Christos Adamidis ( el, Χρήστος Αδαμίδης, 1885–1949) was a

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 ...

officer and pioneer of military aviation. He was one of the first Greek officers that received aviation training in France and later participated in air operations during the Balkan Wars.

Balkan Wars

Adamidis was born in Ioannina in 1885, then part of the Janina Vilayet of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. He initially became a cavalry officer in the

. In 1912, Adamidis was selected as one of the first three Greek officers, together with

Dimitrios Kamberos Dimitrios Kamberos ( el, Δημήτριος Καμπέρος, 1883-1942) a first Lieutenant, was the first military aviator in Greek history. His name was spelled variously in contemporary foreign sources, including Camberos and Cambères. Kamber ...

and

Michael Moutoussis Michael Moutoussis ( el, Μιχαήλ Μουτούσης, 1885 – 16 March 1956) was a Hellenic Army officer and pioneer of military aviation. Together with Aristeidis Moraitinis, he performed the first naval air mission in history during the Ba ...

, in order to receive aviation training in France and to man the newly established aviation branch of the Hellenic Army. During the following Balkan Wars he was positioned in Epirus front where he performed reconnaissance and bombing missions against Ottoman positions during the battle of Bizani. These missions also included leaflet and food dropping to the population of Ioannina, the urban center of the area, who was starving due to the extended military conflicts. The Greek forces finally won the

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

and on , Ioannina came under Greek control. On that day, Adamidis landed his

Farman MF.7 The Maurice Farman MF.7 ''Longhorn'' is a French biplane developed before World War I which was used for reconnaissance by both the French and British air services in the early stages of the war before being relegated to service as a trainer. D ...

aircraft on the Town Hall square of the city, to the adulation of an enthusiastic crowd.

Later career

In 1927 Adamidis became commander of the air arm of the

. In June 1928, Adamidis together with Lt Evangelos Papadakis, flew around the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

with a

Breguet 19 Breguet or Bréguet may refer to: * Breguet (watch), watch manufacturer **Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), Swiss watchmaker ** Louis-François-Clement Breguet (1804–1883), French physicist, watchmaker, electrical and telegraph work * Brégue ...

aircraft. The tour lasted 20 days covering a distance of , and was considered a significant achievement in relation to the capabilities of Greek aviation of that time. In 1931, when the Air Force became a separate branch of the

Hellenic Armed Forces The Hellenic Armed Forces ( el, Eλληνικές Ένοπλες Δυνάμεις, Ellinikés Énoples Dynámis) are the military forces of Greece. They consist of the Hellenic Army, the Hellenic Navy, and the Hellenic Air Force. The civilian a ...

, he was appointed director of the Aeronautics Department. Adamidis was discharged in 1935 with the rank of Major General.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamidis, Hristos 1880s births 1949 deaths Military personnel from Ioannina People from Janina vilayet Greeks from the Ottoman Empire Hellenic Army officers Greek aviators Greek generals Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Hellenic Air Force officers Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Greece