In the meantime, Greek reinforcements were arriving in the Pindus sector, while the assistance of the local population, including men, women, and children, was invaluable. The situation became difficult for the Italians and their pocket came under pressure from Greek units that had advanced to the area. The Julia was eventually able to break out of the encirclement, but lost about one fifth of its force and retreated to Koritsa. The villages that had been initially captured during the Italian advance—Samarina and Vovousa—were recaptured by the advancing Greek forces on November 3–4. Within less than a week, the remaining Italian troops were pushed back into roughly the same positions they occupied along the frontier before the declaration of the war. By 13 November, the entire frontier area had been cleared of Italian units, thereby ending the Battle of Pindus in a complete Greek victory. Highly significant for Greek success was the failure of the Regia Aeronautica to attack and disrupt the mobilization and the deployment of the Greek forces as they moved to the front. Due to this failure to interdict movement, the geographical and technical obstacles faced by the Greeks in transporting men and material in the mountainous terrain to the front lines proved surmountable. Aftermath As a result of the failed invasion, the Italians lost 5,000 men. After the successful Greek defence in Pindus and Elea–Kalamas sectors, the Greeks were able to push back the Italians, advancing deep into Albanian territory. It has been argued that the assistance provided by the local women during the conflicts was crucial to the outcome of the battle. The women of the surrounding villages assisted the Greek forces in several ways, while their most important contribution was the transportation of guns, food, clothes and other important supplies to the front, since vehicles could not reach the battlegrounds due to bad weather conditions and rough roads. Legacy The war film I trecento della Settima was a propaganda film directed by Mario Baffico that depicts the Greeks as the "bad" people that attack the Italian forces who defend a strategic point. It resembles the Italians alpinists as the "300" of Leonidas, and the Greeks as the mighty and cowardly army of Xerxes. Footnotes References Conflicts in 1940 1940 in Greece Pindus Battles and operations of World War II involving Greece Battles of World War II involving Italy Epirus in World War II October 1940