Pavlos Kouroupis
Encyclopedia
Pavlos Kouroupis was a Greek
soldier born in 1929 in Kalamata
.
An officer in the Hellenic Army
, at the time of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
in 1974, he was a Lt. Colonel and CO of the 251st Battalion of the Cypriot National Guard
, the unit closest to the Turkish landing site. With his unit he opposed the Turkish army at the Battle of Pentemili beachhead, stalling its advance for two days. He was forced to retreat before vastly superior Turkish numbers. He was presumed dead during the defence of Keryneia.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
soldier born in 1929 in Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
.
An officer in the Hellenic 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...
, at the time of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
in 1974, he was a Lt. Colonel and CO of the 251st Battalion of the Cypriot National Guard
Cypriot National Guard
The Cypriot National Guard , also known as the "Greek Cypriot National Guard" or simply as "National Guard", is the combined arms military force of the Republic of Cyprus...
, the unit closest to the Turkish landing site. With his unit he opposed the Turkish army at the Battle of Pentemili beachhead, stalling its advance for two days. He was forced to retreat before vastly superior Turkish numbers. He was presumed dead during the defence of Keryneia.