THE FIRST LIBERATED TERRITORIES

On 27 April 1947 the partisan units who were on the mountain Vicho commenced an offensive against the monarcho-fascist forces to take the villages Neveska and Zagorichani. The battles for the villages were waged all day with all the resources of the partisan units. A part of the monarcho-fascist forces and military police that had taken position in the church gave themselves up, while those who were defending the hotel managed to withdraw through the village Zeleniche.

At the decline near Neveska the monarcho-fascist forces, unable to withstand the forceful attack of the partisan units, also commenced to withdraw. With that attack the following villages were liberated: Neveska, Zagoricheni, Zeleniche, Srebreno, Negovan and Nered, and after a short time, about half of the Lerin and Kostur regions were liberated. That was the first liberated territory in Aegean Macedonia.

On 10 May 1947 the partisan units undertook another forceful attack on the Greek monarcho-fascists who were stationed at the village L'k, which is very close to the Prespa Lake. After this successful attack, the monarcho-fascist forces were compelled to withdraw. With the loss of the main centre which had until then been at L'k, they withdrew from the whole Prespa region and from the villages Psoderi and Buf. In this period, for a short time, the partisan units managed to liberate a greater territory.

Along with their withdrawal the monarcho-fascists took with them the villagers, their household possessions and livestock. They did that with the aim of ensuring the partisan units would have nowhere to get food and new fighters. They did this with the following villages: Dolno Kotori was resettled to the village Nevoljani which is close to Lerin. Bel Kamen and Elovo were resettled into the village Maala and the villages Nered, Krpeshtina and Lagen were resettled into the plains villages close to Lerin. With this resettlement and reallocation of the villagers, the partisan units experienced a shortage of food.

With great agitation and propaganda by the leadership of NOF, after a short time the return of the villagers to their own homes was achieved.

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