In the aftermath of the Allied defeat during the Battle of Greece, and the subsequent Axis occupation of Greece, a group of 72 Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) guerrillas created a base outside the village of Oxia, close to Domenikon. The guerrillas received an intelligence report stating that a force of 350 Italian and Vlach troops were planning to assemble in the village of Mesohori in order to conduct a counter-insurgency operation in the Verdikousia area. The ELAS fighters decided to ambush an Italian column in support of their comrades on Mount Olympus.