I Army Corps (Greece)

Coordinates: 40°17′30″N 21°46′54.4″E / 40.29167°N 21.781778°E / 40.29167; 21.781778
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
I Army Corps
Α' Σώμα Στρατού
Active1913–1941, 1946–2013
Country 
Greco-Italian War, Greek Civil War, Korean War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Konstantinos Kallaris, Leonidas Paraskevopoulos, Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos

The I Army Corps (

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 (Epirus and Western and Central Macedonia
). It was disbanded in 2013.

History

Following the

Chalkis), a cavalry regiment, an artillery regiment, an engineers regiment and other attendant services. The first Corps commander was Lt. General Konstantinos Kallaris, who had commanded the 2nd Division during the Balkan Wars.[2][3] I Corps remained loyal to the royal government during National Schism, and was demobilized after the Noemvriana
.

World War I

After Greece's entry in World War I in June 1917, the Corps was reformed and participated in the Macedonian front operations in 1917–1918, fighting against the Bulgarians on the Struma front in eastern Macedonia.[3] It subsequently dispatched the major part of its force (2nd and 13th Divisions under Major Gen. Konstantinos Nider) to the Crimea and the Ukraine, as part of the unsuccessful Southern Russia intervention.[3]

1st Division was tasked with the

Asia Minor Campaign until the final Greek defeat and evacuation in August–September 1922.[3]

Interwar

During the

Nauplia).[4]
The corps was a mainly reserve formation, covering southern Greece while the majority of the Greek army was concentrated in Macedonia and Thrace against Bulgaria.

World War II

Following the outbreak of the

Battle of Greece.[3]

Cold War

I Corps was re-established on 16 May 1946 as part of the post-war reconstruction of the Greek armed forces, and comprised the 2nd Infantry Division, the 51st and 61st Brigades, and later the 81st Military Region (Corinth), the 82nd Mil. Region (Athens) and the Lamia Military Command.[5] With the outbreak of the Greek Civil War, the corps was engaged in combat against the Communist-led Democratic Army of Greece. Under the command of Lt. Gen. Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, it played a major role in clearing southern Greece of the guerrillas and then in the final defeat of the Communists in the battles of Grammos and Vitsi in 1948–1949.

Following the end of the civil war, I Corps, since 1951 based at Trikala, was also responsible for the recruitment of the Greek Expeditionary Force in Korea. In 1962, the corps headquarters was moved to Kozani, where it remained until its disbandment.[3]

21st century

Following a wide-ranging defence review that decided upon a new force structure for the Greek armed forces, in April 2013

III Army Corps.[6]

Structure (2008)

Emblem

The motto at the top of the emblem,

Persian King Xerxes I
's demand for the surrender of the Spartans' arms.

References

  1. ISBN 960-7897-45-5
    .
  2. ISBN 960-7897-45-5
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f Οδηγός νεοτοποθετουμένων στελεχών Ιούλιος 2009 (PDF) (in Greek). II Army Corps, Personnel Directorate. July 2009. pp. 3–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  4. ISBN 960-7897-45-5
    .
  5. ISBN 960-7897-45-5
    .
  6. ^ Μελλοντική Δομή Δυνάμεων: Επιτέλους συμμάζεμα, τα στοιχεία (in Greek). defencepoint.gr. 25 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2013.

40°17′30″N 21°46′54.4″E / 40.29167°N 21.781778°E / 40.29167; 21.781778

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