Ioannis Demestichas ( el, Ιωάννης Δεμέστιχας, 1882–1960) was a

Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of var ...

officer. He is best known for his participation in the

Macedonian Struggle The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...

under the ''

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

'' of Kapetan Nikiforos (Καπετάν Νικηφόρος). He held various senior commands in the Greek Navy, including thrice as Chief of the

Hellenic Navy General Staff The Hellenic Navy General Staff ( el, Γενικό Επιτελείο Ναυτικού, abbr. ΓΕΝ) is the general staff of the Hellenic Navy, the naval component of the Greek Armed Forces. It is headed by the Chief of the Navy General Staff, ...

, and also served briefly in cabinet positions.

Life

Early career: Macedonian Struggle, the Balkan Wars and aftermath

Ioannis Demestichas was born in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

on 30 November 1882. He entered the

Hellenic Navy Academy The Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy ( el, Σχολή Ναυτικών Δοκίμων, abbr. ΣΝΔ, lit. "School of Naval Cadets") is a military university and has the responsibility to educate and suitably train competent Naval Officers for the He ...

on 1 September 1896, and graduated on 28 July 1900 as a Line Ensign. On 6 May 1905 he was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant. He participated in the

1906 Intercalated Games The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games i ...

in the 400-metre course. He participated in the

in 1906–07 under the ''

'' of Kapetan Nikiforos, leading an armed band in the

Giannitsa Lake __NOTOC__ Giannitsa Lake ( el, Λίμνη Γιαννιτσών), also known as Loudias Lake ( el, Λίμνη Λουδία) is a former post-glacial lake in Central Macedonia, Greece, south of the town of Giannitsa and north of Gidas (later rename ...

area. In August 1909 he participated in the successful

Goudi coup The Goudi coup ( el, κίνημα στο Γουδί) was a military coup d'état that took place in Greece on the night of , starting at the barracks in Goudi, a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Athens. The coup was a pivotal event in mo ...

, and later was among the ringleaders in the abortive coup of the more radical young officers, led by Lieutenant Konstantinos Typaldos-Alfonsatos, in October of the same year. Promoted to Lieutenant on 29 March 1910, he spent the years 1910–12 in training abroad. With 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, he was given command of a gunboat, with which he participated in the operations in the

Ambracian Gulf The Ambracian Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Arta or the Gulf of Actium, and in some official documents as the Amvrakikos Gulf ( el, Αμβρακικός κόλπος, translit=Amvrakikos kolpos), is a gulf of the Ionian Sea in northwestern Gree ...

, but in early November he was detached to the Aegean fleet as commander of a landing detachment, with which he fought in the battles for the capture of the islands of the eastern Aegean. He was wounded during the liberation of Chios, and was later appointed military governor of

Tenedos Tenedos (, ''Tenedhos'', ), or Bozcaada in Turkish, is an island of Turkey in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively, the island constitutes the Bozcaada district of Çanakkale Province. With an area of it is the third lar ...

. On 1 January 1913 he was promoted to Lieutenant I Class. After the Balkan Wars, he served as captain of the torpedo boat ''Aigli'' (1914–15), being promoted to Lt. Commander on 20 October 1914. He then became captain of the destroyer (1915–17), as well as instructor of naval calculus in the Naval Academy (1916–17). On 9 May 1917, he left his post to join the

Provisional Government of National Defence The Provisional Government of National Defence (), also known as the State of Thessaloniki (Κράτος της Θεσσαλονίκης), was a parallel administration, set up in the city of Thessaloniki by former Prime Minister Eleftherios Ven ...

under

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greeks, Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberati ...

. Following Venizelos' return to Athens and his assumption of the government in June, Demestichas was made captain of the destroyers (1917–18) and ''Nea Genea'' (1918–19), with which he participated in the anti-

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

operations in the eastern Mediterranean. On 26 December 1917, he was promoted to commander.

Interwar period

In 1919–20, he took part in the naval operations of 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 ...

as commander of the destroyer , but was placed on suspended duty on 27 April 1921, after the electoral victory of the anti-Venizelos royalist parties. Following the Greek retreat from Asia Minor and the

11 September 1922 Revolution The 11 September 1922 Revolution ( el, Επανάσταση της 11ης Σεπτεμβρίου 1922) was an uprising by the Greek army and navy against the government in Athens. The revolution took place on 24 September 1922, although the date wa ...

, in which he took active part in Athens, he was recalled to active service as captain of the battleship ''Kilkis'', and then as military commander of

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a sepa ...

island (1922–23). On 20 December 1923 he was promoted to captain. He then assumed command of the Exercise Squadron in 1923–24, and became commandant of the Navy Academy (1924). During the so-called "Navy strike" in June 1924, he voluntarily retired, but this was revoked on 21 August. In 1926 he was captain of the battleship ''Limnos'' and Director-General of the Ministry of Naval Affairs, then Chief of the

in 1926–27, Higher Submarine Commander (1927–28), again Director-General of the Ministry of Naval Affairs (1928–29), Chief of the Fleet Command (1929–31), Director-General of the

Salamis Naval Base The Salamis Naval Base ( el, Ναύσταθμος Σαλαμίνας) is the largest naval base of the Hellenic Navy. It is located in the northeastern part of Salamis Island (Cape Arapis), Greece and in Amphiali and Skaramangas. It is close to th ...

(1931–32), and again as Chief of the Navy General Staff in 1932–33. On 6 March 1933, he became a member of the emergency military government under

Alexandros Othonaios Alexandros Othonaios ( el, Αλέξανδρος Οθωναίος, Gytheio, 1879 – Athens, 20 September 1970) was a distinguished Greek general, who became briefly the acting Prime Minister of Greece, heading an emergency government during an a ...

, that assumed power to counter the abortive coup attempt led by

Nikolaos Plastiras Nikolaos Plastiras ( el, Νικόλαος Πλαστήρας; 4 November 1883 – 26 July 1953) was a Greek general and politician, who served thrice as Prime Minister of Greece. A distinguished soldier known for his personal bravery, he ...

. He held the posts of Minister for Naval Affairs and for Aviation (6–9 March). After the failure of the coup, on 11 March he was placed on suspended duty due to his involvement in it, placed on indefinite leave on 12 September, and retired on 5 February 1934 with the rank of rear admiral in retirement. In 1934 he was one of the founding members of the Yacht Club of Greece. Demestichas took part in Plastiras' second failed coup attempt in March 1935, and after its failure managed to escape to

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

in Italy. In Greece, he was tried and sentenced ''in absentia'' to death and loss of rank, but on 13 June 1936 he was pardoned and restored to his rank.

World War II and aftermath

In April 1943, he fled the Axis occupation of Greece and arrived in the Middle East, where on 17 April he joined the forces of the

Greek government in exile The Greek government-in-exile was formed in 1941, in the aftermath of the Battle of Greece and the subsequent occupation of Greece by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The government-in-exile was based in Cairo, Egypt, and hence it is also referr ...

. Recalled to active duty, he served as Inspector-General of the Navy (1943–45), and was successively promoted to rear admiral (17 September 1943) and Vice Admiral (2 November 1943). In April 1944, he served as Minister for the

Interior Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...

, for

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. ...

, and as Deputy

Minister for Mercantile Marine The Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy ( el, Υπουργείο Ναυτιλίας και Νησιωτικής Πολιτικής) is a government department of Greece. History It was founded as the Mercantile Marine Ministry () in 1936. ...

in the short-lived (14–26 April) exile cabinet of

Sofoklis Venizelos Sofoklis Venizelos (, also transliterated as Sophocles Venizelos) (3 November 1894 – 7 February 1964) was a Greek politician, who three times served as Prime Minister of Greece – in 1944 (in exile), 1950 and 1950–1951. Life and career V ...

. He retired once more on 24 August 1945 as vice admiral in retirement, but was recalled between 30 August 1946 and 1 July 1947 to serve as a member of the commission on the selection of personnel for the reduced peacetime navy. On 21 January 1948 he was awarded the War Cross for his role in World War II. He died at

Marousi Marousi or Maroussi ( el, Μαρούσι, also Αμαρούσιο ''Amarousio'') is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the ancient Athenian Republic; its ancient name was Athmon ...

on 7 December 1960.

Commemoration

Busts of Demestichas have been erected at

Giannitsa Giannitsa ( el, Γιαννιτσά , in English also Yannitsa, Yenitsa) is the largest city in the regional unit of Pella and the capital of the Pella municipality, in the region of Central Macedonia in northern Greece. The municipal unit ...

and his family's home village of

Kotronas East Mani ( el, Ανατολική Μάνη - ''Anatolikí Máni'') is a municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Its seat of administration is the town Gytheio (before 2011 the small town Kotronas). The municipality covers the southeastern p ...

. He is also a major character in

Penelope Delta Penelope Delta (; 1874, Alexandria, Khedivate of Egypt – 2 May 1941, Athens, Greece) was a Greek author. She is widely celebrated for her contributions to the field of children's literature. Her historical novels have been widely read and hav ...

's 1937 historical novel ''The Secrets of the Swamp'' (Τα ''μυστικά του βάλτου''), dealing with the Macedonian Struggle in the Giannitsa area.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demestichas, Ioannis 1882 births 1960 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1906 Intercalated Games Chiefs of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Greek military personnel of World War I Royal Hellenic Navy admirals of World War II Greek military personnel of the Macedonian Struggle Military personnel from Athens Recipients of the War Cross (Greece) People convicted of treason against Greece