On 4 March 1913 the Greek artillery unleashed a ferocious bombardment against Bizani. More than 30,000 bombs hit the fort and covered the hill in thick smoke and dust. Hundreds of shells exploded every minute. One shell actually entered the mouth of an Ottoman gun and ruptured it in the shape of a crocodile’s mouth. The Greek army was then able to advance rapidly against Ioannina. Within hours small units were only a few hundred meters outside the city. In the mayhem of the attack, the Ottoman commander lost all contact with his men and, unable to depend on any reinforcements, surrendered the city. The Greeks lost a few hundred men, whose remains were interred in Filippiada.