 Under Alcibiades Diamandi, the pro-Italian Principality of the Pindus was declared, and 2000 locals joined Diamantis' "Roman Legion", while Nicolaos Matussis had his own band of Vlach followers which carried out raids at the service of Italian service departments.Most local Vlachs were not converted to Diamantis' vision of a Vlach state in the Pindus and most remained loyal to the Greek nation, but some collaborated nevertheless because of latent pro-Romanian feelings, or anger toward the Greek government or its military authorities.The Legion collapsed in 1942 with the departure of the Italians, and most of its leaders fled into Romania or Greek cities.