Alexandros Rosios (, 1917 — 30 August 2005), also known by the

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

Ypsilantis (Υψηλάντης), was a member of the

Greek Communist Party The Communist Party of Greece (, ΚΚΕ; ''Kommounistikó Kómma Elládas'', KKE) is a Marxist–Leninist political party in Greece. It was founded in 1918 as the Socialist Workers' Party of Greece (SEKE) and adopted its current name in Novem ...

(KKE) and officer of the

Greek People's Liberation Army The Greek People's Liberation Army (, ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós''; ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek resistance until February 1945, when, followi ...

(ELAS), and later the

Democratic Army of Greece The Democratic Army of Greece (DAG; , ΔΣΕ; ''Dimokratikós Stratós Elládas'', DSE) was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War (1946–1949). At its height, it had a strength of around 50,000 men and w ...

(DSE). On the night of 30 March 1946, he led the attack on the

Greek Gendarmerie The Hellenic Gendarmerie (, ''Elliniki Chorofylaki'') was the national gendarmerie and military police (until 1951) force of Greece. History 19th century The Greek Gendarmerie was established after the enthronement of Otto of Greece, King Ot ...

station in

Litochoro Litochoro (, ''Litóchoro''; Katharevousa: Λιτόχωρον) is a town and a former municipality in the southern part of the Pieria (regional unit), Pieria regional unit, Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government re ...

, an event traditionally regarded as the starting point of 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 ...

Life

He was born in

Siatista Siatista () is a town and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Kozani (regional unit), Kozani regional unit, Western Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Voio (muni ...

Kozani Prefecture Kozani () is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia. Its capital is the city of Kozani. Geography Kozani borders the regional units of Kastoria to the west and nor ...

, in 1917, the son of a schoolteacher. He graduated in philosophy from the

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ( AUTh; ), often called the University of Thessaloniki, is the second oldest tertiary education institution in Greece. Named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, about east of Thessa ...

, and also attended the School of Reserve Infantry Officers in

Syros Syros ( ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greece, Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and at the 2021 census it had 21,124 inhabitants. The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano S ...

. In 1940–1941, he fought in 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 ...

as a lieutenant in the Greek Army. After the occupation of Greece by the Nazis in 1941, Rosios joined the left—wing National Liberation Front (EAM), and its military branch, the

(ELAS). He played an active role in both the Greek Resistance against the Nazis, and the subsequent civil war. His attack on the Gendarmerie station in

(where his group of guerrillas killed 12 gendarmes and 2 civilians) is traditionally regarded as the starting point of the

. After the communist defeat in the civil war, Rosios fled to the communist countries of the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

. During the 1950s he was a prominent member of KKE's exiled leadership and played an active role in ousting

Nikos Zachariadis Nikos Zachariadis (; 27 April 1903 – 1 August 1973) was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) from 1931 to 1956. He was appointed, by order of Stalin and the Comintern, General Secretary of KKE in 1935. He was arrested by th ...

from power. Later however, he fell out with the leadership of Kostas Koligiannis, and in 1976, he returned to Greece and joined

PASOK The Panhellenic Socialist Movement (, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK (; , ), is a social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Greece, political party in Greece. Until 2012 it was Two-party system, one of the two major ...

. (''AU̱TOI POU FEV̱GOUN:̱ O SIATISTINOS ALEKOS NIK. ROSIOS Í̱ KAPETAN YPSI̱LANTI̱S'') In the government of

Andreas Papandreou Andreas Georgiou Papandreou (, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek academic and economist who founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and served three terms as Prime minister of Greece, prime minister of Third Hellenic Repu ...

, he was appointed prefect of

Aetolia-Acarnania Aetolia-Acarnania (, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic regions of Greece, geographic region of Central Greece (geographic region), Central Greece and the administrative regions of Greece, ...

. He died in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosios, Alexandros 1917 births 2005 deaths Communist Party of Greece politicians Exiles of the Greek Civil War in the Soviet Union National Liberation Front (Greece) members PASOK politicians People from Siatista Greek military personnel of World War II Democratic Army of Greece personnel Hellenic Army officers People of the Greco-Italian War