 The three-day battle began with the successful ambush of an Italian transport column on 4 March 1943.The Italian battalion garrisoning the nearby town of Grevena came to the column's rescue, but was halted before the town of Siatista by Greek partisan forces.The Greek forces continued to swell as reserve officers and ordinary civilians flocked as volunteers to the sound of battle, reaching a force of some 2,000 men.