Armed Forces, 1936 -1940
Thessaloniki, 1935 - 1937
31st Infantry Regiment photo grouping, 1936
I Brigade maneuvers, Larissa, May 22, 1937
Anti-aircraft machine guns and mortars training, Larissa, June 3, 1937
2nd Lieutenants' oath ceremony, May 3, 1938
Parade detachment, Kavala, June 26, 1938
A parade detachment for the annual celebrations of the liberation of Kavala, armed with the standard 1903 Mannlicher - Schoenauer rifle. The men are wearing summer lightweight uniforms, M34/39 helmets and a single M1908 pattern ammo pouch on their belts. The metal formation badges are visible on their collars. Of note are the horizontal, yellow NCO candidate stripes on the left arm, the different tones observed on the jackets, as well as the difference of the tones between the tunics and the trousers.
VI Infantry Division maneuvers,
Arapsa Hill, October 1938
A photo showing an ineteresting assortment of elements of the pre and post 1938 period. French Adrian helmets and a French style kepi are worn by three of the officers, all of whom are wearing their new No4, British style uniforms. The two officers in the middle are also wearing the British style caps, while the shoulder tabs of the 2nd Leutenant present an interesting detail, with some difficult to decipher insignia on their ends, close to the seams. Of note are also the new M1938 pattern jackets of the soldiers, as well as their M34/39 helmets, with the difference in their sizes being quite obvious.
Officer and NCOs, 3rd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
Thessaloniki, April 12, 1939
A group photo, showing a variety of uniforms. The officer is wearing his British-style Service Dress No4 uniform, while the NCOs are wearing the two different types of field ones. The presence of an Evzone, with his characteristic jacket is also interesting. The NCOs are wearing their formation badges on their shoulders, with the exception of the man standing to the left of the officer, whose badges can be seen on his collar tabs. Of note are also the stripes along the shoulder tabs of some of the men. According to the 1938 Regulation on the uniforms of the Other Ranks and NCOs, these were worn on the tabs of the walking out uniforms of Volunteer NCOs. The stripes on this photo are black, characteristic for the Artillery.
Goudi, August 1939
Kaisariani, August 1939
Evzonoi in front of their barracks. October 2, 1939.
NCOs and Private, Kato Nevrokopi, May 5, 1940
13,2 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1927 Machine Gun
Edessa, September 24, 1940
A group of officers with a 13,2 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1927 machine gun on its characteristic tripod mount, which allowed the gun to be used both in an antiaircraft and an antitank role. Only a limited number of 32 machine guns of this type saw service in the Greek Army, modified to be loaded with metal clips instead of the standard magazines.
The photo was taken in the maneuvers field of the barracks of Edessa, so it is possible that the officers were at that time serving in the 30th Infantry Regiment.
Group photo of Army officers, date and location unknown
Army officers wearing their No. 4 Service Dress uniforms. One of the men on the background is wearing the summer ("khaki drill") pattern, while the second from the left on the first row is wearing the No. 9 uniform, consisting of the summer, white jacket of the No. 2 walking out uniform and the breeches of the No. 4 one. One more interesting detail is that there appears to be no standard regarding the combination of colours of the shirts and ties.
Group photo of Army, Navy and Air Force officers, date and location unknown
Group photo of reserve officers during training course, 1937
Army reserve officers during a training course at the camp of the 1st Infantry Regiment. In the middle, the CO of the Regiment, Colonel Antonakis.
The officers are either wearing their No. 4 Service Dress uniforms (with breeches), or the No. 5 ones (with trousers). The difference in the shades of their privately purchased uniforms can be clearly seen. Some of them are wearing british style caps, while others are wearing the older french style kepis, with the stripes on them denoting their ranks.
Group photo of officers, date and location unknown
Portraits of a driver.
Athens, date unknown
Corporal, Piraeus, date unknown
Major General Paraschos Melissinos, date and location unknown
Major General Paraschos Melissinos, wearing his No4 Service Dress uniform. His rank insignia consist of a six-pointed star, a sword crossed with a baton, and a crown. Orders, Gallantry, Campaign and foreign awards can be seen on his ribbon bar. Major General Melissinos served as Commandant of the Military Academy in 1936, Commandant of the War College in 1936-1937, and Chief of the Army General Staff between October 28, 1940 and April 23, 1941.
Portrait of the later Lt. General Alexandros Natsinas with the rank of Captain,
date and location unknown.
An interesting photo showing the later Lt. General Alexandros Natsinas with the rank of Artillery Captain. As a Colonel, Natsinas became the first commander of the State Intelligence Service (ΚΥΠ) in 1953, a position which he held until 1963. As head of the secret services, he played an important role in the post war politics of Greece, being in charge of the "Red Sheepskin", the Greek division of NATO "Operation Gladio", and also as a liaison to the secret organisation "Sacred Bond of Greek Officers" (ΙΔΕΑ), of which he also was a member. He also played a pivotal role in the movements which led to the military Junta of 1967-74.
His uniform also shows some interesting combinations, characteristic of the transitional era after the Restoration of Monarchy in 1935. Although his British style cap and tunic date the photo in the post 1937 timeframe, flat, large rank pips and embroidered flaming bombs can be observed, all features of the older style uniforms. The buttons with the flaming bombs are also a characteristic of the Republic period. The ribbon is the one of the Medal of Military Merit 4th Class.
Portrait of a Reservist Warrant Officer, 1940, location unknown
2nd Lieutenant, date and location unknown
Group photo of soldiers, date and location unknown
Parade in Kavala, date unknown
An interesting photo, taken between 1938 and 1940, showing a great variety of uniforms. Officers can be seen in both "Grand" and No4 Service Dress uniforms. The marching soldiers are wearing a variety of field caps, while two different types of jackets can also be observed. The majority is wearing the 1938 pattern, while the man on the far right of the first row is wearing the older 1908 pattern. (Photographer I. Kapaios, Kavala)
Parade, Athens, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, date unknown
A Fiat Pavesi P4/110 4x4 artillery tractor towing an 88mm Flak 18/38 antiaircraft gun during a parade in Athens. The spot is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in front of the Royal Palace (nowadays the Parliament).
The men, probably serving in the 1st A/A Regiment, have just given a salute to the officials. Ioannis Metaxas can be seen among them, just above the tractor's right front wheel. King George II can be seen on the right of the pennant pole, held by the Evzone of the Royal Guard.
The photo was taken by photojournalist Dimitrios Yangoglou (1886 - 1941), probably during the celebrations of March 25, 1939 or 1940.
Group photo, date and location unknown
Group photo of soldiers and a Captain, taken between 1938 and 1940, judging by the soldiers' jackets and the officer's cap. The soldiers are wearing British MkI helmets and are armed with the standard infantry weapons of the time: M1903 Mannlicher-Schoenauer rifles and Chauchat Mle 1915 LMGs. Of note are the two different types of ammo pouches in use, as well as the absence of collar tabs on the tunics.
Group photo of NCO and soldiers
The soldiers are armed with 1903 Mannlicher Schoenauer rifles and are fully kitted with double leather pouches and Y-straps. They are wearing 1938 pattern uniforms and French made Adrian helmets. The Volunteer NCO is also wearing a French style kepi and a Sam Browne belt, with his older style, walking out jacket. His rank chevrons can be observed low on his sleeve, according to the older tradition, while the stripes along his shoulder tabs, denoting his status, are following the 1938 Regulation.
ID documents of Lt. Colonel (later Major General) Georgios Ntakos, 1936 - 1940
Officers and men of the Gendarmerie.
Date and location unknown.
The Lt. Colonel, sitting in the second row, wearing glasses, is possibly Argyrios Papargyris, later Colonel, Chief of Gendarmerie and the Fire Service, better known for his actions during the Battle of Athens and the defense of the Gendarmerie Headquarters. Papargyris had also served as a police officer in Bursa (1921 - 1922) and Chief of Police in Thessaloniki during the Interwar years. |
Order of George I Gold Cross award document
Order of George I Gold Cross award document to Lt. Colonel (later Colonel) Argyrios Papargyris.
XI Mountain Artillery Regiment service book
Reserve Officer Cadet School Corfu service book
34th Infantry Regiment service book
According to information found on the database of Army General Staff / Army History Directorate, Sergeant Antonios Pantelis was KIA on February 28, 1941 in Peshtan, Albania, serving in the 34th Infantry Regiment.