Dionysios Arbouzis () was a

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 ...

officer who rose to the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and held the position of Chief of the

Hellenic Armed Forces The Hellenic Armed Forces () lead the military forces of Greece. The Hellenic Armed Forces consists of the Hellenic Army, the Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force and Hellenic Coast Guard. The civilian authority overseeing the Hellenic Armed ...

in 1974–1976, after the fall of the

Greek military junta The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels was a right-wing military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. On 21 April 1967, a group of colonels with CIA backing overthrew the caretaker government a month before scheduled elections wh ...

. Arbouzis, with more than 13 years of combat experience, participated in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, in 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 ...

and the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Arbouzis graduated from the

Hellenic Army Academy The Hellenic Army Academy (, ΣΣΕ), commonly known as the Evelpidon, is a military academy. It is the Officer cadet school of the Greek Army and the oldest third-level educational institution in Greece. It was founded in 1828 in Nafplio by Ioa ...

and participated as an officer of the Greek Army in the major conflicts of

in Greece:

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 ...

(1940–1941),

Battle of Greece The German invasion of Greece or Operation Marita (), were the attacks on Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasi ...

(1941), as well as the

(1946–1949). During the Greco-Italian War, he participated, as battalion commander in the 33rd Infantry Regiment, in the Battle of Hill 717 during the Italian spring offensive. He is also notable as a commander of the Greek Expeditionary Force in Korea during the

, as the first commander (as a colonel, in 1960) of the

Hellenic Force in Cyprus The Hellenic Force in Cyprus (, ), commonly known in its abbreviated form as ELDYK or EL.DY.K. (, , , ) is the permanent, battalion-sized Greek military force stationed in the Republic of Cyprus. Its role is to help and support the Cypriot Nation ...

, and as a commander of the Hellenic Army Academy (as a major general, in 1965–1966). In 1967, at the time of the 21 April coup, he was Second Deputy Chief of the

Hellenic Army General Staff The Hellenic Army General Staff () is the general staff of the Hellenic Army, the terrestrial component of the Greek Armed Forces. It was established in 1904. Since 1950, the HAGS is subordinated to the Hellenic National Defence General Staff. T ...

, and was well known for his dedication to the constitutional order. On the day of the coup, he was arrested by the plotters and dismissed from the army by the new regime. He was recalled to active service, promoted to full general and installed as head of the armed forces after the

fall Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...

of the junta in August 1974, and held the position until 1976. In 1977, he served for a month (21 October – 28 November) as

Minister for Northern Greece The deputy minister for Macedonia and Thrace () is the government minister in charge of Greece's Sub- Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace, part of the Ministry of the Interior. The department originated in the old Ministry of Northern Greece ...

under

Konstantinos Karamanlis Konstantinos G. Karamanlis (, ; 8 March 1907 – 23 April 1998) was a Greek statesman who was the four-time Prime Minister of Greece and two-term president of the Third Hellenic Republic. A towering figure of Greek politics, his political caree ...

in the

caretaker cabinet A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...

during the 1977 legislative elections. He died in 1987 and is buried in the

First Cemetery of Athens The First Cemetery of Athens (, ''Próto Nekrotafeío Athinón'') is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a prestigious cemetery for Greeks and foreigners. The cemetery is lo ...

, on February 3.Ta Nea, 2-2-1987, p.26.

References

External links

U.N. Greek Battalion In Korea (1951) - British Pathé
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arbouzis, Dionysios 1987 deaths Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Hellenic Army generals Greek military personnel of the Korean War Ministers for Northern Greece Burials at the First Cemetery of Athens People from Molaoi 1910s births Greek military personnel of World War II