regiment, an engineers regiment and other attendant services. The first Corps commander

1645-505: The newly formed Cavalry Brigade —managing to stabilize the situation by 30 October, and on 3 November began a counter-attack that forced the Julia to withdraw back to Albania to prevent being encircled. In the meantime, III Corps had undertaken limited advances into Albanian territory, and already on 6 November, it submitted plans for a general offensive. Judged too ambitious for the moment, the Greek commander-in-chief Alexandros Papagos postponed

1692-531: The next day. Following the capture of Korçë and the eviction of the Italian forces from Greek soil, the Greek GHQ faced two options: continue the offensive in the Korçë sector in the direction of Elbasan or shift focus on the left flank and drive towards the port of Valona . In the event, the latter option was chosen. TSDM, comprising III Corps and the newly formed "K" Group of Divisions (OMK), would defend their positions on

1739-515: The offensive for 14 November. By 14 November, with the Greek mobilization almost complete, TSDM's II Corps, deployed in the Pindus sector, comprised 1st Infantry Division, 5th Infantry Brigade and the Cavalry Brigade), and III Corps in western Macedonia proper comprised 9th , 10th , 15th Infantry Divisions, with 11th Division assembling in its rear. III Corps' main objective was the capture of

1786-565: The outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October 1940, the corps was mobilized and sent to the Albanian front under its commander, Lt. Gen. Panagiotis Demestichas . The Corps was demobilized and disbanded in April 1941, following the Battle of Greece . I Corps was re-established on 16 May 1946 as part of the post-war reconstruction of the Greek armed forces, and comprised the 2nd Infantry Division,

1833-554: The outbreak of war consisted of 22 infantry battalions and 22 artillery batteries (seven heavy). Following the Italian attack, TSDM played a crucial role in reversing the initial Italian penetration in the Battle of Pindus , where the weak Pindus Detachment was retreating against the elite Italian Julia Alpine Division . TSDM assigned the Pindus sector to the 1st Infantry Division , and progressively assigned more forces as they arrived—the Cavalry Division , 5th Brigade, and

1880-463: The prefectures' competences in regard to tax collection , European structural funding and treasury . Resulting from the 2010 Kallikratis Programme , prefectures were abolished and instead, the regions became self-governing bodies in their own right with powers and authority being redefined and largely extended. Starting with the 2010 local elections , both the regional governor and the regional council have been popularly elected. From 2014 on,

1927-478: The region is Kozani with 53,880 inhabitants. Other main towns are Ptolemaida (37,289), Grevena (17,610), Florina (19,985) and Kastoria (16,958). The region has one operational Industrial Area in Florina and another one under construction in Kozani. The secondary sector is very important for the Regional economy, mainly due to the mining activities, the production of electric power (70% of country's total power

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1974-422: The region, along with its two vertical National Roads, form a network that dramatically improves the transport conditions in the Region and alter its traditional "isolation" image, mainly due to its mountainous landscape. On the other hand, the railroad network is insufficient and the two airports (Kozani and Kastoria) can only serve small passenger planes. The telecommunication network has dramatically improved over

2021-830: The region, and is located in Kozani , Florina and Kastoria . Programs at the university in Florina include courses of study in the Pedagogic Department and the Department of Balkan studies. The Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia (TEIWM) provides undergraduate degrees in Engineering, Business and Finance, Agriculture, Health and Welfare. Based in Kozani, it operates satellite campuses in Kastoria, Florina, Grevena and Ptolemaida . I Army Corps (Greece) The I Army Corps ( Greek : Α' Σώμα Στρατού, abbr. Α' ΣΣ )

2068-611: The start of the German attack had been rejected and they petitioned Pitsikas to surrender. Pitsikas forbade such talk but notified Papagos and urged a solution that would secure "the salvation and honour of our victorious Army". The order to retreat, the disheartening news of the Yugoslav collapse and the rapid German advance in Macedonia , led to a breakdown of morale in the Greek troops, many of whom had been fighting without rest for five months and were forced to abandon hard-won ground. By 15 April,

2115-405: The three corps commanders, along with the metropolitan bishop of Ioannina, Spyridon, pressured Pitsikas to unilaterally negotiate with the Germans. When he refused, the others decided to bypass him and selected Tsolakoglou, as the senior of the three generals, to carry out the task. On 20 April, Tsolakoglou contacted SS- Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich , the commander of the nearest German unit,

2162-872: Was Lt. General Konstantinos Kallaris , who had commanded the 2nd Division during the Balkan Wars. I Corps remained loyal to the royal government during National Schism , and was demobilized after the Noemvriana . After Greece's entry in World War I in June 1917, the Corps was reformed and participated in the Macedonian front operations in 1917–1918, fighting against the Bulgarians on the Struma front in eastern Macedonia. It subsequently dispatched

2209-714: Was an army corps of the Hellenic Army , founded in December 1913. Originally based in Athens and covering southern Greece, since 1962 it was responsible for covering Greece's northwestern borders ( Epirus and Western and Central Macedonia ). It was disbanded in 2013. Following the Balkan Wars of 1912–13, the Hellenic Army began a major reorganization and expansion. For the first time, army corps -level formations were established on

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