Christodoulos Tsigantes | |
|---|---|
 Christodoulos Tsigantes | |
| Native name | Χριστόδουλος Τσιγάντες |
| Born | (1897-01-30)January 30, 1897 |
| Died | October 12, 1970(1970-10-12) (aged 73) |
| Cause of death | Illness |
| Branch | Hellenic Army |
| Years of service | 1916–1935 1940–1948 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | National Defence Army CorpsFrench Foreign Legion |
| Commands | Sacred Band |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
| Alma mater | Phanar Greek Orthodox College Hellenic Military Academy French school of war |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relations | Ioannis Tsigantes (Brother) |
| Other work | Article writer/ commentator |
Christodoulos Tsigantes (Greek:Χριστόδουλος Τσιγάντες; 30 January 1897 – October 11, 1970) was aGreekgeneral who distinguished himself as the commander of theSacred Band during theSecond World War. He was born inTulcea,Romania to Greek parents ofKefalonian origin and died inLondon, where he was cremated.
Following the failure of the1935 Greek coup d'état attempt Lieutenant Colonel Christodoulos Tsigantes, his brother CaptainIoannis Tsigantes, ColonelStefanos Sarafis and other participants of the coup werecashiered in a public ceremony.[1]
1913-1915 period:
After his graduation, he returned to Athens and entered theEvelpidon Military Academy from which he graduated in 1916 with the rank ofSecond Lieutenant of Infantry.[2]
As soo as he left the School, he took part in the pro-Venizelos National Defense Movement in 1916 and fought on theMacedonian Front (1917-18) against the Germans and Bulgarians during theFirst World War.[3][4] Subsequently, he took part in the Greek military mission in theCrimea in the context of theRussian Civil War, as well as in theAsia Minor Campaign as aCaptain.[5]
On January 17, 1921, he married Maria Drakoulis, a native ofIthaca but a permanent resident ofRomania, with whom he later had two boys, Gerasimos in 1924 and Eleftherios in 1935.[6]
On December 15, 1923, he was promoted to the rank ofMajor and then studied at the French War School inParis and upon his return to Greece served in various staff positions.[7]
In 1934 he was promoted to the rank ofLieutenant Colonel.
1935 coup attempt:
He took part, as a main member of the secret revolutionary "Hellenic Military Organization" (1933-1935), in the Venice movement of March 1, 1935. After the failure of the movement, he was arrested and tried, on March 31, 1935, by the Extraordinary Military Court of Athens on high treason along with other Venizelian officers.[8] He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the consequent penalty of military demotion, to a common soldier, held publicly on April 2, 1935 in the then infantry barracks (today's Liberty Park).[9]
However, after the restoration, King George II granted him a pardon, which stopped the further serving of the sentence.
World War II:
From 1940 to 1941 he served in theFrench Foreign Legion inLibya andEritrea.[10]
In 1942, after appearing before the exiledGreek government in Cairo, he was recalled to the ranks of theHellenic Army.[10]
During the period September 15, 1942 - August 7, 1945, he assumed command of theSacred Band, taking part both in the operations of Libya and Tunis, as well as theDodecanese.[11][12]
After World War II:
With the end of the war, in 1945, he assumed military command of the Archipelagos and, until 1947, head of the Greek Military Mission to theDodecanese, preparing their integration into the Greek state where that period he was promoted to the rank ofBrigadier General.[13][14]
Finally, he assumed military command of Evia, where he was retired at his request, on May 1, 1948, receiving the rank ofMajor General.[15]
He was honored with many decorations, Greek and allied, as well as by kingsGeorge II andPaul.[16]
After his retirement he was a columnist and commentator for various centrist newspapers (The Nation, Ta Nea, Eleftheria).
In 1950, he was appointed general manager of the (then) National Radio Foundation (EIR, laterHellenic Broadcasting Corporation) at the suggestion of the vice-president of the government,Georgios Papandreou. He remained in this position until early 1953, when he was replaced by thePapagos government.
Also in the parliamentary elections of 1950, 1956 and 1958, he ran as a candidate with the Liberal Party, but without success.
In 1970 he fell seriously ill and was taken toLondon where he died on October 12, 1970 and his body was cremated in theBritish capital.[17][18]
The first was the assumption of its command by Colonel Christodoulos Tsigantes, who had been dishonourably discharged after the March 1st, 1935 coup
Τόσο η εκτίμηση, όσο και η απόφαση του Ταξιάρχου Χριστόδουλου Τσιγάντε να υποβάλει την παραίτηση του αποδείχτηκαν πέρα για πέρα σωστές, γιατί την 1η Μαΐου 1948, και χωρίς να του δοθεί απάντηση στην αίτηση του, υπογράφτηκε το Βασιλικό Διάταγμα της αυτεπάγγελτης αποστρατείας του, προαγόμενος στο βαθμό του Υποστρατήγου.
General Tsigantes died in England during the Colonels' dictatorship
