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GREECE'S PARTICIPATION
IN WORLD WAR ONE

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Thousands of pages have been written

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about both the the National Schism 
and the epic war in Asia Minor

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which ultimately was completed with the 
destruction and uprooting of the Greeks in Ionia.

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Since those 2 events have monopolised discussions,

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the general public doesn't know much
about Greece's participation in WWI.

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For reasons that we don't need to mention now,

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Greece might have been late in entering

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the conflict between 
the Central Powers and the Entente,

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however during the short period that it participated

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it achieved an important victory

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and played an active role in the conclusion of the war

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on the Macedonian Front.

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Some might say that Greece was participating 
in this conflict indirectly before 1917

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since on the one hand Eleftherios Venizelos 
with the National Defence Coup D'État

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and on the other hand the Anglo-French

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were trying to force Greece 
to join the war in various ways.

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The Bulgarians had invaded Greece, 
in Macedonia in 1916

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and remained there until 1918.

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During the Bulgarian occupation,

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they proceeded with thousands 
of murders and destruction

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along with looting important archaeological 
and religious treasures.

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Despite the Bulgarian occupation in Macedonia 
starting in August 1916

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Greece eventually entered the war in June 1917

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when the French invaded Piraeus

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and bombed Athens

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forcing the government to resign

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and King Konstantinos then abdicated the throne 
and left the country.

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Venizelos then returned to Athens
as the prime minister

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and declared war on the Central Powers on 28 June.

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During its brief participation in the war,

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Greece had a minimal participation.

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The first battle was against the Bulgarians 
on the massif of Skra di Legen

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on 30 May 1918.

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Four months later, in September, 
Greek forces also participate

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in the final assault and dissolution of the enemy 
on the Macedonian front in the Battle of Doirani.

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Doirani is a lake which today is split between 
the borders of Greece and Skopje.

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The Greek Army had a small contribution 
to the Entente's victory.

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However, it was enough for Greece 
to sit at the table on the winning side

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and assert territorial gains.

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Now let's go back to the battles though.

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In May 1916,

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the Bulgarians took Fort Roupel without a fight,

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and went all the way to Skra

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where they occasionally skirmished 
with the Anglo-French troops.

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The Entente wanted to stop the Bulgarians 
from sending troops westward

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to reinforce the Germans on other fronts.

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Therefore it kept them confined there,

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blocking off the pass from the Skra massif.

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On the other hand, 
now that Greece had entered the war,

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it wanted to retake these areas,

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which the Bulgarians had 
previously occupied without a fight.

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French army general Guillaumat

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decided that the fortified area of Skra 
had to be occupied.

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The Greek National Defence army corps 
undertook carrying out this mission

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under lieutenant general Emmanouil Zymvrakakis.

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The task force was under the command 
of major general Ioannou.

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Greek forces were made up of 14,500 infantrymen

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who were supported by 287 heavy and light artillery.

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The Bulgarians on the other hand

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had 5 infantry regiments

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supported by powerful artillery, both heavy and light.

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The Greek troops in the battle, 
are shown on the map:

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the 5th and 6th regiment of the Archipelago division,

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the 7th and 8th regiment of the Cretan division,

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and the 1st regiment of the Serres division.

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The Greeks were also supported by a French division.

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The offensive began at 5 in the morning on 16 May.

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By the afternoon of the 17th,

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the Greeks occupied Skra.

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The Bulgarians resisted fiercely

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resulting in casualties being high 
for the Greek troops as well.

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The number of dead reached 434

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while the injured reached 1,925.

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Not only did the Bulgarians suffer hundreds of dead,

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but 2,000 of them were also taken captive.

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"FALLEN IN BATTLE 1916-1918
CYPRIOT VOLUNTEERS
PVT APOSTOLOU K. APOS.
PVT KATSARIS CHR. GRIG.
PVT IKONOMIDIS LEON.
PVT IKONOMIDIS I. CHRYS.
PVT PAPACHRISTODOULOU A. D. "

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That was the first and last epic battle of the Greek Army in WWI.

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A second battle is fought a few months later,

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in September 1918.

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The Battle of Doirani is fought between 
18-19 September.

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The British cooperated with the Greek Army

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and attacked the Bulgarian forces near Lake Doirani.

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On the one side the Bulgarian forces 
amounted up to 45,000 men.

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On the other side was the British 22nd division

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supported by the Greek Serres and Cretan divisions,

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amounting to a total of 75,000 soldiers.

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The battles lasted for 2 days,

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during which the upper hand was 
constantly changing between both sides.

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Eventually the Bulgarians won a tactical victory

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which is evident from the number of casualties.

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The British and Greeks had 6,500-7,500 dead

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while the Bulgarians had only suffered 2,700.

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Three days before the Battle of Doirani,

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on 15 September,

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the Serbs and French had defeated 
the Bulgarians and Germans

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at the Battle of Dobro Pole,

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in modern day Skopje.

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The allied army kept marching towards Bulgaria.

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The Bulgarians signed a truce and surrendered

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in the camp where a riot broke out after this defeat.

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This caused the Bulgarians in Doirani to withdraw

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and the Greeks and British 
easily occupied the regions.

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Only the British Royal Air Force attacked 
the columns of retreating Bulgarians.

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Resulting in the Bulgarians suffering some casualties.

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This formally ended the battles on the Macedonian Front.

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Greece was one of the countries 
with the least military losses

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since it entered the war quite late.

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Casualties amounted to a total of 27,000 men 
on the battlefields

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more specifically:

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6,000 dead and missing

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and 21,000 injured.

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However difficulties hadn't started 
for the Greek Army yet.

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After constant wars:

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2 Balkan Wars and a World War,

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it was called to carry out another feat,

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the one on the Asia Minor Front,

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which was Greece's opportunity to fulfill 
the dream of Great Greece.

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A dream that would prove to be a nightmare

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for the Greek population and for the 
other Christian populations in Asia Minor.

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Cognosco Team
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