 |
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline .(August 2023) |
The Hellenic Army is the land force component of the Hellenic Armed Forces. It was officially founded in 1828 and still operates today as the main contributor to the Balkan Battle Group. This article details the history of the Hellenic Army in the form a of a timeline from its de facto founding to the modern day.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2008) |
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2008) |
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2008) |
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2008) |
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2008) |
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2008) |
| First Army | |
|---|---|
| ΙΙI Army Corps/NRDC-GR | |
| IV Army Corps | |
| ASDEN | |
| ASDYS | |
 | This article related to the military of Greece is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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).
Nikolaos Plastiras was a Greek general and politician, who served twice as Prime Minister of Greece. A distinguished soldier known for his personal bravery, he became famous as "The Black Rider" during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, where he commanded the 5/42 Evzone Regiment. After the Greek defeat in the war, along with other Venizelist officers he launched the 11 September 1922 Revolution that deposed King Constantine I of Greece and his government. The military-led government ruled until January 1924, when power was handed over to an elected National Assembly, which later declared the Second Hellenic Republic. In the interwar period, Plastiras remained a devoted Venizelist and republican. Trying to avert the rise of the royalist People's Party and the restoration of the monarchy, he led two coup attempts in 1933 and 1935, both of which failed, forcing him to exile in France.
The Battle of Dumlupınar, or known as Field Battle of the Commander-in-Chief in Turkey, was the last battle in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922). The battle was fought from 26 to 30 August 1922 near Dumlupınar, Kütahya in Turkey.
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.
The 5/42 Evzone Regiment "Delvinaki" is an active infantry unit of the Hellenic Army. It was established in 1913 as an elite regiment of Evzones, recruited in Central Greece and headquartered in Lamia. As such the unit served in the Macedonian front of World War I, the Allied intervention in the Ukraine, the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, and the Greco-Italian War during World War II. Reformed as the 53rd Brigade in 1948, it participated in the Greek Civil War, before receiving the designation 5/42 Infantry Regiment in 1951. The regiment was disbanded in 1954, but revived as a reserve formation in 1979, under its original name. In November 2000 it received the honorific title "Delvinaki". Since January 2003 it is a battalion-sized formation that forms the garrison of the Dodecanese island of Kalymnos.
The Second Battle of İnönü was a battle fought between March 23 and April 1, 1921 near İnönü in present-day Eskişehir Province, Turkey during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22), also known as the western front of the larger Turkish War of Independence. It marked a turning point in the Greco-Turkish War and the Turkish War of Independence of which it was a part, as Greek forces had previously been victorious over mostly irregular Turkish forces and suffered their first major halt in Asia minor campaign.
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 2nd Mechanized Infantry Division is a mechanized infantry division of the Hellenic Army.
The 1st Infantry Division "Smyrni" is a historic and elite division of the Hellenic Army. It was founded in 1897 as an infantry division and has fought in all major conflicts in which Greece has been involved. During the Balkan Wars, it acquired the sobriquet "Iron Division".
The 3/40 Evzone Regiment or 40th Evzone Regiment is a historic regiment of Evzones of the Hellenic Army, recruited in Epirus and headquartered in Arta. It was formed in 1913 after the Balkan Wars, and disbanded in the post-World War II period. It exists today as a nominal reserve formation to be mobilized in wartime.
The following is the order of battle of the Hellenic Army during the First Balkan War of 1912–1913.
The 1/38 National Guard Command "Bizani" is an infantry unit of the Hellenic Army, based in Rhodes island as part of the 95th National Guard Higher Command. It carries on the traditions of the elite 1/38 Evzone Regiment.
The 3rd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Hellenic Army.
Ioannis Velissariou was a Hellenic Army officer and hero of the Balkan Wars. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in the military history of modern Greece. He had a decisive role in the Battle of Bizani during the First Balkan War (1912–1913), forcing the Ottoman Army to surrender unconditionally.
The Army of Asia Minor was the field army-level command controlling the Greek forces in Asia Minor (Anatolia) during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922.
Alexandros Kontoulis was a Greek military officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general in the Hellenic Army. He was among the driving minds behind the Macedonian Struggle and was involved in the Albanian national movement, with the nom de guerre of Kapetan Skourtis. Kontoulis fought with distinction in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and the First Balkan War, where he was heavily wounded. In the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, he commanded the I Army Corps on the southern sector of the Greek front from February 1921 to June 1922. After his retirement, he served as ambassador to Albania.
The Battle of Velestino comprised two separate combats, which took place on 27 April [O.S. 15 April] 1897–30 April [O.S. 18 April] 1897 and 5 May [O.S. 23 April] 1897–6 May [O.S. 24 April] 1897, between the Greek and Ottoman armies at Velestino in Thessaly, as part of the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.
The 11th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Hellenic Army.
The 2/39 Evzone Regiment "Col. Karachristos" is a historic unit of the Hellenic Army. Formerly an elite Evzone regiment, today its name and tradition are borne by the Recruit Training Centre of Messolonghi.
Dionysios Papadopoulos was a Greek soldier who rose to the rank of lieutenant general.
