Spyridon Avgeris (, 10/23 September 1909 – 3 January 1972) was a

Greek Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence ...

officer who served as Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff (1963–67) and of the

Hellenic National Defence General Staff The Hellenic National Defence General Staff (, abbr. ΓΕΕΘΑ) is the senior staff of the Hellenic Armed Forces. It was established in 1950, when the separate armed services ministries were consolidated into the Ministry of National Defence. ...

(1967), retiring with the rank of

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Life

Born on

Salamis Island Salamis ( ; ) or Salamina () is the largest Greece, Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about from the coast of Athens' port of Piraeus and about west of Athens center. The chief city, Salamina (city), Salamina, lies in the west-facing core of ...

on 10 September 1909, Spyridon Avgeris entered the Hellenic Navy Academy on 9 October 1925 and graduated on 10 October 1929 as a Line Ensign. He was promoted to su-lieutenant on 13 October 1933, and lieutenant on 27 October 1937. He served aboard various warships, and specialized in

naval artillery Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for more specialized roles in surface warfare such as naval gunfire support (NGFS) and anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) engagements. ...

, attending the Gunnery School in 1937. During the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian campaign in Greece, Italian invasion of Greece, and War of '40 in Greece, took place between Italy and Greece from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. This conflict began the Balk ...

and the subsequent

German invasion of Greece The German invasion of Greece or Operation Marita (), were the attacks on Kingdom of Greece, Greece by Kingdom of Italy, Italy and Nazi Germany, Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Gr ...

(1940–41) he served as commander of a naval anti-aircraft battery at

Mount Aigaleo Aigaleo or Egaleo (), and known in antiquity as Poikilon Oros (Ποικίλον Όρος), is a mountain next to the Athens urban area, in Attica, Greece. It lies west of the Athens plain, southeast of Eleusis, and east of the island of Salami ...

. Following the

Axis occupation of Greece The occupation of Greece by the Axis Powers () began in April 1941 after Nazi Germany Battle of Greece, invaded the Kingdom of Greece in order to assist its ally, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italy, in their Greco-Italian War, ongoing war that w ...

, he served in 1941–42 in the collaborationist government's Ministry of National Defence. In February 1942 he tried to escape to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and join the forces of the

Greek government-in-exile The Greek government-in-exile was formed in 1941, in the aftermath of the Battle of Greece and the subsequent occupation of Greece by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The government-in-exile was based first in South Africa, then London, then, ...

, but he suffered a shipwreck on 18 February and managed only after many difficulties to reach his destination, joining the Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East on 15 May. For this he received the Medal for Outstanding Acts in 1951. He served in the staff of the Fleet Command, and took part in the

Battle of the Mediterranean The Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940 to 2 May 1945. For the most part, the campaign was fought between the Kingdom of Italy, Italian Reg ...

on board the destroyers and , before becoming captain of the

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

'' Paralos''. Promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 January 1943, he then assumed command of the Minesweeper Squadron and of the corvette '' Sachtouris''. In July 1943, he participated in the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...

as executive officer of ''Kanaris'', and for his actions during the capture of Augusta, received the War Cross. In 1944–45 he served as adjutant to the Minister of Naval Affairs (

Panagiotis Kanellopoulos Panagiotis Kanellopoulos or Panayotis Kanellopoulos (; 13 December 1902 – 11 September 1986) was a Greek writer, politician and Prime Minister of Greece. He was the Prime Minister of Greece deposed by the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. ...

and then Nikolaos Plastiras). Following the liberation of Greece in October 1944, he served as captain of the corvette '' Tombazis'' and the destroyer , as well as again as adjutant to Kanellopoulos during the latter's brief tenure as

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

in November 1945. Avgeris was promoted to commander on 31 December 1945. In the next years he served as deputy commander of the Navy Academy, as well as captain of the destroyer ''

Pindos The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; ; ; ) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly long, with a maximum elevation of ( Mount Smolikas). Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the P ...

'', with which he distinguished himself during the repulsion of the attack on

Leonidio Leonidio (, Katharevousa: Λεωνίδιον, Tsakonian: Αγιελήδι) is a town and a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality South Kynouria, of which it i ...

by communist guerrillas in January 1949. For his service during the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...

, Avgeris was awarded his second War Cross on 16 January 1952. He then commanded, the minesweeper ''Armatolos'', and the retired cruiser '' Georgios Averof'' in 1950. He graduated from the Naval War School in 1950, and became chief of staff of the Fleet Command in 1950–52, being promoted to captain on 5 December 1951. As Captain he took over command of the navy's largest vessel, the cruiser ''

Elli In Norse mythology (a subset of Germanic mythology), Elli (Old Norse: , "old age"Orchard (1997:38).) is a personification of old age who, in the ''Prose Edda'' book ''Gylfaginning'', defeats Thor in a wrestling match.Graeme Davis (2013). ''Thor: ...

'' (1952), before going on to serve as a naval attache at

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(1953–55). He then attended the NBC Warfare School (1955), and took over as commander of the naval training centres ''Kanellopoulos'' (1955–56) and ''Palaskas'' (1956). In 1956–57 he served as Minesweeper Commander, then as Naval Commander Western Greece (1957), and again as Minesweeper Commander in tandem with the post of Commander of the Financial Police maritime squadron (1958). In 1959 e graduated from the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

's the Mine Warfare School. He also served as Superior Commander of the Crete Naval Station (1959), and chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff's operations branch, doubling as chief of staff of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

COMEDEAST, in 1959–60. Promoted to rear admiral on 13 December 1960, he served as Chief of the Cretan and Ionian Seas Command (1960–61) and Deputy Chief of the Navy General Staff (1961–63). Promoted to vice admiral on 9 December 1963, he assumed the post of Chief of the Navy General Staff and chief of COMEDEAST until 30 March 1967, when he was appointed Chief of the

. He held the post during and after the coup d'état of 21 April 1967 which established the

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

, but was dismissed on 14 December 1967 following the failed counter-coup of King Constantine II the previous day. He died on 3 January 1972.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avgeris, Spyridon 1909 births 1972 deaths Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Chiefs of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Greek military personnel of the Greek Civil War Greek military personnel of World War II Hellenic Navy admirals People from Salamis Island Recipients of the War Cross (Greece) Naval attachés for Greece