Italian troops under Lieutenant General Giovanni Ameglio landed on the Turkish-held island and took control after 13 days of fighting, ending nearly 400 years of Ottoman rule.

Ottoman Army personnel numbered about 1,000 officers and men with a handful of old artillery pieces,[1] although another 10,000 militiamen were recruited from the local Muslim civilian population.

Ottoman forces retreated that night to the mountains around Psithos and the Italians advanced to within 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) of Rhodes and stopped at 7:00 pm.

[2][3] Meanwhile, additional unopposed landings took place at Kalavarda and Malona Bay, both about 30 miles (48 km) south of Rhodes.

With the landings at Kalavarda and Malona Bay completed, Ameglio and his main force were able to surround the Turkish position on three sides while the battleship Ammiraglio di Saint Bon bombarded troop concentrations from the fourth.