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The Cavalry Division () was the only cavalry division 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 ...
, active from 1921 to 1929 and 1935–1941.


Background

Historically, since its establishment after the
Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...
, 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 ...
had had a small
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
force, which only gradually rose to three regiments in 1885. The first larger formation was established in February 1912, as part of the reforms introduced by a French military mission in the form of the Cavalry Brigade, comprising the
1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
and 3rd Cavalry Regiments. The Cavalry Brigade took part in the early stages of the
First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...
, but was disbanded in November 1912, re-established in March 1913 and took part in the
Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...
. After the end of the Balkan Wars, the new peacetime organization of the Hellenic Army included the creation of a two-brigade Cavalry Division, with headquarters at
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, but this was left incomplete, as the second brigade was never constituted. After Greece's entry into
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, in September 1917 the establishment of a three-regiment Cavalry Division was envisaged, but in the event no major cavalry formation was established, and even the existing 1st Cavalry Brigade was disbanded; the Greek cavalry fought in 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 Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...
only with the 1st and 3rd Cavalry Regiments as well as half-companies attached to the infantry divisions.


Asia Minor Campaign and aftermath

This remained the case during the early stages of the
Asia Minor Campaign Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
as well. The Cavalry Brigade was re-established in June 1920, and participated in the major operations of the next two years. Finally, on 16 November 1921, the Cavalry Division was constituted as part of the
Army of Asia Minor The Army of Asia Minor () was a field army of the Hellenic Army which was stationed in Anatolia during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922. History 1919 Following the Greek landing at Smyrna by the 1st Infa ...
, with three cavalry regiments, under Major General Andreas Kallinskis-Roïdis. A fourth regiment was added in June 1922, but due to lack of horses its men fought on foot. At the time of the Turkish
Great Offensive The Great Offensive () was the largest and final military operation of the Turkish War of Independence, fought between the Turkish Armed Forces loyal to the government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the Kingdom of Greece, ending ...
and the breakthrough of the Greek front in August 1922, the Cavalry Division's force was dispersed on various missions. With the Turkish cavalry wreaking havoc in the Greek army's rear areas, the units of the Cavalry Division fought piecemeal actions against the Turkish cavalry's attempts to cut off Greek communication and supply lines and in support of the embattled and retreating infantry divisions. The most notable event during the retreat was the cover provided to the remnants of the Southern Group of the Greek army at the Battle of Salihli, which prevented their encirclement and capture. On 29 August, the Division received orders to embark at
ÇeÅŸme ÇeÅŸme, officially the ÇeÅŸme Municipality, is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 285 km2, and its population is 48,924 (2022). It sits at Turkey's westernmost end, on a promontory on t ...
for
Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
. This was done by 1 September, with 3rd Regiment covering the retreat and embarking in turn on 2 September. Having evacuated relatively intact and in good order, the Cavalry Division was soon reconstituted as a fighting force with three and later four regiments. Under the command of Colonel Georgios Skandalis, it became part of the Army of the Evros during the standoff with Turkey before the signing of the
Treaty of Lausanne The Treaty of Lausanne (, ) is a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923 and signed in the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially resolved the conflict that had initially ...
. The Cavalry Division was retained in the peacetime establishment after the demobilization of 1923. The Army Regulations of 1926 created a 2nd Cavalry Division, with two regiments for each division, but in 1929 both divisions were downgraded to brigades.


Re-establishment and World War II

The Cavalry Division was re-established on 13 April 1935, based at Athens. It comprised two brigades, one at Athens and one at Thessaloniki, as well as the newly formed
5th Cavalry Regiment The 5th Cavalry Regiment ("Black Knights") is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service on March 3, 1855, as the Second Cavalry Regiment. On August 3, 1861, it was redesignated as the 5th Cavalry Regiment following an ...
, also at Athens. The Cavalry Division was not only a combat formation, but also gathered the administration of all cavalry-related establishments and units under its roof, replacing the Cavalry Inspectorate, which was abolished. In 1937, the headquarters of the division was moved to Thessaloniki. In the same year, its strength was reduced to three cavalry regiments, while a Mechanized Cavalry Regiment was added to its strength. In wartime, plans called for the creation of an independent Cavalry Brigade from among the division's personnel. Upon the outbreak of 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 ...
on 28 October 1940, both the Cavalry Division, under Major General
Georgios Stanotas Georgios Stanotas (; January 1, 1888 – 1965) was a Greek cavalry officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general. Early life and career He was born on 1 January 1888 in the village of Kastanitsa, in the Peloponnese. He left his village ...
, and the Cavalry Brigade, under Colonel
Sokratis Dimaratos Socrates was an Athenian philosopher. Socrates, Sócrates, Sokrates or Sokratis may also refer to: People Given name Ancient Greeks * Socrates of Achaea (c. 436–401 BC), mercenary general of the Ten Thousand * Socrates of Macedon ( ...
, mobilized. The Cavalry Brigade was quickly made independent of its parent, operating as a mixed cavalry-infantry formation until its units were reincorporated into the Cavalry Division on 1 January 1941. The detachment of the Cavalry Brigade left the Cavalry Division with only the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and the Mechanized Cavalry Regiment and its divisional artillery and support units, but it was reinforced with the 4th Infantry Regiment and a battalion of 7th Infantry Regiment. The division was placed under the direct command of the Greek high command and sent to cover the critical road connecting
Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...
with
Kalambaka Kalabaka (, ''Kalabáka'', alternative transliterations are ''Kalambaka'' and ''Kalampaka'') is a town and seat of the municipality of Meteora in the Trikala regional unit, part of Thessaly in Greece. The population was 11,492 at the 2021 cens ...
over the
Pindus Mountains The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; ; ; ) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly long, with a maximum elevation of ( Mount Smolikas). Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the P ...
. As a result, the division established itself at
Metsovo Metsovo (; ) is a town in Epirus (region), Epirus, in the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece, between Ioannina to the west and Meteora to the east. The largest centre of Aromanians, Aromanian (Vlach) life in Greece, Metsovo is a large regio ...
, from where it played a central role in the Battle of Pindus against the elite Italian 3rd Alpine Division "Julia". The Italian advance along the Pindus was stopped and turned back with high casualties. On 13 November, the Cavalry Division reached
Konitsa Konitsa (, see also Konitsa#Name, names in other languages) is a town of Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina in Epirus (region), Epirus, Greece. It is located north of the capital Ioannina and near the Albanian Border crossings of Albania, border. ...
, which it captured on the 16th. The division then participated in the Greek thrust into Italian-occupied Albania, operating at the junction between I Army Corps and II Army Corps. The division participated in the capture of Leskovik and
Përmet Përmet () is a List of cities and towns in Albania, town and Municipalities of Albania, municipality in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. The municipality of Përmet consists of the administrative units of Çarçovë, Frashër, Petran, Qend� ...
, before being gradually replaced between 11 and 28 December by 1st Infantry Division. Withdrawing to the Konitsa area, the division remained in reserve until 17 February, before moving to northeast of
Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...
. From 24 March, the division took up defensive positions south of
Lake Ohrid Lake Ohrid is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, with a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more th ...
, but with the German invasion of Greece looming, on 7 April it was redeployed west of
Florina Florina (, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. The town of Florina is the capital of the Florina regional uni ...
, with the aim of covering the flanks of the Western Macedonia Army Section (TSDM) and the rest of the Greek army in Albania, and establishing a connection with the British W Force. For this purpose, the division was reinforced with three Reconnaissance Groups (13th, 16th, 21st) and the 21st Infantry Brigade. First contact with the invading German forces of the XXXX Panzer Corps occurred on 10 April. The Germans captured Florina on the same day, but the Cavalry Division beat back German attempts to capture the Pisoderi Pass. However, after fierce fighting, the Germans broke through the British and Greek forces defending the Kleidi pass further east on 12 April. The German breakthrough forced W Force to retreat southeast, breaking off contact with the Cavalry Division, which in turn extended its right flank to establish contact with the 20th Infantry Division, tasked with covering the Kleisoura Pass. The Greek high command then issued orders for TSDM to withdraw behind the Aliakmon River. The Cavalry Division conducted a fighting retreat, holding the Agia Foteini Pass for several hours on 15 April, but failing to prevent the fall of
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 ...
to the Germans on the evening of the same day. As the German advance further west cut off the roads leading into
Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...
, the Cavalry Division continued its retreat west to the Pindus Mountains until 20 April, when the commander of the Greek army in Epirus, Lieutenant General Georgios Tsolakoglou, began armistice negotiations with the Germans. The Cavalry Division was disbanded with the surrender of the Greek forces in Epirus on 23 April.


References


Sources

* * {{Portal bar, Greece 1921 establishments in Greece 1941 disestablishments in Greece Divisions of Greece Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1941 Military units and formations of Greece in World War II Cavalry divisions of World War II Cavalry divisions