Height 731 was the setting for one of the fiercest battles of the Greco-Italian War in Albania, which was witnessed in person by Mussolini himself. On March 9, 1941, the Italians launched their spring offensive, aiming to put an end to their humiliating retreats of the past four months. The target was two parallel plains where Height 731 stood, which they had to capture from the Greeks at all costs.

The VIII Italian Army Corps, part of Geloso's 11th Army, was tasked with capturing the height, opening the attack with the 38th Infantry Division "Puglia." Opposing them was the Greek 1st Division of the 2nd Army Corps, with the 4th and 6th Divisions on the flanks.

For seventeen days, following a fierce artillery barrage that reduced the height of the hill by six meters, the Italians bravely charged at the Greek soldiers, who repelled them, inflicting severe losses. Hand-to-hand combat took place with bayonets, and the Greeks were able to hold their positions.

Mussolini wanted victory to impress the Führer. Instead, the bloody defeat at Height 731 played a role in Hitler's decision to postpone the invasion of Russia by at least four weeks, a delay that, along with other factors, ultimately contributed to costing him the outcome of the war.