On June 30, 1944, the II/16 guerrilla battalion of the X division of the EOEA of the EDES was under the then captain Ziogas. The battalion had the 5th Company under Lieutenant Christos Christopoulos, the 6th Company under Lieutenant Petros Grivakos and the 2nd Machinery Company (heavy weapons) under Lieutenant G. Panagiotakopoulos. On June 15 the battalion was ready for battle. The men of the 5th Company were veteran rebels. The Machinery Company had only 10 men. After the liberation of Paramythia, the II/16th battalion had taken positions in the area of Kefalovryssos in Thesprotia without the Machine Company. At dawn on June 30, 1944, two German vehicles appeared on the road in front of the Greek positions. One towed a 47 mm gun. and the other the waste water. They were followed by 10 German cars with soldiers, about 200-250 and about 100 Albanian Chamides on foot and on horseback.
The Greeks, as soon as they saw the first German vehicles, opened fire on them with machine guns from a distance of 300m. The first vehicle was hit and stopped. The Germans on board immediately took up positions and returned fire. And the following Germans and Chamides were also deployed for battle, being at a distance of 300-350 m from the Greek positions. This is how Captain Ziogas describes the battle:"Whatever positions the men of the 6th Company had occupied, they were very precarious because the location, plain as it appears, was exposed to the abundant fire of the enemy. In spite of this, the insurgents were prone and almost uncovered, protecting the positions of the shooters against the enemy. The positions of the 5th Company were more advantageous towards the extreme right only when natural rocky curtains facilitated the covering of the fighting insurgents. The other plain positions of this Company were exposed to enemy fire.
"The Commander of the 5th Company Christopoulos had placed the heavy machine gun (with which his company was also equipped), inside a rocky cone raised like a hillock and text exactly on the narrow crossing between the church of Agioi Theodoros and the now extinguished in the plain of the slopes of Mount Seliani "Zoubani". This machine gun, looted from previous battles against the German-Italians, was wielded by the unsurpassed in composure and heroism insurgent Christos Tsitsos, promoted to selection for his heroism during this battle.
"The position of the machine gun was fortified, and its fire controlled the entire area between the marsh and the fortifications of "Zubani" area of the small plain where the battle was fought. I myself, after my Command team (3-4 men) installed my observatory in a position towards the location of the machine gun emplacement, (about 200 meters above everything) from which the entire small field was presented in a panoramic view, from where I directed the battle.
"Half an hour after the start of the battle and after the Germans had now been pinned down by the fire of the rebels despite the superiority of their own fire (they were constantly and uninterruptedly fired by rifles and heavy mortars), in the plain and in the fields next to the villages "Neochorion", they lined up an artillery of 4 guns through which they actively fired at our positions, preparing their attacks. The position of the heavy machine gun of the 5th Company had been marked by the Germans and it was fired incessantly, but the shells falling on the rock did not find the machine gunner Chiton who had placed it inside a crevice in the rock, as it was naturally exposed, leaving a hole from which to put the pyre. A shrapnel found the machine gun, which was unharmed, and the intrepid operator of Tsitos continued to fire at the Germans without stopping.
"As the bombardment took place, the German infantry by leaps progressively occupied positions within the trenches and approached the insurgent positions. The rebels, however, undaunted by the bombardment, held their positions and charged against them, pinning them down in the trenches. In this way and under continuous and uninterrupted bombardment by the German artillery, the battle continued. As soon as the artillery bombardment of my battalion's positions began in the morning, I urgently sent my liaison to Paramythian with my note to the Commander of the 16th Regiment, Major Cranian, urgently requesting the dispatch of the Machine Company.
"Kranias ordered the Company Commander Euhelpin Panagiotakopoulos to immediately advance towards our positions after two heavy Italian mortars. Panagiotakopoulos, after loading the mortars on two thin semis, moved towards my observation post. However, due to their weakness, the halflings were unable to carry the mortars on the steep uphill terrain. Panagiotakopoulos then announced to me in voices from afar that he was therefore unable to carry the mortars to the remote location. I ordered the transport of even one mortar in pieces carried on the shoulders of its operators. Finally, around 09.30, Panagiotakopoulos arrived at my position, carrying the mortar piece on his shoulders, followed by two rebels, who were carrying the other pieces and the ammunition.
"Where shall I place the mortar?" Panagiotakopoulos asks me. "Right here at my place" (small rock cover) I replied. We placed the mortar after Panagiotakopoulos and I received the direction of his shot. Panagiotakopoulos served as a marksman and in a rebel role as a gunner. My initial thought was that with the mortar we were attacking the German Artillery in Neohorio whose position they had already marked and as long as the maximum range of this would be sufficient for this purpose.
"However, every time we placed the mortar in the appropriate firing position, a phalanx of about ten German cars was perceived coming from Menin (where the German fortress was located) and heading towards the battlefield. The cars were parked in "Kefalovryson", and the German soldiers came down from them and tried to occupy positions on the battlefield. As this was understood, I ordered Panagiotakopoulos to aim precisely at the plane tree under which the cars behind the Germans were gathered (the exact position of these was not visible) but from the shape of the ground it was most likely).
"Panagiotakopoulos is aiming and we launch the first projectile over the exergy on a field 100 meters away from the plane tree. Having estimated the distance from the rupture of this projectile, I ordered Panagiotakopoulos to correct the shot by increasing the distance by 100 meters and to fire immediately. With speed and accuracy, Panagiotakopoulos corrects his shot and the mortar has already put the second projectile over, launched with a demonic hiss, it fell directly on the plane tree, exploding on the ground as the exploded volis testifies.
"Holding the shot firmly, we continued to shoot. Our missiles amounted to only 25. Each time about the tenth missile was fired, the Germans were caught retreating disorderly and running on the train towards Meninan. Right away, the 5th Company of Christopoulos, on its own initiative, launches an attack against the Germans already entrenched on the battlefield. On the initiative of the 6th company Grivakos, who was not in action, a simultaneous attack was launched against this front. The men of both companies, now standing and undaunted by the bombardment of the German Artillery, continue their advance. Scenes of unfathomable heroism of the rebels took place then.
"The 5th Company captures German prisoners and goes beyond Kefalovryssos. The heavy-headed insurgent Varveris Kon/nos, as he advanced with his machine gun in his hand, found himself in front of a trench with a German machine gun, who, perceiving this, straightened up, took out his revolver and offered it to fire, syllables at the same time with the other hand the barrel of the rebel Varveri's machine gun. Varveris, however, undaunted, and with dexterity, immediately turned his machine gun against the German being and let them breathe with a thunderous burst of machine-gun fire.
"As soon as he killed this German, he grabbed the machine gun, which he has been using ever since. The 6th Company, captured and thus captured, continues its advance parallel to the lake marsh and attacks the Germans beyond Skupican who had already escaped. A part of this company, in advancing towards the Germans' Neochorio cannon, was knocked over.
"The Germans then, firing with a single cannon at the attacked rebels and from a distance of about 600 meters, violently try to transfer the other cannons to the carriage. In the end, they withdraw their last cannon and escape to their bases as ragged remnants. The time was now 10.30. Right after the battle and while the rebels were returning to their bases, at the church of Aghii Theodori, they were informed that the Tourkalvans were moving towards Paramythian from Dragani.
"Then I immediately sent a platoon of the 6th Company under commander Duskon to our left the heights of Prophet Ilias (612). This platoon returned shortly because the Turkalvans had not even appeared. The unfathomable heroism of these war-experienced men of my II/16 battalion prevented the recapture of Paramythia and the entire Region. The Germans and their Turkalvan allies learned their first hard lesson. The Greeks take revenge on the two equally hated enemies. The morale of the bloodthirsty Turkalvans, raging at the expense of the Christians throughout the occupation, is falling apart.
"The allies of the Germans were not only unable to recapture and hand over Paramythian to them, but they were also terribly decimated in a line-up battle on undigested plains, as they themselves were the attackers. Since then, this battalion, surrounded by the largest trust, both on the part of the Divisional and Regimental Commands, as well as of the residents of the area.
"As the battle continued, the Regimental Command had sent a platoon under Lieutenant Photo-Kitson to reinforce me. I advanced this platoon laterally to the right to cover the right of the 5th Company, but in the end it did not get involved in the fight because in the meantime and while it was approximately at the height of the right of this company, the battle ended. At the same time as the attack of the Germans from Menini against my battalion, another force of about 1000 armed Turkalvans, had lined up immediately west of the villages of Grikas - Psakkas - Nikolousiou, waiting for the outcome of the battle fought by the Germans, would then invade Paramythian from of this direction.
"However, seeing the utter destruction of the Germans, they fled after this. During this battle, my battalion lost one dead, the insurgent of the 5th Company Konton Sotirion and 5 wounded, the insurgents Siokon Panagiotis (5th Company) Papadopoulos Nikolaos (6th Company), the insurgent Papadopoulos was a model individual. A patriot, meek, honest, disciplined and a fearless fighter. He received a through chest wound from a fragment of a cannon shell, while his Company was attacking the German Artillery. Dimitriou Fotios, Tachias Vasilios and Sakademis Ioannis.
"In Kefalovryson, under the plane tree, after the end of the battle, about 30 German dead were found, who had been pulverized by the projectiles of our only mortar, the shot of which decided the fate of this fierce battle. Another 5-6 dead Germans were collected from the rest of the battlefield. As late as the Division Command was informed, during this battle, the Germans had 42 wounded (according to verified information from Ioannina where they were transferred). In addition, 8 German prisoners were captured.
"On the battlefield, the following loot was collected by the rebels of my Battalion, abandoned by the disorderly retreating Germans:
-2 cars
-1 anti-tank gun of 47
-1 tank full of 320 rounds of the anti-tank gun.
-2 radios are those that were stuck on the road during the morning attack. The Germans were unable to use this gun throughout the battle.
-5 machine guns
-10 cattle, mostly belonging to the leaders of the attacking Turkalvans, a forvas of these horses which cavalry afforded me great relief during the course of our later hard fights.
-35 Mauser rifles. Lots of Mauser ammo and plenty of all sorts of stuff.
"The collected booty, the dead insurgent, my wounded insurgents as well as the German prisoners, we boarded on the backs of the towed cannon and water tanker, two cars that were set in motion under insurgent drivers, I ordered them to be transported to Paramythian under the escort of a group, under the the platoon of the 5th Rebel Company……….(not mentioned by the editor), who captured the prisoners.
"While the cars were moving towards Paramythia on the carriage and despite the Mills, they were suddenly hit by a machine gun from Paramythia. Immediately the cars stopped and the leader of the rebel shouted to us about this. I then ordered them to raise a white flag to show that it was a matter of friendship. The rebels did this and the machine gun stopped firing, when they continued their movement, finally arriving in Paramythian where they were received by the residents with enthusiastic cheers and patriotic hugs.
"As it was later clarified, the residents of Paramythia, perceiving the cease fire of the battle and seeing a few German cars moving towards the city, formed the impression that the battalion had been annihilated and the Germans invaded the city because the insurgents were trying to hide to escape the city. The Commander of the regiment of Chis Krania who was in the city, a cool officer and a veteran of the guerilla war, momentarily confused by the noise of the residents, ordered a gendarme of Paramythia to fire a machine gun at the cars. This is what the gendarme did. But when Kranias found out the truth, he ordered the gendarme to stop shooting.
"The battle of Aghii Theodoros was the first to be fought by rebel groups in a formation on a lowland area, and it made a great impression both on the other sections of the EOEA and on the Allied Mission", he concludes.
