Operation Koronis (, "crown" in Greek) was a military campaign launched by the royalist government in Athens against the main stronghold of the communist forces during the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...

. The communist defenses were two lines of fortifications with minefields and concealed bunkers. Initial air attacks used small-sized bombs and inaccurate targeting, but eventually, the frequency of attacks was more than tripled. After neutralizing the minefields by forcing herds of animals to walk over them, the

government army The Government Army (Czech language, Czech: ''Vládní vojsko''; German language, German: ''Regierungstruppen'') was the military force of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German occupation ...

launched simultaneous attacks from two sides. In the southwest, the hill of Kleftis changed hands repeatedly. With heavier casualties against a numerically superior opponent, the communists had their wounded and artillery moved across the border to the

People's Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () was the Marxist-Leninist state that existed in Albania from 10 January 1946 to the 29 April 1991. Originally founded as the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1976, it was governed by the P ...

. At the same time, the remaining 8,000 retreated to Mount Vitsi.

Aftermath

Although the Hellenic Army failed to completely defeat the communists, the latter realized the lack of assistance they received from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and the royalist government became stronger with assistance from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(

Truman Doctrine The Truman Doctrine is a Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy that pledges American support for democratic nations against Authoritarianism, authoritarian threats. The doctrine originated with the primary goal of countering ...

). During the campaign, the

Tito–Stalin Split The Tito–Stalin split or the Soviet–Yugoslav split was the culmination of a conflict between the political leaderships of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, under Josip Broz Tito and Joseph Stalin, respectively, in the years following World W ...

developed between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union which would eventually split the Greek communists into separate factions.

Bibliography

* A Military History of the Cold War, 1944–1962 By Jonathan M. House * Encyclopedia of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A New Era of Modern Warfare edited by Spencer C. Tucker {{Greek Civil War 1948 in Greece Conflicts in 1948 Koronis Modern history of Epirus