Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos

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Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos
Lieutenant General
Commands held3/40 Evzone Regiment (1940–41)
3rd Greek Mountain Brigade (1944–45)
I Army Corps (1948)
II Army Corps (1948–49)
Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff (1951–52)
Battles/wars
Awards Gold Cross of Valour [2]
Alma materHellenic Military Academy
Other workGreek Ambassador to Yugoslavia

Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos (

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
.

Early life

Tsakalotos was born in Preveza in 1897,[2] at a time when it was still a province of the Ottoman Empire. At the age of thirteen, he went to Alexandria, to make the acquaintance of a cousin who lived there.

Military career

He entered the

Asia Minor Campaign, being promoted to Captain in 1920.[2]

In the interwar period he held various staff appointments and commands, as well as a teaching post in the Superior War Academy. He was promoted to Major in 1924, Lt Colonel in 1930 and Colonel in 1938.[2]

World War II

During the

Ismaïlia training centre, before assuming command of the newly formed 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade in April 1944. He led his brigade during the Gothic Line offensive in Italy, including the Battle of Rimini.[2]

After the liberation of Greece from the Axis, he was transferred with the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade in Athens. A strong anticommunist, he did not obey to orders by the pro-

EAM-ELAS
in Athens during December 1944.

Greek Civil War

On 24 March 1945 he was appointed commander of the

2nd Infantry Division.[2] In the next year he was placed as the head of the Superior War Academy and promoted to Major General.[2]

An able officer, he rose quickly: commander of

Mount Grammos during the decisive Operation Pyrsos in 1949.[4]

His personality led to strained relations with his superior,

Eisenhower and Montgomery in the Second World War. [...] Tsakalotos was a brilliant field commander, egoistic and impetuous, always convinced that the crux of any strategic problem was where he happened to be in command. Papagos was a superlative staff officer, impeccable in logistic planning and exact calculation, a master of the politics and diplomacy of war, with little experience of high command in battle."[6]

Later career

From 31 May 1951 until 20 November 1952, he served as Chief of the Army General Staff.[2] Shortly before, Papagos had announced that he was resigning to pursue politics after a clash with King Paul. The King directed Tsakalotos to arrest Papagos, but Tsakalotos refused to carry out the order.[7]

Diplomatic career

In 1957–1960, Tsakalotos also served as Greece's

Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK); in the elections of 1985 he published a statement encouraging people to vote for PASOK and saying that he felt Andreas was like a brother to him.[9]

On 23 March 1984, as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation and healing of the divisions caused by the Civil War, Tsakalotos publicly met and shook hands with his erstwhile adversary,

Markos Vafiades
, the commander of the Communist forces.

Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos died in Athens on 15 August 1989.

Personal life

Tsakalotos' first cousin's grandson, or first cousin twice-removed,

Alex Tsipras' second cabinet.[10]

Works

References

  1. Old Style
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Συνοπτική Ιστορία του ΓΕΣ, 2001, p. 171.
  3. ^ Close & Veremis 1993, p. 116.
  4. ^ Close & Veremis 1993, pp. 116–117.
  5. ^ Close & Veremis 1993, p. 117.
  6. ^ Woodhouse 2002, p. 270.
  7. ^ "Ο θείος του Ευκλείδη Τσακαλώτου ήταν ο αντικομμουνιστής στρατηγός Θρασύβουλος Τσακαλώτος. "Κράτησε" την Αθήνα στα Δεκεμβριανά και ηγήθηκε του εθνικού στρατού, στον εμφύλιο". Kerdos. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  8. ISBN 0233963014
    .
  9. ^ "Ποιος είναι ο Θρασύβουλος Τσακαλώτος, θείος του νέου υπουργού Οικονομικών". Imerisia. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  10. ^ Smith, Helena (18 June 2015). "Euclid Tsakalotos: Greece's secret weapon in credit negotiations". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2016.

Sources

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