Archipelago Division

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Archipelago Division
Μεραρχία Ἀρχιπελάγους
ActiveSeptember 1916 – November 1920
CountryGreece Kingdom of Greece
Branch Hellenic Army
Typeinfantry
SizeDivision
EngagementsWorld War I

Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922

Battle honoursCapture of:

The Archipelago Division (

Asia Minor Campaign
.

Establishment

Further information:
Greece in World War I and National Schism

The division began being raised in September 1916

Aegean islands, and Macedonia).[3]

As its name signifies, the Archipelago Division (Μεραρχία Ἀρχιπελάγους) was recruited in the Aegean islands, chiefly

Mytilini.[4] The division comprised three infantry regiments (originally the 7th, 8th, and 9th, but in late 1916 renumbered 4th, 5th, and 6th respectively) and support services.[5] The 4th Archipelago Regiment (4ο Σύνταγμα Ἀρχιπελάγους) with two battalions was headquartered at Lesbos, the 5th Archipelago Regiment (5ο Σύνταγμα Ἀρχιπελάγους) with one battalion at Lesbos and one at Lemnos, and the 6th Archipelago Regiment (6ο Σύνταγμα Ἀρχιπελάγους) at Samos, with one battalion at Chios.[4] Its first commander was Colonel (later Major General and Lt. General) Dimitrios Ioannou, with Lt. Colonel Dimitrios Katheniotis as his chief of staff.[5][6]

Among the men recruited into the division was the writer Stratis Myrivilis, whose anti-war novel Life in the Tomb describes life on the Macedonian front based on the author's own experiences with the division.[7]

Macedonian front, 1917–1918

Further information: Macedonian front

First front deployment at Monastir

After training was completed in March 1917, the division was ferried to

Armée d'Orient.[4][5] There the division was trained in trench warfare and the use of mortars, handgrenades, etc.[5]

From 24 May, the division's battalions began occupying front sectors in the

Achilleas Protosyngellos took over as the division's chief of staff.[9]

Battle of Skra

Louis Franchet d'Espérey decorates the battle flag of the 5th Archipelago Regiment in 1918, with the divisional commander Dimitrios Ioannou
to his left

On 20 October the division was moved east to the

Crete Division to its right. Along with the Serres Division, these formed the "National Defence Army Corps" under Major General Emmanouil Zymvrakakis, although operationally the Greek divisions came under the 1st Group of Divisions, under Auguste Clément Gérôme [fr], commander of the French 122nd Infantry Division.[10]

The division held this sector until May 1918, when it participated in the Battle of Skra-di-Legen.[5] The Archipelago Division with its 5th and 6th regiments (Lt. Colonels Efthymios Tsimikalis and Konstantinos Exarchakis respectively), reinforced with the 1st Serres Regiment (Lt. Colonel Georgios Kondylis), took the brunt of the attack on the fortified positions of Skra on 16–18 May 1918, aided on its flanks by attacks from the Crete and Serres divisions.[11]

Following its victory at Skra, the Archipelago Division was withdrawn to the village of Karpi near Goumenissa on 20 May for rest.

29th Infantry Regiment as the third divisional regiment, since the 4th Archipelago Regiment remained in southern Greece assigned to internal security duties.[5][13]

Vardar Offensive and end of the war

During the

Vardar Offensive in September 1918, the 1st Group of Divisions was assigned a supporting role, connecting the two main prongs of the Allied attack, while pinning down its opposing forces through an attack along the Vardar valley to the Demir Kapija gorge. The Archipelago Division was tasked with supporting the French 16th Colonial Infantry Division [fr] towards Davidovo.[14] As the Bulgarian retreat began on 8 September, the division crossed the trenches on 9 September, and advanced through Strumica to Plačkovica.[5][15]

Following the

Langadas on 9 November, and to eastern Macedonia in December.[5][16] In October–November 1918, the division was commanded by Colonel Manganaras, before Major General Periklis Pierrakos-Mavromichalis.[5]

Asia Minor, 1919–1920

Piecemeal arrival and first operations at Bergama

The Archipelago Division remained in eastern Macedonia until May 1919, when it was shipped to

Smyrna Zone.[5] The 6th Archipelago Regiment was sent in early May, soon after the Greek landing at Smyrna, to augment the 1st Infantry Division there, and the 5th Regiment followed later in the month.[17] The Greek occupation immediately faced armed resistance by irregular forces, and was hampered due to political considerations: as the Smyrna Zone was still officially Ottoman territory, Turkish officials remained in place, censorship was not imposed, and even the disarming of the civilian population (including demobilized Ottoman soldiers) was prohibited by the Allies.[18] The rapid growth of organized resistance emerged into the open with the events of the Battle of Bergama, necessitating the dispatch of the 5th and 6th Archipelago Regiments to recapture Bergama on 7 June.[19]

The problems faced by the Greek forces in Asia Minor resulted in a first wave of reinforcements, including the rest of the Arcipelago Division.[20] On 18 June 1919 Colonel (later Major General) Charalambos Tseroulis assumed command of the division,[21] which now held the northernmost part of the Greek occupation zone around Bergama and Ayvalık.[22] In late July 1919, the Archipelago Division numbered on paper 340 officers and 8,421 other ranks, of which about 9.5% were missing or otherwise not available.[23]

On occupation duty, July 1919 – May 1920

At the same time, the Allies strictly forbade the Greek troops to advance beyond the area already occupied, unless with prior Allied consent.[24] As this allowed the Turks to launch raids against the Greek lines and then retreat with impunity behind the demarcation line, this was modified on 29 August so that Greek forces could pursue them to 1–1.5 km, on 28 September to the freedom to make minor and local advances to improve their tactical position, and on 16 October to pursue Turkish forces up to 3 km from the demarcation line.[25] A final demarcation line was determined by the Allied leaders in November 1919, with Greek forces advancing to the new positions on 3 November.[26] During this period, the Archipelago Division had only to contend with low-level activity by irregular forces, which cost it 2 killed and 15 wounded soldiers.[27]

On 12 December, as the Greek forces in Asia Minor were grouped into the

Smyrna Army Corps under the division's former commander, Lt. General Ioannou.[28] The division's sector remained relatively calm, except for occasional firefights and artillery shots during December, with almost complete quiet in the early months of 1920.[29] In March–May 1920, the division suffered 14 dead and 21 wounded.[30] The opposing Turkish forces, elements of the 56th and 61st divisions as well as irregulars, was estimated at around 10,000 men.[31]

Summer offensive of 1920

During the

Balikesir, and Bursa, establishing defensive positions east of the latter.[5]

Renaming

Following the victory of the royalist opposition in the

7th Infantry Division.[21]

Casualties

During its front-line service from 1917 to 1920, the division suffered 139 officers killed or wounded, and 3,695 other ranks killed or wounded.[5]

References

  1. Old Style
    .
  2. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., pp. 117–118.
  3. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., p. 118.
  4. ^ a b c d Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., p. 120.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Μεγάλη Στρατιωτικὴ καὶ Ναυτικὴ Ἐγκυκλοπαιδεία, p. 246.
  6. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., pp. 118, 315.
  7. ISBN 978-1-3515-1162-9
    .
  8. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., p. 169.
  9. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., p. 315.
  10. ^ a b Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., p. 174.
  11. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., pp. 210–219.
  12. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., pp. 220–221.
  13. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., pp. 221, 238.
  14. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., pp. 243–246.
  15. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., pp. 266–267, 269, 271–272, 273, 276, 279–280.
  16. ^ Επίτομη ιστορία συμμετοχής στον Α′ Π.Π., pp. 286–289.
  17. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 23.
  18. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 24.
  19. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, pp. 25–26.
  20. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 28.
  21. ^ a b Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 494.
  22. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 29.
  23. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 31.
  24. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 30.
  25. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 34.
  26. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 35.
  27. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, pp. 36–37.
  28. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, pp. 38, 41.
  29. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, pp. 41, 46.
  30. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 46.
  31. ^ Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς Μικρασιατικῆς Ἐκστρατείας, p. 47.

Sources

  • Ἐπίτομος ἱστορία τῆς εἰς Μικράν Ἀσίαν Ἐκστρατείας 1919-1922 [Concise History of the Campaign in Asia Minor 1919–1922] (in Greek). Athens: Hellenic Army History Directorate. 1967.
  • Επίτομη ιστορία της συμμετοχής του Ελληνικού Στρατού στον Πρώτο Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο 1914 - 1918 [Concise History of the Hellenic Army's Participation in the First World War 1914–1918] (in Greek). Athens: Hellenic Army History Directorate. 1993.
  • Μεγάλη Στρατιωτικὴ καὶ Ναυτικὴ Ἐγκυκλοπαιδεία. Tόμος Τρίτος: Δαβατηνός–Ἰωσήφ [Great Military and Naval Encyclopaedia. Volume III: Davatinos–Joseph] (in Greek). Athens: Ἔκδοσις Μεγάλης Στρατιωτικῆς καὶ Ναυτικῆς Ἐγκυκλοπαιδείας. 1929.
    OCLC 31255024
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Archipelago_Division&oldid=1080712005"