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39-602: Established in 1889 as the “Geodetic Mission” with the purpose of compiling the “Topographic and Cadastral Map of the Country”, the service acquired its current name in 1926. Today, it supports both the Greek Army and the general public with cartographic products. From 1966 until the 1980s, the service housed the Armed Forces Information Service , Greece's second state-run broadcaster alongside

78-604: 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

117-497: A state monopoly, and not very famous among hikers, certainly HMGS maps have a much wider coverage in small scales than commercial leisure maps. The maps use the Hellenic Geodetic Reference System 1987 (HGRS87 or ΕΓΣΑ'87) which specifies a Transverse Mercatorial Projection mapping Greece in one zone. The products and services of HMGS are not available in the market. They can either be purchased using

156-864: Is mostly of foreign manufacture, from German , French , Italian , 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 , such as the ELVO Kentaurus fighting vehicle. Equipment runs the gamut from state-of-the art to obsolete Cold War inventories; the latter are gradually being retired. The structure of Hellenic Army ranks has its roots in British military traditions and follows NATO standard rank scale . The rank of Stratarchis (Στρατάρχης, equivalent to Field Marshal or General of

195-727: 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 motto of

234-612: The Battle of Salamanca . He arrived at Napoleon's headquarters on 6 September 1812, the eve of the Battle of Borodino . Fabvier was gravely wounded in this battle, leading the charge during the final assault on the Russian fortifications. Napoleon rewarded him by naming him artillery major in the VI Corps under Marshal Ney . He distinguished himself further during the operations of the War of

273-832: The Evelpidon Military Academy in Athens ( Στρατιωτική Σχολή Ευελπίδων , ΣΣΕ ), the Corps Officers Military Academy in Thessaloniki ( Στρατιωτική Σχολή Αξιωματικών Σωμάτων, ΣΣΑΣ ) and the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy ( Σχολή Μονίμων Υπαξιωματικών ) in Trikala. Unlike what the title of the latter suggests, ΣΜΥ graduates do comprise a large part of the officer corps and are able to advance to

312-485: The National Radio Foundation . HMGS supplies City Plans of scales 1:5.000, 1:10.000 and 1:25.000 in Greek and Latin series HMGS produces and supplies topographic maps of various scales that cover the whole country and occasionally parts of neighboring countries. Not all maps noted below are available to the public. Part of them are confidential and available only upon approval of HMGS. Although not

351-825: The Philhellenes . Returning again to Greece, he was appointed head of the small Greek regular army, with which he participated in several battles, most notably the Siege of the Acropolis of Athens in 1826. In 1828, he returned to France, only to return to Greece alongside the French Morea expedition . For his services during the Greek War of Independence, the Third National Assembly at Troezen declared Fabvier an honorary Greek citizen in 1827, and he

390-626: The Tunisian campaign and the Battle of Rimini (1944) . After the war, Greece incorporated the Dodecanese . Soon, the political polarization between communist (or leftist) and anticommunist forces, led to a three-and-a-half-year-long civil war , which ended with communist defeat. The Greek Expeditionary Force took part in the Korean War with a total of 10,255 Greek personnel, of whom 186 or 187 were killed and 617 were wounded. The army

429-699: 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, after he had won the Greek Civil War . Charles Fabvier Charles Nicolas Fabvier ( Greek : Κάρολος Φαβιέρος , romanized :  Karolos Favieros ) (10 December 1782 – 15 September 1855)

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468-618: 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. 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,

507-535: 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. After

546-469: The Hellenic Army is [Ἐλεύθερον τὸ Εὔψυχον] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |3= ( help ) ('Freedom stems from valour'), from Thucydides 's History of the Peloponnesian War (2.43.4) , a remembrance of the ancient warriors that defended Greek lands in old times. The Hellenic Army Emblem is the two-headed eagle with a Greek Cross escutcheon in the centre. The Hellenic Army is also

585-434: The Hellenic Army's higher command is the Hellenic Army General Staff . There are four major military commands which supervise all army units, 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

624-459: 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. The rank insignia of commissioned officers . The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel . The heavy equipment and weaponry of the Hellenic Army

663-732: The Sixth Coalition in Germany, and was raised to colonel of the General Staff and made baron de l'Empire . He participated in the retreat into France, and on 31 March 1814, on behalf of Marshals Marmont and Mortier , he signed the surrender of Paris to the Coalition armies. During the Hundred Days , he joined the frontier defence forces as a volunteer. After Napoleon's downfall in 1815, he continued to serve in

702-664: The ages of 18 and 45. Citizens discharged from active service are normally placed in the Reserve and are subject to periodic recall of 1–10 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. Conscript enlisted men and non-commissioned officers wear special rank insignia to differentiate them from volunteers. Professional officers graduate from

741-401: The e-shop of the service or collected from the offices of the service upon submitting the relevant request form. 37°59′42.5″N 23°44′18″E  /  37.995139°N 23.73833°E  / 37.995139; 23.73833 Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( Greek : Ελληνικός Στρατός , romanized :  Ellinikós Stratós , sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ ), formed in 1828,

780-685: 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 1882–1885 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

819-608: The following main objectives: The Hellenic Army traces its origin to the regular units established by the Greek provisional government during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829). The first of these, an infantry regiment and a small artillery battery , were established in April 1822, and were commanded by European Philhellenes (such as Joseph Balestra and others). Lack of funds however forced its disbandment soon after, and it

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858-854: 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. The exiled Greek government, with units of the Army, were transferred to the Middle East, where they continued the war with the Allies as the Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East . The Sacred Band and the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade were formed in exile, and took part in various operations; including

897-513: The instructors were French—at first Philhellenes, and later serving officers of General Maison's Expeditionary Corps . 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

936-602: 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 . 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. The Hellenic Republic has mandatory military service (conscription) as of March 2021 of 12 months for all males between

975-539: The main contributor to, and lead nation of, the Balkan Battle Group , a combined-arms rapid-response force under the EU Battlegroup structure. The main missions of the Hellenic Army are the defence of the state's independence and integrity, the safeguarding of national territory, and the decisive contribution to the achievement of the country's policy objectives. During peacetime, the Army has

1014-439: 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. The dismal performance of the Hellenic Army in the war of 1897 led to a major reform programme under the administration of Georgios Theotokis (1899–1901, 1903–1904 and 1906–1909). A new Army Organization Statute

1053-569: The rank of lieutenant colonel , starting at the rank of corporal, while their ΣΣΕ and ΣΣΑΣ counterparts graduate as second lieutenants and could, theoretically, attain flag officer ranks. Thus, 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 graduated from Trikala . The latter officers are followed in seniority by volunteer and finally conscript staff. During war,

1092-696: The regular army and dissolved the irregular forces that had largely fought the War of Independence. Following the ousting of Otto in 1862, the Army continued relying on the Army Organization Statute of 1833. The Greek royal army in 1860 was approximately 200,000 men. The first major reforms were undertaken in 1877, in response to the Balkan Crisis that eventually led to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 . Among other measures, for

1131-472: The royal French army. In 1817, he accompanied Marshal Marmont as chief of staff in quelling the riots at Lyon , provoked by the harsh conduct of the local military governor, General Simon Canuel . Soon after, he was suspended from his military duties for his liberal beliefs, and was arrested in August 1820 and charged with participation in a military conspiracy. Although he was released for lack of evidence, he

1170-467: The victorious Balkan Wars , the country doubled its territory. During the WWI, a disagreement between King Constantine and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos caused a National Schism , but eventually a united Greece joined in 1917 the Allies. As a winner of the war, Greece annexed Western and Eastern Thrace and landed units in 1919 at Asia Minor , starting so the Greco-Turkish War (1919-22) , which

1209-572: Was an ambassador, general and French member of parliament who played a distinguished role in the Greek War of Independence . He was born at Pont-à-Mousson in Meurthe and was a student at the École Polytechnique before joining the 1st Artillery Regiment in Napoleon’s army in Germany in 1804. He participated in the 1805 Ulm Campaign , and was wounded in the battle of Dürenstein . In 1807, he

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1248-740: Was awarded the newly constituted Order of the Lion and the Sun for his efforts. In 1809, he returned to Europe via Russia , and served for a while as a volunteer in the Polish army of the Duchy of Warsaw . Arriving at Vienna , he was named captain in the French Imperial Guard . He served as aide-de-camp of Marshal Auguste de Marmont in Spain, and was sent by him to Russia to inform Napoleon on

1287-430: Was briefly renamed "Royal Hellenic Army" from August 20th, to October 25th, 1964, on the initiative of then Minister of National Defence Petros Garoufalias . In total, the Hellenic Army has taken part in the following engagements: 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,

1326-541: Was issued in 1904 (revised in 1910), purchases of new artillery material (including the 75 mm Schneider-Danglis 06/09 gun) and of the Mannlicher–Schönauer rifle were made, and a new, khaki field uniform was introduced in 1908. 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,

1365-652: Was later awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer by King Otho I . In 1830, he returned to France and took part in the July Revolution . Initially chief of staff to General Étienne Maurice Gérard , on 4 August Fabvier was named military commander of Paris. In 1831, he resigned his commission and retired with the rank Lieutenant General . Fabvier was made a peer of France in 1845, and in 1848, he

1404-486: Was later called as a witness, but refused to disclose a name demanded by the public prosecutor, for which he was fined 500 francs. In 1822, he was charged with aiding the flight of the four sergeants of La Rochelle , but was acquitted. In 1823 he decided to leave France and went to Greece , to help the Greeks during their ongoing War of Independence . His first task was the supervision of the fortifications of Navarino . Then he travelled to Britain to drum up support among

1443-656: 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 (1828–1831) saw

1482-531: Was part of the French military mission to the Ottoman Sultan Selim III , tasked with shoring up the defences of Constantinople . Fabvier then managed to join the diplomatic mission of General Charles Mathieu Gardanne , Napoleon's envoy to Persia , who tried to combat British and Russian influence in the region. Fabvier was tasked with creating an artillery school and arsenal at Esfahān , and

1521-635: Was unsuccessful for Greece, in 1922. The country joined WWII with the Allies side in October 1940, when dictator Ioannis Metaxas rejected an Italian ultimatum by Mussolini. In the Greco-Italian War , the Hellenic Army pushed back the Italian and occupied large parts of southern Albania, but after a German invasion ( Battle of Greece ) fell under the Axis domination. Leo Niehorster's website shows

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