Dionysios Arbouzis
Encyclopedia
Dionysios Arbouzis was a Greek
Army
officer who rose to the rank of General
and held the position of Chief of the Hellenic Armed Forces in 1974-1976, after the fall of the Greek military junta. Arbouzis with more than 13 years of combat experience, participated in World War II
, in the Greek Civil War
and the Korean War
.
Arbouzis graduated from the Hellenic Army Academy and participated as an officer of the Greek Army in the major conflicts of World War II
in Greece: Greco-Italian War
(1940-1941), Battle of Greece
(1941), as well as the Greek Civil War
(1946-1949). He is also notable as a commander of the Greek Expeditionary Force in Korea during the Korean War
, as the first commander (as a Colonel, in 1960) of the Hellenic Force in Cyprus, and as a Commander of the Hellenic Army Academy (as a Major General, in 1965-66). In 1967, at the time of the 21 April coup, he was Second Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff
, 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
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 under Konstantinos Karamanlis in the transitional cabinet during the 1977 legislative elections.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
officer who rose to the rank of General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and held the position of Chief of the Hellenic Armed Forces in 1974-1976, after the fall of the Greek military junta. Arbouzis with more than 13 years of combat experience, participated in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Arbouzis graduated from the Hellenic Army Academy and participated as an officer of the Greek Army in the major conflicts of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Greece: Greco-Italian War
Greco-Italian War
The Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Italy and Greece which lasted from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. It marked the beginning of the Balkans Campaign of World War II...
(1940-1941), Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
(1941), as well as the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
(1946-1949). He is also notable as a commander of the Greek Expeditionary Force in Korea during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, as the first commander (as a Colonel, in 1960) of the Hellenic Force in Cyprus, and as a Commander of the Hellenic Army Academy (as a Major General, in 1965-66). In 1967, at the time of the 21 April coup, he was Second Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff
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 1906 as the Army Staff Service . Since 1950, the HAGS is subordinated to the Hellenic National Defense General Staff...
, 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
Metapolitefsi
The Metapolitefsi was a period in Greek history after the fall of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 that includes the transitional period from the fall of the dictatorship to the Greek legislative elections of 1974 and the democratic period immediately after these elections.The long...
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 under Konstantinos Karamanlis in the transitional cabinet during the 1977 legislative elections.