November 5, 1912 – Spyros Spyromilios liberates Himara

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Balkans were experiencing an explosive situation, as the last quarter of the 19th century reflected a continuous warlike dynamic of the Balkan peoples against the faltering Ottoman Empire.

During the First Balkan War (October 1912 – May 1913), the Balkan Coalition (Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece) decided to declare war against the Ottoman Empire.

Another element in these regional conflicts is the declaration of independence of the Albanian state, an act achieved at the diplomatic level by the Greek-educated Albanian politician Ismail Kemal Bey Vliora, in November 1912.

Since the previous decades, the fierce competition between the two powerful European powers of the time, Italy and Austria, had had a catalytic effect on the entire Albanian and northern Epirus area.

The great expectations for the liberation of the entire Epirus

On October 21, 1912, the greek army occupied preveza And was involved in a fierce conflict with the ottoman turkish army in the Battle Of five Wells, On October 23–30, 1912.

At the same time, the Greek government, with the prospect of the penetration of Greek troops as far as the Akrokerayne Mountains of Albania — a geographical position where the new borders were to be drawn — had studied in good time the way in which a military action by the Greek army would be carried out in this area, essentially photographing Himara, which met the necessary conditions for achieving this daring undertaking.

"Himarna should be occupied as soon as possible... under the leadership of Spyromilios..."

Himara at that time was a small village, part of the homonymous province, built on the slope of a hill overlooking the cove of Spilia.

The Great Military and Naval Encyclopedia (MSNE) of the Greek Ministry of Military Affairs, published in 1927, states characteristically:

«Την 2α Νοεμβρίου 1912, το Υπουργείον Στρατιωτικών έκρινεν σκόπιμον πολιτικώς να καταληφθεί η Χειμάρρα το ταχύτερον, έχον υπ’ όψιν του γενικωτέρους λόγους εθνικής ανάγκης. Προς τούτο απέστειλε προς τον αρχηγόν στρατού Ηπείρου, αντιστράτηγον Σαπουντζάκην, το κάτωθι τηλεγράφημα: “Κρίνω πολιτικώς σκόπιμον να καταληφθεί το ταχύτερον η Χειμάρρα και υψωθή εκεί η ελληνική σημαία. Προς τον σκοπόν τούτο δύνασθε να διαθέσητε εθελοντικόν τι σώμα αποβιβαζόμενον δια θαλάσσης εις Χειμάρραν, υπό την ηγεσίαν του Σπυρομήλιου…”».

In early October 1912, Gendarmerie Major Spyros Spyromilios arrived in Corfu and discreetly organized the decided military operation.

In this military venture, he himself would be the leader of a volunteer corps of approximately 240 men from Crete and Himara, while three steamboats, which were three-masted sailing vessels powered by a propeller and a steam engine, would be used to transport the men of this volunteer corps.

At that time, the Hellenic Navy had four steam-powered submarines, which bore the names of rivers in Greece: "Acheloos", "Alpheios", "Pineios" and "Evrotas".

"The first men who arrived were ordered to march towards Himarran..."

On November 5, 1912, at 2:00 am, the mixed military and naval mission began its arrival from Corfu, bound for the mainland coast, with three steam-powered cruisers of the Greek Navy—the "Acheloos", the "Alpheios" and the "Pineios"—transporting the 240 volunteers.

This mixed military and naval mission disembarks under torrential rain at 7.30 in the morning at Spilia Bay, in Himara.

By European standards of that time, but also today, this landing operation by units of the Greek army in cooperation with naval units in Himara on November 5, 1912, constitutes a first-class amphibious marine expedition, which was crowned with success.

The MSNE of the Greek Ministry of Military Affairs (1927) uses the term "infantry" for the military events of the occupation of Himara: "...immediately and before the disembarkation took place, the first men who arrived were ordered to march towards Himara, in order to surround it...".

The Turkish Ottoman military guard and a few administrative employees, fortified in the barracks of the command post - telegraph office, turned against the volunteer Chimariotes, who returned fire.

After half an hour of exchange of fire, the Ottoman soldiers asked to surrender only if a leading officer of the Greek army arrived.

The commanding officer, lieutenant Gisserlis, of The 1st division then ordered The ottomans to surrender, which was immediately accepted. The men surrendered.

During the battle to capture the command post - telegraph office of Himara, two Ottoman soldiers were killed and a resident of Himara was injured.

Twenty Ottoman soldiers and thirteen administrative officials were captured and sent to Corfu as prisoners of war.

"He raised the Greek flag amidst indescribable enthusiasm"

The Great Military and Naval Encyclopedia of the Greek Ministry of Military Affairs states on this:

"...Immediately after the surrender, the leader of the province of Himara, Major Spyromilios, entered the village (Heimarra), leading the other departments, and headed to the headquarters, where he raised the Greek flag amidst the indescribable enthusiasm of the residents, issuing a proclamation to the Greeks of Himarra..."

Furthermore, Major Spyromilios, in his capacity as commander of the landing force, on the same day issued a proclamation to the Christian and Muslim residents, stating: "...forgetting the bitter past, you will maintain towards your Muslim neighbors that dignified attitude, which is dictated by the laws of the Greek State...".

In the same proclamation, he also addresses the Muslim element of Himara, stating: "...Brother Muslims... I immediately request that you come forward and declare your submission, in which case the Greek Army promises you complete legality and equality..."

The next day, November 6, 1912, the mixed detachments of marines and volunteers of Major Spyromilios liberated the villages of Paliassa, Drymades, Vouno, Kiparo and Koudesi in the province of Himara.