Charalambos Tseroulis ( el, Χαράλαμπος Τσερούλης; 1 June 1879 – 2 May 1929) was a distinguished infantry officer of the

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...

who rose to the rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Life

Tseroulis was born on 1 June 1879 in

Missolonghi Missolonghi or Messolonghi ( el, Μεσολόγγι, ) is a municipality of 34,416 people (according to the 2011 census) in western Greece. The town is the capital of Aetolia-Acarnania regional unit, and the seat of the municipality of Iera Polis ...

. After studies in the

Hellenic Military Academy The Hellenic Army Academy ( el, Στρατιωτική Σχολή Ευελπίδων), commonly known as the Evelpidon, is a military academy. It is the Officer cadet school of the Greek Army and the oldest third-level educational institution in G ...

, he was commissioned as an Infantry 2nd Lieutenant on 16 July 1900. Early in his career he served in the

Hellenic Military Geographical Service The Hellenic Military Geographical Service or HMGS ( el, Γεωγραφική Υπηρεσία Στρατού or Γ.Υ.Σ.), is the Hellenic Military's mapping agency. History Established in 1889 as the “Geodetic Mission” with the purpose o ...

, and fought in the Balkan Wars of 1912–13 as a company commander in the

6th Infantry Regiment The 6th Infantry Regiment ("Regulars") was formed 11 January 1812. Zachary Taylor, later the twelfth President of the United States, was a commander of the unit. The motto, "Regulars, By God!" derives from the Battle of Chippawa, in which Brit ...

of the 3rd Infantry Division. After the Balkan Wars, in early 1914, he fought as a volunteer for the autonomy of

Northern Epirus sq, Epiri i Veriut rup, Epiru di Nsusu , type = Part of the wider historic region of Epirus , image_blank_emblem = , blank_emblem_type = , image_map = Epirus across Greece Albania4.svg , map_caption ...

. In Autumn 1916 he joined the National Defence uprising and was appointed as commander of the 2nd Regiment of the

Serres Division The Serres Division ( el, Μεραρχία Σερρῶν, Merarchia Serrōn) was an infantry division of Hellenic Army in World War I and the annexation of Western Thrace. Establishment The division began being raised in September 1916 by the Pro ...

, which he led to the front near

Gevgelija Gevgelija ( mk, Гевгелија; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point ...

( Macedonian front). He commanded the regiment in the Battle of Skra-di-Legen in May 1918, and became chief of infantry of the 3rd Infantry Division in August 1918. In May 1919, as chief of infantry of the 1st Infantry Division, he took part in the

Greek landing at Smyrna The Greek landing at Smyrna ( el, Ελληνική απόβαση στη Σμύρνη; tr, İzmir'in İşgali, Occupation of İzmir) was a military operation by Greek forces starting on May 15, 1919 which involved landing troops in the city of S ...

and the subsequent operations for the capture of Aydın. He then led detachments of the

Archipelago Division The Archipelago Division ( el, Μεραρχία Ἀρχιπελάγους, Merarchia Archipelagous) was an infantry division of Greece in World War I and the early stages of the Asia Minor Campaign. Establishment The division began being raised i ...

in the capture of

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...

. He was later promoted to commander of the entire Archipelago Division whish he led in the

Greek Summer Offensive The Greek Summer Offensive of 1920 was an offensive by the Greek army, assisted by British forces, to capture the southern region of the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Region from the Kuva-yi Milliye (National Forces) of the provisional Turkish ...

of 1920, capturing Balikesir and Bursa. Following the November 1920 elections, he was dismissed from the army as a

Venizelist Venizelism ( el, Βενιζελισμός) was one of the major political movements in Greece from the 1900s until the mid-1970s. Main ideas Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were: *Greek irredentism: ...

. He was recalled to active service by the September 1922 Revolution, and appointed commander of IV Army Corps in the

Army of the Evros The Army of the Evros ( el, Στρατιά Έβρου) was a field army of Greece, stationed in Western Thrace between December 1922 and August 1923. History The Army of the Evros was formed following the defeat and evacuation of the Army of Asi ...

. He continued to command various Corps until 21 April 1926, when he was named Minister of Military Affairs by the dictatorial regime of Theodoros Pangalos, a post he held until the overthrow of the regime on 22 August. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant General on 30 August 1926. Tseroulis died on 2 May 1929.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tseroulis, Charalambos 1879 births 1929 deaths 20th-century Greek people Hellenic Army lieutenant generals Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Greek military personnel of World War I Ministers of Military Affairs of Greece People from Missolonghi Northern Epirus independence activists