In memory of MORDECAIOS FRIZIS, the first senior Greek officer who fell heroically fighting on the Greek-Albanian Front pushing back the Italians

Mordechai or Mordechaios Frizis (January 1, 1893 - December 5, 1940) was a Greek Romaniote Jew, the first senior Greek officer who was killed fighting heroically in the Greco-Italian War. Mordechaios Frizis was born in 1893 in Chalkida to a large family. His dream was to become an officer. He took exams at the Evelpidon School but dropped out. There are two versions of this, a) that he considered it derogatory that he did not come first and b) that because of his Jewish religion he was not accepted [3]. He took exams at the University and succeeded in Law.

During that period he was associated with Kondylis, to whom he expressed his desire "to become a soldier". He entered the Reserve Officers' School, from which he graduated in 1916. He took part in World War I, in the campaign in Ukraine, and in the Asia Minor campaign, where, during the retreat, he was taken prisoner in Smyrna. Other Jews learned of the event and raised money to release him, but he refused, saying "Whatever is to be done will be done for everyone". A year later he was released along with the other Greek officers. In 1936 he was transferred to Crete and assigned to the censorship department of the press. He was transferred to Delvinaki on the grounds that he "did not do his job properly". In Delvinaki he became associated with the Metropolitan of Ioannina and later Archbishop Spyridon, who often visited him for chess.

The order of September 23, 1940 determined that the Division decided to lure the enemy to the well-organized location of Elaia-Kalama and from there, with counterattacks, to throw him across the border. The plan stipulated that the covering units would carry out fighting retreating maneuvers up to the defense line, luring the enemy in their retreat.

There, the covering units would pass to the rear as reserves. The 8th Division was on October 27th fully prepared and fully mobilized. In fact, the 39th Evzone Regiment of Messolonghi had been pre-mobilized and was marching towards Epirus to join the 8th Division, while on October 28th it was in Agrinio. The command of the Greek forces was assigned to Vasilios Vrachnos. When the war began, Davakis' 1,800 men were forced to retreat under the pressure of the 11,000 men of the JULIA division, while Davakis was wounded on the sixth day and left the front wounded. JULIA attacked with two pistons around Smolikas. From the NE side it attacked with 75% of its forces (Northern Group) while the rest (Southern Group) attacked SE of Smolikas.

If the action of the Southern Group of JULIA had succeeded, it would have cut off the Epirus army with the risk of encircling the 8th Division. To immediately address the problem, Katsimitros ordered, on the evening of October 31, the Aoos Sub-Sector (Konitsa Anti-Eruption Battalion) to fold south of the Aoos, north of Vrysochori, and to link up with the Metsovo Detachment, which would henceforth belong to the 8th Division.

Thus, on the evening of October 31, the Aoos Sub-Sector and the Metsovo Detachment together formed the Aoos Detachment, whose commander was Lieutenant Colonel Mardochaios Frizis, with the aim of preventing the Southern Group of TZOULI from encircling the 8th Division by passing the Aoos. On November 10, he received orders to move to the right flank of the front to stop the retreat. He succeeded and at the same time prepared his soldiers for the counterattack. Frizis' group is also the one that captured the first prisoners of war - about 700 Italians - and that held the Kalamas bridge, repelling the "Centaurs".

On November 10, at the "Kleftis" crossing, the Alpinists of the 9th Regiment, desperate and exhausted, gave up the fight and scattered towards the South, after abandoning all kinds of war material, dead and the flag of the 3rd Battalion of the 9th Alpinist Regiment.

The X Reconnaissance Group pursued the remnants of the 1st Battalion of the 9th Regiment where the commander of the 9th Regiment of Julia fell fighting. Dozens of Alpinists, scattered and hungry, surrendered throughout the day to units of the Cavalry Division. The Spiliotopoulos Detachment captured 60 prisoners.

Mardochaios Frizis, implementing the order of the 2nd SS of November 7th to encircle TZOULIIA, ordered half a calvary company of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment to pursue the remnants of the 8th Regiment of TZOULIIA towards Konitsa while the 2nd Company of the Konitsa Battalion would await them on the Sousnitsa hill near the village of Elefthero. The Alpinists were surprised by the ambush and had 300 dead. 700 Alpinists from the 8th Regiment surrendered. The remaining Alpinists who escaped, approximately 7,500 men, crossed to Konitsa and from there, fighting with heavy losses, to regroup in Premeti, where on November 15 they were again ready for war under General Nassi.

Then Mardochaios Frizis liberated Konitsa and advanced into Albanian territory, halting the Italian advance and achieving a reversal of the front. He was killed on horseback at the scene of the battle, trying to encourage his men.