15th Infantry Regiment (XV Inf Div) () is an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the army, land force of Greece. The term Names of the Greeks, '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches ...

recently (2013) reduced in size from a brigade. The brigade was formed on 31 March 1998 when the 15th Infantry Division was reduced in size as part of a force restructuring in the

History

On 31 March 1998, after a

force restructure, the 15th Infantry Division was reduced to a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

-level formation and renamed as the 15th Infantry Brigade (). It evolved into a

motorized infantry Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, which c ...

role in 2011 and, as a result, was renamed the 15th Motorized Infantry Brigade "PYXOS" (). The honorific ''Pyxós'' (), a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

settlement on the western peninsula of

Lake Prespa The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus: the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greec ...

(near the town of Vrontero), was given to the brigade in recognition of its historic defense of the area as the 15th Infantry Division. On 6 November 2012, in anticipation of an upcoming defense review and its expected disbandment as a combat formation, the brigade commemorated its 72 years of service with a ceremony in

Argos Orestiko Argos Orestiko (, before 1926: Χρούπιστα – ''Chroupista''; ) is a town and a municipality in the Kastoria regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The Kastoria National Airport (also known as Aristotelis Airport) is located in Argos Oresti ...

. The occasion also included a remembrance ceremony for the 112 officers and 5812 enlisted soldiers who lost their lives in its (and, primarily, the 15th Infantry Division's) service. In April 2013 KYSEA decided the disbandment of the brigade as part of a new force structure for the Hellenic Army. However, within months, it was decided that the brigade would eventually be reduced to the level of a regiment. The brigade was officially reorganized and renamed the 15th Infantry Regiment "XV Inf. Div." (), on 13 November 2014 and placed under the command of the NDC-GR.

Emblem and Motto

The emblem of the original 15th Infantry Division - a

labrys ''Labrys'' () is, according to Plutarch (''Quaestiones Graecae'' 2.302a), the Lydian language, Lydian word for the Axe#Components, double-bitted axe. In Greek it was called (''pélekys''). The plural of ''labrys'' is ''labryes'' (). Etymology ...

-wielding

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

(), symbolizing strength, speed and vigilant guard - was carried-over to the 15th Infantry Brigade in 1998. The brigade's motto is This Number Is Sufficient (). The phrase was attributed to Leonidas when he was in charge of guarding the narrow mountain pass at

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; ; Ancient: , Katharevousa: ; ; "hot gates") is a narrow pass and modern town in Lamia (city), Lamia, Phthiotis, Greece. It derives its name from its Mineral spring, hot sulphur springs."Thermopylae" in: S. Hornblower & A. Spaw ...

with just 7,000 Greek men in order to delay the invading Persian army. He was asked why he had come to fight such a huge host with so few men. Leonidas answered, "If numbers are what matters, all Greece cannot match a small part of that army; but if courage is what counts, this number is sufficient." ().Plutarch, ''Apophthegmata Laconica,'' 225c.8-9.

Structure (2016)

* HQ (ΛΔ/15ου ΣΠ) at

Kastoria Kastoria (, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region ...

. * 574th Motorized Infantry Battalion (574 M/Π ΤΠ) based at

. * 585th Motorized Infantry Battalion (585 M/Π ΤΠ EKE) based at

* 15th Support Battalion (15 ΤΥΠ) * 15th Signal Company (15 ΛΔΒ) * 15th Engineer Company (15 ΛΜΧ)

References

{{Greece divisions 1998 establishments in Greece Infantry regiments of Greece Kastoria