The Hellenic Army, formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term Hellenic is the endogenous synonym for Greek. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces, also constituted by the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) and the Hellenic Navy (HN). The army is commanded 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 Greek First Army, is the highest formation of the Hellenic Army and its only extant field army.
Hellenic Army is commanded by the Hellenic Army General Staff which supervises five major commands. These are:
The Evzones or Evzonoi were several historical elite light infantry and mountain units of the Greek Army. Today, they are the members of the Presidential Guard, a ceremonial unit that guards the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Mansion in Athens. An Evzone is also known, colloquially, as a Tsoliás. Evzones are known for their distinctive uniform, which evolved from the clothes worn by the klephts who fought the Ottoman occupation of Greece. The most visible item of this uniform is the fustanella, a kilt-like garment. Their distinctive dress turned them into a popular image for the Greek soldier, especially among foreigners.
Taxiarch, the anglicised form of taxiarchos or taxiarchēs is used in the Greek language to mean "brigadier". The term derives from táxis, "order", in military context "an ordered formation". In turn, the rank has given rise to the Greek term for brigade, taxiarchia. In Greek Orthodox Church usage, the term is also applied to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, as leaders of the heavenly host, and several locations in Greece are named after them.
The I Army Corps was an army corps of the Hellenic Army, founded in December 1913. Originally based in Athens and covering southern Greece, since 1962 it was responsible for covering Greece's northwestern borders. It was disbanded in 2013.
The II Army Corps was an army corps of the Hellenic Army. Established in 1913, it took part in all subsequent wars of Greece. Since 1998 the corps functioned as a strategic reserve force, and comprised the Army's special forces and army aviation units, as well as mechanized infantry. It was disbanded on 29 November 2013.
Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos was a distinguished Hellenic Army Lieutenant General who served in World War I, the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, World War II and the Greek Civil War, rising to become Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff. He also served as Greece's Ambassador to Yugoslavia.
The 1911–1914 French military mission to Greece was called to Greece by the government of Eleftherios Venizelos to reorganize the Hellenic Army, parallel to a British naval mission for the Royal Hellenic Navy. The French mission arrived in January 1911, under the command of General Joseph-Paul Eydoux, replaced in April 1914 by General Étienne de Villaret. Its reforms contributed to the Greek army's success during the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913. It remained in the country until it was repatriated shortly after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914.
The following is the order of battle of the Hellenic Army during the First Balkan War of 1912–1913.
The 5th Airmobile Brigade "5th Cretan Division", formerly the 5th Infantry Division and commonly referred to simply as the Cretan Division, is an air assault brigade of the Hellenic Army responsible for the defense of the southern Aegean sea.
The 3rd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Hellenic Army.
The V Army Corps, sometimes found as Army Corps E, was an army corps of the Hellenic Army, active in the struggles in Northern Epirus in 1913–1914 and in the Greco-Italian War.
The 11th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Hellenic Army.
The 4th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Hellenic Army. Originally formed in 1897, it served until 1912. Re-formed in the lead-up to the Greco-Italian War in 1940, it was expanded and renamed as the 15th Infantry Division after the war started. It was again reactivated in 1998, and served until 2013.
After the fall of Greece to the Axis powers in April–May 1941, elements of the Greek Armed Forces managed to escape to the British-controlled Middle East. There they were placed under the Greek government in exile, and continued the fight alongside the Allies until the liberation of Greece in October 1944. These are known in Greek history as the Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East.
The Royal Bavarian Auxiliary Corps was a military force formed in 1832 to accompany the Bavarian prince Otto to the newly independent Kingdom of Greece, after he was chosen as the country's first king. As part of the treaty provisions of Otto's accession, a Bavarian-staffed volunteer military corps was to be formed to replace the forces maintained there by the Great Powers—chiefly the French troops of the Morea Expedition—as well as the remnants of the Greek forces organized during the Greek War of Independence, and provide cadres and training for the new Hellenic Army.
The French occupation of Thessaly took place in June 1917, during the First World War, as part of the Allied intervention in the Greek National Schism. The chief military clash of the occupation became known as the Battle of the Flag.
The Commemorative Medal for the Macedonian Struggle 1903–1909 was a campaign medal established by the Second Hellenic Republic in 1931 and awarded to participants of the Macedonian Struggle.
The Cavalry Division was the only cavalry division of the Hellenic Army, active from 1921 to 1929 and 1935–1941.
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