Georgios Stanotas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Georgios Stanotas (Greek: Γεώργιος Στανωτάς, January 1, 1888 – 1965) was a Greek cavalry officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General.

Lieutenant General

Georgios Stanotas
STANOTAS-1.jpg
Stanotas (centre) in Asia Minor c. 1919-22
Native name
Γεώργιος Στανωτάς
Born1 January 1888
Kastanitsa, Kingdom of Greece
Diedc. 1965
Athens, Kingdom of Greece
Allegiance
Service/branch Hellenic Army
Years of service1909-1948
RankGR-Army-OF8-1912.svg Lieutenant General
Battles/warsBalkan Wars

Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
World War II

Greek Civil War
AwardsGRE Order Redeemer 5Class.png Order of the Redeemer
GRE Order of George I - Commander BAR.png Commander of the Order of George I
GRE Order of the Phoenix - Commander BAR.png Commander of the Order of the Phoenix
GRE Commander's Medal of Valour ribbon.svg Gold Cross of Valour
GRE War Cross 1940 ribbon.svg War Cross (1916-17 variant)
Greek Medal of Military merit ribbon.png Medal of Military Merit
Spouse(s)Aristea Toliopoulou
ChildrenStamatios
Maria

Early life and career[]

He was born on 1 January 1888 in the village of Kastanitsa, in the Peloponnese. He left his village early and went to Athens, where, in 1909, he joined the Hellenic Army as a simple cavalry trooper. He was an excellent rider, intelligent and bold, and soon he was promoted to non-commissioned officer. As such he participated in the First and Second Balkan Wars in 1912-1913, where he went up the ranks quickly due to his bravery.

In 1914, he entered and graduated from the NCO Academy and was promoted to second lieutenant of cavalry. In 1917 he was promoted to captain, but as an avowed monarchist, was suspended from the army for 6 months after the ousting of King Constantine I during the National Schism.

In the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, he was decorated for his courage and gallantry and made a name for himself. He was promoted to major in 1923. Although in the military, in 1924 he enrolled into Athens University in the Pharmaceutics department. In 1927 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was appointed as Cavalry School Commander, while in 1929 he took command of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment in Larissa. In the following year, he was promoted to colonel and in 1933 he took command of the Cavalry Brigade. He was promoted to major general in 1938 and was appointed as CO of the Cavalry Division in Thessaloniki in 1939.

Second World War and after[]

In the Greco-Italian War of 1940, the Cavalry Division achieved the first great victory in the Battle of Pindus, being instrumental in the defeat of the elite Italian Julia Alpine Division. In the spring of 1941, Stanotas with the Cavalry Division fought against the invading Germans in West Macedonia, next to the rest of the Allied Forces. His combat achievements gave him a great reputation among his colleagues.

In 1943, he escaped from occupied Greece and through Turkey and Lebanon, he arrived in Cairo, where he joined the Greek Armed Forces in exile. There he was appointed as Inspector General of the Army. He retired in January 1945, after the liberation of Greece.

In 1947, when Greece was in the middle of the Greek Civil War, he was recalled to duty and was appointed as Commanding General of the Peloponnese. His experience allowed him to organize successful sweep operations and to destroy the main strongholds of the Communist led Democratic Army of Greece there.

He finally retired in 1948 and received the honorary rank of Lieutenant General.

Personal life[]

He was married to Aristea Toliopoulou and had a son Stamatios and a daughter Maria. After his retirement, he played a pioneering role in the plastics industry in Greece.

He died in 1965.

Sources[]

  • (in Greek) Notaridis, Christos "ΕΝΑΣ ΠΙΣΤΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΦΙΛΟΤΙΜΟΣ ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΗΣ" (One Loyal and Zealous Soldier), Biography of General Stanotas, ISBN 978-960-522-335-9, PELASGOS Publ. Athens 2013, http://www.e-shop.gr/show_bks.phtml?id=BKS.0458152
  • (in Greek) Papagos, Alexandros "The Battle of Greece 1940–1941" Athens 1949: J.M. Scazikis “Alpha”, editions. ASIN B0007J4DRU.
  • (in Greek) Hellenic Army History Directorate, Concise History of Greek-Italian and Greek-German War 1940-1941, Athens 1985.
  • (in Greek) Hellenic Army Publications Division, Selected Military History Articles, 1981.
  • (in Greek) Papyros-Larousse-Britannica Encyclopedia, Greek version, volume 55.
  • (in Greek) Pantelis Karykas, The Greek Cavalry stops the Italian Blitzkrieg, article published in the War and History magazine, April 2006.
  • (in Greek) Crushing "Julia", article published in the Military History magazine, October 2004.
  • (in Greek) Konstantinos Papadimitriou, The battle of lake Kastoria, article published in the Military History magazine, July 2008.
  • (in Greek) Military record file of General Stanotas, archived in the Greek Military Archives Service (YSA).
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