Hellenic Army

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This article is about the land force of modern Greece. For the military systems in
Ancient Greece, see Hoplite.
Hellenic Army
????????? ???????
Hellenic Army Seal
Hellenic Army Seal
Founded 1821 (de facto)
1828 (official)
Country Greece
Allegiance Hellenic Republic
Type Land Forces
Role National Defence
Size standard numbers in peacetime:
nominal 90,000 personnel
72,691 in 2014 [1]
wartime strength:
253,500[2]
Part of Hellenic Armed Forces
Formations Formations of the Hellenic Army
Patron Saint George
Motto(s) ????????? ?? ???????
"Freedom Stems from Valour"
Colors Blue-gray, Khaki & Olive
Equipment 1,913 MBTs, 4,209 IFVs & APCs, and 4,840 artillery pieces
Engagements Greek War of Independence
Greco-Turkish War of 1897
Balkan Wars
World War I
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
Greco-Turkish War of 191922
World War II
Greek Civil War
Korean War
Turkish Invasion of Cyprus
Gulf War
War in Afghanistan
EUFOR Tchad/RCA
War on Terrorism
Commanders
Chief of the Army General Staff Lt. Gen. Alkiviadis Stefanis
Notable
commanders King Constantine I
Lt. Gen. Panagiotis Danglis
Lt. Gen. Ioannis Metaxas
Lt. Gen. Nikolaos Plastiras
Lt. Gen. Georgios Kondylis
Lt. Gen. Konstantinos Ventiris
Fld. Marshal Alexander Papagos
Lt. Gen. Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos
(see list of generals)
Insignia
Identification marking ??
Regimental War Flag Hellenic Army War Flag.svg
The Hellenic Army (Greek: ????????? ???????, Ellenics Strats, sometimes
abbreviated as ??), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece (with Hellenic
being a synonym for Greek). Along with the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) and the
Hellenic Navy (HN), it makes up the Hellenic Armed Forces. It is currently the
largest branch of the three. The army is headed by the chief of the Hellenic Army
General Staff (HAGS), which in turn is under the command of Hellenic National
Defence General Staff (HNDGS).

The motto of the Hellenic Army is ????????? ?? ??????? (Eletheron to Epsychon),

"Freedom Stems from Valour", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War
(2.43.4). The Hellenic Army Emblem is the two-headed eagle with a Greek Cross
escutcheon in the centre, representing the links between modern Greece, the Greek
Orthodox Church, and the Byzantine Empire.

The Hellenic Army is also the main contributor to, and "lead nation" of, the Balkan
Battle Group, a combined-arms rapid-response force under the EU Battlegroup
structure.[3]

Contents [hide]
1 Mission
2 History
2.1 Early history: the 19th century
2.2 Decade of wars: 19121922
3 Structure
3.1 General Staff
3.2 Combat and support arms
4 Army units and formations
5 Personnel
6 Equipment
7 Uniforms and ranks
8 Gallery
9 References
9.1 Inline citations
9.2 Other sources
10 External links
Mission[edit]
The main missions of the Hellenic Army are the defence of the states independence
and integrity, the safeguarding of national territory, and the decisive
contribution to the achievement of the countrys policy objectives.[4]

During peacetime, the Army has the following main objectives:

The maintenance of high operational readiness for the prevention and effective
confrontation of dangers and threats, as well as the ensuring of rapid response
capability.
The contribution to international security and peace.
The contribution to activities of social aid and the support of state services for
the confrontation of emergency situations.
History[edit]
Main articles: History of the Hellenic Army and Timeline of the Hellenic Army
Early history: the 19th century[edit]

Alexander Ypsilantis -in Sacred Band uniform- crosses the Pruth, starting the Greek
War of Independence. Painting by Peter von Hess

Demetrios Ypsilantis was commander of the tactical Greek forces during the Battle
of Petra, final battle of the Greek War of Independence

Theodoros Kolokotronis, the most important commander of the Greek irregular forces
during the War of Independence
The Hellenic Army traces its origin to the regular units established by the Greek
provisional government during the Greek War of Independence (18211829). The first
of these, an infantry regiment and a small artillery battery, were established in
April 1822, and were commanded by European Philhellenes. Lack of funds however
forced its disbandment soon after, and it was not until July 1824 that regular
units were reformed, under the Greek Colonel Panagiotis Rodios. In May 1825, the
first law on conscription was passed, and the command of the entire regular forces
entrusted to the French Colonel Charles Fabvier. Under Fabvier, the regular corps
expanded, and for the first time came to include cavalry, military music
detachments, and, with Lord Byron's aid, military hospitals. The governorship of
Ioannis Kapodistrias (18281831) saw a drastic reorganization of the national
military: a Secretariat on Army and Naval Affairs and the Hellenic Army Academy
were created, the Army engineering corps was founded (28 July 1829), and a
concerted effort was made to reform the various irregular forces into regular light
infantry battalions. Throughout these early years, French influence pervaded the
Greek regular army, in tactics as well as appearance, as most of the instructors
were Frenchat first Philhellenes, and later serving officers of General Maison's
Expeditionary Corps.[5]

After Kapodistrias' assassination in 1831 and in the subsequent internal turmoil

over the next two years, however, the regular army all but ceased to exist. The
first king of the newly independent Greek kingdom, the Bavarian prince Otto,
initially relied on a 4,000-strong German contingent. The royal government re-
established the regular army and dissolved the irregular forces that had largely
fought the War of Independence.[6] Following the ousting of Otto in 1862, the Army
continued relying on the Army Organization Statute of 1833. The first major reforms
were undertaken in 1877, in response to the Balkan Crisis that eventually led to
the Russo-Turkish War of 18771878. Among other measures, for the first time the
Hellenic Army was briefly subdivided into divisions and brigades. Universal
conscription was introduced in 1879, and under the premiership of Charilaos
Trikoupis, in 18821885 major steps were undertaken to improve the training and
education of the officer corps: a French military mission was called to Greece, new
schools were founded and Greek officers were sent abroad for studies, and efforts
were made to make officers on active service refrain from participating in politics
and focus on their professional duties. The Army also underwent its first
mobilizations, in July 1880 April 1882 due to the Greek annexation of Thessaly,
and again in September 1885 May 1886, when Bulgaria annexed Eastern Rumelia. The
great financial burden of these long periods of mobilization, however, exhausted
the public treasury, and stalled the reform process.[7][8] The result was that the
Hellenic Army was wholly unprepared for war on the outbreak of the Greco-Turkish
War of 1897: plans, fortifications and weapons were non-existent, the mass of the
officer corps was unsuited to its tasks, and training was inadequate. As a result,
the numerically superior, better organized, equipped and led Ottoman forces pushed
the Greek forces south out of Thessaly.[9][10]

Decade of wars: 19121922[edit]

Greek infantry preparing to launch an attack at the Battle of Bizani (1913)

Greek artillery gun at the Macedonian Front during WWI

Units in the World War I Victory Parade in Paris (1919)

Greek infantry marches through the steppe during the Greco-Turkish War (191922)
The dismal performance of the Hellenic Army in the war of 1897 led to a major
reform programme under the administration of Georgios Theotokis (18991901,
19031904 and 19061909). A new Army Organization Statute was issued in 1904
(revised in 1910), purchases of new artillery material (including the 75 mm
Schneider-Danglis 06/09 gun) and of the MannlicherSchnauer rifle were made, and a
new, khaki field uniform was introduced in 1908.[11][12] Reform was accelerated
after the Goudi coup of 1909; the new government under Eleftherios Venizelos
brought a French military mission to train the Hellenic Army. Under its
supervision, the Greeks had adopted the triangular infantry division as their main
formation, but more importantly, the overhaul of the mobilization system allowed
the country to field and equip a far greater number of troops than it had in 1897:
while foreign observers estimated a mobilized force of approximately 50,000 men,
the Army eventually fielded 125,000, with another 140,000 in the National Guard and
reserves.[13][14]

Leo Niehorster's website shows the higher organisation of the Greek Army on 15
August 1940, with the General Staff of the Army directly supervising five corps,
three divisions, and the Thessaloniki Fortress.[15]

The Hellenic Army has taken part in the following engagements:

Greek War of Independence (18211830)

Greco-Turkish War of 1897
First Balkan War (19121913)
Second Balkan War (1913)
First World War
Occupation of Northern Epirus (19141916)
Macedonian Front of World War I (19161918)
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War (1919)
Greco-Turkish War of 19191922
Second World War
Greco-Italian War (19401941)
German invasion and Battle of Crete (1941)
North African Campaign (19411943)
Italian Campaign (1944)
Greek Civil War (19461949)
Korean War (19501953)
Turkish Invasion of Cyprus (1974)
Kosovo (1999present)
War in Afghanistan (20012012)
War on Terrorism (2001present)
Structure[edit]
Main article: Structure of the Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army is located in Greece 8th8th9th9th10th10th12th Div.12th Div.16th
Div.16th Div.20th Div.20th Div.1st Div.1st Div.2nd Div.2nd Div.50th50th79th NG79th
NG80th NG80th NG5th Cretan5th Cretan88th NG88th NG95th NG95th NG96th NG96th NG98th
NG98th NG
Hellenic Army major combat unit locations
Key: red infantry, green mech, gold armour, purple aviation
large pin division, small pin brigade
General Staff[edit]
Hellenic National Defence General Staff
Hellenic Army General Staff
?????? ????????? ??????? (???)
Chief-of-Staff of the Army
??????? ???
Inspector General of the Army
??????? ??????????? ??????? / ????????? ??????
1st Deputy Chief-of-Staff of the Army
A' ????????? ???
2nd Deputy Chief-of-Staff of the Army
?' ????????? ???
Combat and support arms[edit]
Most combat arms are called "Arm" (?????). This term denotes army elements that,
more or less, have direct participation in combat.
Most support branches are called "Corps" (???), with some exceptions.
Army units and formations[edit]
Main article: Formations of the Hellenic Army
After a major reorganization which occurred in the last decade, which included the
transformation of most Infantry formations into Mechanized Brigades and a parallel
reduction of personnel, the Hellenic Army's higher command is the Hellenic Army
General Staff.

There are four major military commands which supervise all army units,

1st Army, based at Larissa, that includes the I and IV Army Corps, responsible for
the defence of the northern and eastern borders.
Supreme Military Command of the Interior and Islands, based at Athens with the
mission to provide cover for the islands in the Aegean Sea.
Supreme Military Support Command undertaking various logistics and organizational
tasks.
NATO Deployable Corps, based at Thessaloniki, Macedonia
Although divisions still exist, having the role of forward commands, the Army is
mainly organized in brigades, that follow the typical NATO standards consisting of
five battalions, three manoeuvre, one artillery, one support and some other company
sized formations. According to the latest developments, up to 2015, all active
divisions will dissolve, but all brigades will acquire one more manoeuvre
battalion, largely eliminating the distinction between mechanized and armoured
formations, thus creating a new type brigade, which will be named Strike Brigade.
[16]

Personnel[edit]
Main article: Conscription in Greece

Military band

Honour Guard
There are three classes of personnel in the Hellenic Army, namely professional,
volunteer and conscript. There are currently 90,000 personnel on active duty, of
which 30,000 are conscripted. As of 2012, the Hellenic Republic has mandatory
military service (conscription) of 9 months for all males between the ages of 18
and 45. Citizens discharged from active service are normally placed in the Reserve
and are subject to periodic recall of 110 days at irregular intervals. Greek males
between the age of 18 and 60 who live in strategically sensitive areas may also be
required to serve part-time in the National Guard. During a mobilization the amount
of conscripts may exceed 180,000.[17]

Conscript enlisted men and non-commissioned officers wear special rank insignia to
differentiate them from volunteers.

Most professional officers graduate from the Evelpidon Military Academy in Athens
(??????????? ????? ?????????) and the Corps Officers Military Academy in
Thessaloniki (??????????? ????? ?????????? ??????), while the rest graduate from
various Military Schools according to their specialization.

In the chain of command, graduates of the two military academies in Athens and
Thessaloniki are considered higher in seniority compared to professional officers
of the same rank who graduate from specialized military schools. The latter
officers are followed in seniority by volunteer and finally conscript staff.
During war, the Hellenic army battalions are commanded by either a ranking officer
major general or if in a combat mission by another state which in agreement with
the Greek state will be commanded by a ranking General of their own.

Equipment[edit]
Main articles: List of equipment of the Hellenic Army and List of historical
equipment of the Hellenic Army

ELVO Leonidas-2
The heavy equipment and weaponry of the Hellenic Army is mostly of foreign
manufacture, from German, French, American, British and Russian suppliers. A
notable exception is the indigenous Leonidas armoured personnel carrier which was
built by the Hellenic Vehicles Manufacturer Industry ELVO.

Equipment runs the gamut from state-of-the art to obsolete Cold War inventories;
the latter are gradually being retired.

Uniforms and ranks[edit]

Main articles: Hellenic Army officer rank insignia, Hellenic Army Other Ranks rank
insignia, and Greek Army uniforms
The structure of Hellenic Army ranks has its roots in British military traditions
and follows NATO standard rank scale. The rank of Stratarchis (??????????,
equivalent to Field Marshal or General of the Army) though, has been historically
used, but is no longer extant. It was first awarded to King Constantine I for his
leadership in the Balkan Wars. The rank was subsequently assumed by his successors
upon accession, until the abolition of the monarchy. The only regular officer to
have been awarded the rank was General Alexander Papagos on 28 October 1949.

Gallery[edit]

Evzones of the regularized "Typikon" formations, 1830

Men of the 5th Mountain Guards Battalion, halted for a meal on a mountain patrol,
1830s

Uniforms of officers (left) and enlisted men (right) in the Greek Army in the first
period of King Otto's reign. Enlisted men are called oplitai - the ancient hoplite
with modern pronunciation.

Cavalry trooper and officer of 1832, outfitted like Bavarian uhlans with czapki
hats, in contrast to the shakos of other branches

Artillerymen during the early years of King Otto: (left to right) soldier,
bombardier, and artillery officer

Preserved BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer of the Greek artillery

General Panagiotis Danglis

General and later PM Nikolaos Plastiras

Greek troops with Allies during the occupation of Constantinople

Greek soldiers at Afyonkarahisar, 1922, Greco-Turkish War (19191922). The soldiers

wear Adrian helmets and third from left is armed with a Chauchat machine gun.

Special forces personnel during an exercise, firing an LRAC F1

M901 ITV (Improved Tow Vehicle)

ELVO Humvee

Leopard 2A6

Leopard 1A5

M48 Patton

M48A5 MOLF

Greek Army Aviation CH-47SD Chinook transport helicopter

Men of the current Greek Military Police (Stratonomia)

References[edit]
Inline citations[edit]
Jump up ^ http://www.eda.europa.eu/docs/default-source/brochures/eda-collective-
and-national-defence-data-2005-2014-(excel).xlsx
Jump up ^ ???????? ???? ??? ??????????, ?????? ??????????, ????????? ???????
20112012, ???????? ?????
Jump up ^ Official Greek Defence Staff PR (18MB).
Jump up ^ ????????? ??????? '????? (2004) ??????? ???????.
Jump up ^ ?? ?????? ??????????? ????????? ???????? ??????? (1821-1831) [The first
efforts towards organizing a regular Army (1821-1831)] (PDF) (in Greek). Hellenic
Army General Staff. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
Jump up ^ ? ??????? ??? ??? ???????? ??? ????? (1833-1863) [The Army during the
reign of Otto (1833-1863)] (PDF) (in Greek). Hellenic Army General Staff. Retrieved
18 April 2012.
Jump up ^ ? ????????? ??????? ??? ?? 1864 ???? ??? ?????????????? ????? ??? 1897
[The Hellenic Army from 1864 until the Greco-Turkish War of 1897] (PDF) (in Greek).
Hellenic Army General Staff. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
Jump up ^ Tsoukalas, Konstantinos (1977).
"? ?????????? ?????????? ??? ???????? ???????? 1882-1895" [The recovery effort of
Charilaos Trikoupis 1882-1895]. ??????? ??? ????????? ??????, ??
?? ??': ???????? ????????? ??? ?? 1881 ?? ?? 1913 [History of the Greek Nation,
Volume XIV: Modern Hellenism from 1881 to 1913] (in Greek). Ekdotiki Athinon. pp.
887.
Jump up ^ Erickson (2003), pp. 1415
Jump up ^ Pikros, Ioannis (1977). "? ??????????????? ?????? ??? 1897" [The Greco-
Turkish War of 1897]. ??????? ??? ????????? ??????, ???? ??': ???????? ???????
?? ??? ?? 1881 ?? ?? 1913 [History of the Greek Nation, Volume XIV: Modern
Hellenism from 1881 to 1913] (in Greek). Ekdotiki Athinon. pp. 125160.
Jump up ^ ? ????????????? ??? ??????? ??? ?? 1897 ??? ? ????? ?????? ???????
1912-13 [The reorganization of the Army after 1897 and the great national assault
1912-13] (PDF) (in Greek). Hellenic Army General Staff. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
Jump up ^ Oikonomou, Nikolaos (1977). "? ????????????? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ??
?????? ???????" [Reorganization of the army by the Theotokis
government]. ??????? ??? ????????? ??????, ???? ??': ???????? ????????? ??? ??
1881 ?? ?? 1913 [History of the Greek Nation, Volume XIV: Modern Hellenism from
1881 to 1913] (in Greek). Ekdotiki Athinon. pp. 186192.
Jump up ^ Erickson (2003), p. 70
Jump up ^ Fotakis (2005), p. 42
Jump up ^ Hellenic Army, 15 August 1940
Jump up ^ ?????? ?. ?????. "?????????? ????? ???? ??? ?????????? ??????????? ???
?". ??????????: ?????? ????????, ??????? 2008, pp. 118121 Archived 2009-03-05 at
the Wayback Machine..
Jump up ^
http://www.armedforces.co.uk/Europeandefence/edcountries/countrygreece.htm#Greek
Army
Other sources[edit]
Michalopoulos, Dimitris. "The Evolution of the Greek Army (182868)". War and
Society in East Central Europe, Vol. XIV, Brooklyn College Press, 1984, pp.
317330, ISBN 0-88033-043-0.
? ??????? ??? ????????? ??? ????????? ???????, 18211954 [The history of the
organization of the Hellenic Army, 18211954] (in Greek). Hellenic Army Historical
Directorate. 2005. ISBN 960-7897-45-5.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hellenic Army.
Hellenic Ministry of Defense Official Site
Hellenic National Defense General Staff Official Site
Hellenic Army General Staff Official Site
[hide] v t e
Flag of Greece.svg Formations of the Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army General Staff
First Army
1st Infantry Division 1st Raider/Paratrooper Brigade 13th Special Operations
Command 32nd Marines Brigade 71st Airmobile Brigade 1st Army Aviation Brigade 2nd
Mechanized Infantry Division 24th Armoured Brigade 33rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade
34th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 20th Armoured Division 25th Armoured Brigade
??I Army Corps/NDC-GR
8th Motorized Infantry Brigade 9th Infantry Brigade 10th Infantry Regiment 15th
Infantry Regiment
IV Army Corps
12th Mechanized Infantry Division 7th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 31st Mechanized
Infantry Brigade 23rd Armoured Brigade 16th Mechanized Infantry Division 3rd
Mechanized Infantry Brigade 30th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 21st Armoured Brigade
29th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 50th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
ASDEN
5th Airmobile Brigade 79th National Guard Higher Command 80th National Guard Higher
Command 88th Military Command 95th National Guard Higher Command 96th National
Guard Higher Command 98th National Guard Higher Command
ASDYS
Northern Greece Supply Centre Southern Greece Supply Centre
Army Academy Military Geographical Service
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Greece articles
Categories: Hellenic Army1828 establishments in GreeceMilitary units and formations
established in 1828
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