The 3rd Infantry Division ( el, III Μεραρχία Πεζικού, III ΜΠ; ''III Merarchia Pezikou'', ''III MP'') was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

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 ...

History

The 3rd Infantry Division was established by Royal Decree on 8 September 1900 at

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 ...

, comprising the 5th Infantry Brigade at Missolonghi with

6th 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

and 10th Infantry Regiments, and the 6th Infantry Brigade at

Nafplio Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

with

8th 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number ...

and

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

Infantry Regiments, plus the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, the 3rd Artillery Regiment, and the

3rd Evzone Battalion Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

. In December 1901, the seats of the brigades changed, with 5th Brigade moving to Corfu and 6th Brigade to

Kalamata Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regi ...

. On 9 September 1904, as part of a major army reorganization, the 3rd Division's component units were fixed as: 5th Brigade at Missolonghi, comprising 6th Regiment (Missolonghi) and 10th Regiment (Corfu); 6th Brigade at Patras, comprising 9th Regiment (Kalamata) and 12th Regiment (Patras); and the 3rd and

7th Evzone Battalions 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

( Arta), 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Engineers Battalion, 3rd Train Company and 3rd Nursing Company, and the 3rd Military Music Command. In January 1912, the brigades were abolished and divisions organized as

triangular division A triangular division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade hea ...

s. The 3rd Division remained at Missolonghi, but now comprised 6th Regiment (Missolonghi), 10th Regiment (Corfu), and 12th Regiment (Patras), plus supporting units.

Balkan Wars

At the outbreak of the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

in October 1912, the division was commanded by Major General

Konstantinos Damianos Konstantinos Damianos ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Δαμιανός, 1853–1915) was a senior Hellenic Army officer who fought in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913. He was born in Athens in 1853, and graduated from the Hellenic Military Academy ...

. Consisting of three infantry regiments (6th, 10th and 12th), two squadrons of field artillery (1/3rd and 2/3rd), and one mountain artillery squadron (3rd), it was attached to the

Army of Thessaly The Army of Thessaly ( el, Στρατιά Θεσσαλίας) was a field army of Greece, activated in Thessaly during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and the First Balkan War in 1912, both times against the Ottoman Empire and commanded by Crown Pri ...

, commanded by Crown Prince Constantine. During the

Battle of Sarantaporo The Battle of Sarantaporo, also variously transliterated as Sarantaporon or Sarandaporon ( el, Μάχη του Σαρανταπόρου, tr, Sarantaporo Muharebesi, links=no), took place on 9–10 October, 1912. It was the first major battle ...

on 9 October 1912, the 3rd Infantry Division, along with the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and 2nd, executed a frontal attack on Ottoman forces, across open ground. The Greek divisions suffered heavy casualties due to enemy artillery in the advance, but by night had reached the Turkish lines. Ottoman forces retreated when the 4th Infantry Division attacked the western flank of the Turkish Army and captured the Porta Pass.''The Hellenic Army during the Balkan Wars 1912-1913'', Volume 1, p. 60, (Hellenic Army General Staff, Army History Directorate, Athens 1988)

World War I

From 25 April 1918, the division fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

on the

Macedonian front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers to aid Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, in the autumn of 191 ...

, and remained active in the area around

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 ...

until August 1920, when it was transferred to the

Asia Minor Campaign Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

Greco-Turkish War

In November 1920, the 3rd Infantry Division was part of the Army of Asia Minor during the Greco-Turkish War, assigned to the III Army Corps. Consisting of two infantry regiments (6th and 12th) and one

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

regiment ( 2/39 Evzone), the division fought in the

Battle of Sakarya The Battle of the Sakarya ( tr, Sakarya Meydan Muharebesi, lit=Sakarya Field Battle), also known as the Battle of the Sangarios ( el, Μάχη του Σαγγαρίου, Máchi tou Sangaríou), was an important engagement in the Greco-Turkish Wa ...

and the

Battle of Dumlupınar The Battle of Dumlupınar ( el, Μάχη του Τουμλού Μπουνάρ, translit=Máchi tou Toumloú Bounár, tr, Dumlupınar (Meydan) Muharebesi, lit=Dumlupınar (Field) Battle), or known as Field Battle of the Commander-in-Chief ( t ...

Interwar period

The 3rd Division was based at Patras as part of I Army Corps. By 14 October 1940 it was in the reserve of the Greek Army's three-corps defence against Italy during the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdoms of Italy and G ...

References

Sources

* * {{Greece divisions Infantry divisions of Greece Military units and formations of Greece in World War I Military units and formations of Greece in World War II 1900 establishments in Greece Military units and formations established in 1900 Military units and formations of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Military units and formations of Greece in the Balkan Wars