Capitulum XXI: the North Italian-Greek war
The Aegean sea, while still being a strategic location for Sardinia and, later on, Italy, was a problematic location. The Greek government, while having recognized Sardinia ownership of the Aegean isles, was still unable to prevent various incidents between the Sardinians and the Greeks.
During the War of Italian independence, for example, Greek natives attacked Sardinian fortifications and civilians, promting a small government action against them, by sending the San Michele frigate. While portion of the Sardinian government intended to send a punitive action against Greece, believed to support the small uprising, the war with Austria prevented any sort of action.
However, after the end of the War of Italian independence, and with the birth of the North Italian Federation, plans were drawn for a final invasion of Greece, in order to calm the situation in the Aegean sea. Plans for a final offensive in Greece were made on January 19 1859. On March 18, April 05 and August 05 of the same year, various confrontations between the North Italian and Greek artillery between the Greeks in the Peloponnese and the North Italians in the island of Cervi (Elafonisos in Greek), the North Italian Federation declared war on the Kingdom of Greece on August 06 1859.
The first course of action was the capture of Athens. The North Italians landed on Lagonisi on August 10 1859, meeting light resistance. After consolidating easily the beach-head, they moved inland. On 06 August 1859, Colonel Ioannis Dimakopoulos's force of about 3,000 Greek soldiers with three cannons tried to repel the North Italian attack from about 2700 North Italian Soldiers. General Ettore de Sonnaz's pickets warned of the Greeks' counteroffensive at 5 AM, and de Sonnaz called out the regiment to begin assembling it for battle.
Dimakopoulos's initial larger force surrounded the North Italian Army on three sides, with the Hymettus mountain range behind the North Italians. de Sonnaz found himself facing Greek cavalry and three gun battery. The North Italiand did not have the time to bring their artillery. However, the Greek's guns were a motley assortment supplied with only a few solid shot and improvised canister. In fact, it is said that those three cannons were the only heavy guns of the Greek army.
While the artillery spooked a cavalry scout, it had little other impact on the battle. The first shot from the artillery passed over the defenders. Another passed through an house.
As the Greeks advanced, firing became general. Other than the lack of artillery, de Sonnaz's small force was much better armed with rifled muskets and bayonets. Dimakopoulos's force contained many poorly equipped, untrained and untested recruits.
The advance faltered as they approached through a field. Dimakopoulos was wounded in the neck and his demoralized men began falling back. Seeing this, de Sonnaz commanded his men to fix bayonets. Then he ordered, "Forward! Charge! Bayonets!" This counterattack, combined with the arrival of 11.000 North Italian reinforcements sent the Greeks into headlong retreat. Most of the North Italian force was on foot so the pursuit was very short.
The battle for Athens would continue until August 25 1859, and would be the only real battle of the war. By December 03 1859 all that was left of the Greek army resistance felt, and Greece was forced to surrender.
Ettore de Sonnaz, commander of the North Italian invasion of Greece
In order to prevent further conflicts in Greece, the North Italian government turned the region into a vassal state. Carlo III of Parma, who lost his position as king of the Duchy of Parma after the birth of the North Italian Federation, was placed as the new king of Greece. While the vassal state would be heavily autonomous, it would still serve the North Italian Federation, and would allow Italian colonists in the region. However, it would take some time before Greece would be pacified, with guerrilla being common in the mountainous terrain of Greece.
Greece after the North Italian-Greek war
I hope you guys like this new update! Be sure to like(if you like it), comment(please comment so I can learn what your opinion is) and.....follow I guess.
The Aegean sea, while still being a strategic location for Sardinia and, later on, Italy, was a problematic location. The Greek government, while having recognized Sardinia ownership of the Aegean isles, was still unable to prevent various incidents between the Sardinians and the Greeks.
During the War of Italian independence, for example, Greek natives attacked Sardinian fortifications and civilians, promting a small government action against them, by sending the San Michele frigate. While portion of the Sardinian government intended to send a punitive action against Greece, believed to support the small uprising, the war with Austria prevented any sort of action.
However, after the end of the War of Italian independence, and with the birth of the North Italian Federation, plans were drawn for a final invasion of Greece, in order to calm the situation in the Aegean sea. Plans for a final offensive in Greece were made on January 19 1859. On March 18, April 05 and August 05 of the same year, various confrontations between the North Italian and Greek artillery between the Greeks in the Peloponnese and the North Italians in the island of Cervi (Elafonisos in Greek), the North Italian Federation declared war on the Kingdom of Greece on August 06 1859.
The first course of action was the capture of Athens. The North Italians landed on Lagonisi on August 10 1859, meeting light resistance. After consolidating easily the beach-head, they moved inland. On 06 August 1859, Colonel Ioannis Dimakopoulos's force of about 3,000 Greek soldiers with three cannons tried to repel the North Italian attack from about 2700 North Italian Soldiers. General Ettore de Sonnaz's pickets warned of the Greeks' counteroffensive at 5 AM, and de Sonnaz called out the regiment to begin assembling it for battle.
Dimakopoulos's initial larger force surrounded the North Italian Army on three sides, with the Hymettus mountain range behind the North Italians. de Sonnaz found himself facing Greek cavalry and three gun battery. The North Italiand did not have the time to bring their artillery. However, the Greek's guns were a motley assortment supplied with only a few solid shot and improvised canister. In fact, it is said that those three cannons were the only heavy guns of the Greek army.
While the artillery spooked a cavalry scout, it had little other impact on the battle. The first shot from the artillery passed over the defenders. Another passed through an house.
As the Greeks advanced, firing became general. Other than the lack of artillery, de Sonnaz's small force was much better armed with rifled muskets and bayonets. Dimakopoulos's force contained many poorly equipped, untrained and untested recruits.
The advance faltered as they approached through a field. Dimakopoulos was wounded in the neck and his demoralized men began falling back. Seeing this, de Sonnaz commanded his men to fix bayonets. Then he ordered, "Forward! Charge! Bayonets!" This counterattack, combined with the arrival of 11.000 North Italian reinforcements sent the Greeks into headlong retreat. Most of the North Italian force was on foot so the pursuit was very short.
The battle for Athens would continue until August 25 1859, and would be the only real battle of the war. By December 03 1859 all that was left of the Greek army resistance felt, and Greece was forced to surrender.
Ettore de Sonnaz, commander of the North Italian invasion of Greece
In order to prevent further conflicts in Greece, the North Italian government turned the region into a vassal state. Carlo III of Parma, who lost his position as king of the Duchy of Parma after the birth of the North Italian Federation, was placed as the new king of Greece. While the vassal state would be heavily autonomous, it would still serve the North Italian Federation, and would allow Italian colonists in the region. However, it would take some time before Greece would be pacified, with guerrilla being common in the mountainous terrain of Greece.
Greece after the North Italian-Greek war
I hope you guys like this new update! Be sure to like(if you like it), comment(please comment so I can learn what your opinion is) and.....follow I guess.