Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian
Encyclopedia
Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian was a Greek
Army
officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General
.
Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian was born in the island of Kythnos
in 1869. He entered the Hellenic Army Academy and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant of Artillery in 1890. He fought in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, and led a guerrilla band during the Macedonian Struggle
under the nom de guerre of Kapetan Akritas (Καπετάν Ακρίτας). In the Balkan Wars
, he led volunteer scout detachments; his units operated in advance and in the flanks of the main army, and played a crucial role in the capture of vital bridges and railways.
By 1916, he was placed in Thessaloniki
as the commander of a mountain artillery regiment. He played a major role in the September 1916 coup d'état by the Venizelist "Movement of National Defence
", and served as head of the Artillery Directorate in the subsequent National Defence government. In 1918 he was posted to Bern as Greek military attaché
to Switzerland
. He returned to Greece in 1919 to assume command of the Xanthi Division during the occupation of Western Thrace
. In 1920, he led his division to a landing on Bandirma
during the Greek offensive against the Kemalists
, and shortly after in the occupation of Eastern Thrace, against the local Turkish forces of Cafer Tayyar
.
Following the Greek defeat in Anatolia by the Kemalists in August 1922, he chaired the commission of inquiry into the reasons for the defeat. He was promoted to Lieutenant General, and retired from service on 11 October 1926. He died in 1949.
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 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
.
Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian was born in the island of Kythnos
Kythnos
Kythnos is a Greek island and municipality in the Western Cyclades between Kea and Serifos. It is from the harbor of Piraeus. Kythnos is in area and has a coastline of about . It has more than 70 beaches, many of which are still inaccessible by road...
in 1869. He entered the Hellenic Army Academy and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant of Artillery in 1890. He fought in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, and led a guerrilla band during the Macedonian Struggle
Macedonian Struggle
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
under the nom de guerre of Kapetan Akritas (Καπετάν Ακρίτας). In the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
, he led volunteer scout detachments; his units operated in advance and in the flanks of the main army, and played a crucial role in the capture of vital bridges and railways.
By 1916, he was placed in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
as the commander of a mountain artillery regiment. He played a major role in the September 1916 coup d'état by the Venizelist "Movement of National Defence
Movement of National Defence
The Movement of National Defence was an uprising by Venizelist officers of the Hellenic Army in Thessaloniki in August 1916 against the royal government in Athens. It led to the establishment of a separate, Venizelist Greek government in the north of the country, which entered the First World...
", and served as head of the Artillery Directorate in the subsequent National Defence government. In 1918 he was posted to Bern as Greek military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He returned to Greece in 1919 to assume command of the Xanthi Division during the occupation of Western Thrace
Western Thrace
Western Thrace or simply Thrace is a geographic and historical region of Greece, located between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Epirus, it is often referred to informally as northern Greece...
. In 1920, he led his division to a landing on Bandirma
Bandirma
Bandırma is a city in northwestern Turkey with 113,385 inhabitants on the Sea of Marmara. Also, Bandırma is a district of Balıkesir....
during the Greek offensive against the Kemalists
Turkish National Movement
The Turkish National Movement encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries which resulted in the creation and shaping of the Republic of Turkey, as a consequence of the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I....
, and shortly after in the occupation of Eastern Thrace, against the local Turkish forces of Cafer Tayyar
Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez
Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez was an officer of the Ottoman Army and the general of the Turkish Army.-External lınks:* Zülal Keleş, , Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi Dergisi, Sayı 44, Cilt: XV, Temmuz 1999....
.
Following the Greek defeat in Anatolia by the Kemalists in August 1922, he chaired the commission of inquiry into the reasons for the defeat. He was promoted to Lieutenant General, and retired from service on 11 October 1926. He died in 1949.