| Sacred Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Ιερός Λόχος | |
 Unit insignia | |
| Active | 1942–1945 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Greece |
| Allegiance | Greek government-in-exile |
| Branch |  Hellenic Army |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Size | Battalion, later Regiment |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations |  Commanders Cross of theCross of Valour War Cross First Class |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Christodoulos Tsigantes Andreas Kalinskis |
TheSacred Squadron (Greek:Ιερός Λόχος) was aGreekspecial forces unit formed in 1942 in theMiddle East, composed mostly of Greek officers and officer cadets under the command of Col.Christodoulos Tsigantes.[1][2] It fought alongside theSAS in theWestern Desert and theAegean, as well as with GeneralLeclerc'sFree French Forces inTunisia.[3][4] It was disbanded in August 1945 but is the precursor to the modernSpecial Forces of theHellenic Army.[5]
Immediately after theGerman occupation of Greece in April–May 1941, theGreek government fled toEgypt and started to form military units in exile.[6] The plethora of officers in relation to the number of ordinary soldiers, ledAir Force Lt. Colonel G. Alexandris to suggest the creation of an Army unit, formed by officers, with soldier's duties.[7][8] This suggestion was approved by the Commander of the II Greek Brigade, Infantry Colonel Alkiviadis Bourdaras. Some volunteers that fled firstly to Turkey were told that they would not be accepted if identified as soldiers. Therefore, according to reports they claimed to be Greek officers and later joined the original group of officers. Firemen were also reported in that group. Thus, in August 1942 the "Company of Chosen Immortals" (Greek:Λόχος Επιλέκτων Αθανάτων) was formed under Cavalry Major Antonios Stefanakis in Palestine, with 200 men.[9] Initially, the unit was organized as a machine gun company and intended to be attached to the II Greek Brigade, then under formation.[9]
However, on September 15, 1942, the unit's new commander, Colonel Tsigantes, renamed the unit to "Sacred Band" after theSacred Band of Thebes and theSacred Band of theGreek Revolution, and successfully applied for its conversion into a special forces unit.[10]
In close cooperation with the commander of the BritishSAS Regiment, Lt. ColonelDavid Stirling, and with the approval of the Greek HQ, the company moved to the SAS base at Qabrit in Egypt to begin its training in its new role.[11] However, following theSecond Battle of El Alamein, the speed of the Allied advance across Libya brought an end to the era of jeep-borne raiding.[8]
Nevertheless, this period provided a useful introduction to the SAS Regiment in general, and Major Jellicoe's squadron in particular. This squadron was being built upon the amphibious skills of the famous Commando unit, theSpecial Boat Section (SBS) and would become the Special Boat Squadron (SBS). With the end of the war in Africa, in May, the SAS split into two branches. The Special Raiding Squadron would serve in the central Mediterranean, before returning home to develop an airborne role, whilst the SBS would serve in the Aegean, operating alongside the Greek Sacred Squadron.[12]
On 7 February 1943, following Colonel Tsigantes' suggestion, the Commander of theBritish 8th Army, GeneralBernard Montgomery, put the Greek company under the command of GeneralPhilippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque of theFree French2nd Armoured Division, with the duties of Light Mechanized Cavalry.[13] On March 10, 1943, in the area ofKsar-Rillan inTunisia, the Sacred Squadron gave its first battle against a German mechanized detachment, while covering the advance of theX British Army Corps that tried to by-pass theMareth defence line from the South.[13]
Immediately after the Allied forces captured the Tunisian city ofGabès, the Sacred Company was detailed to the2nd New Zealand Division (29 March) and on 6 April a mixed Greek-New Zealand detachment fought against the Germans atWadi Akarit. On 12 April the Sacred Squadron enteredSousse, and participated in the battle forEnfidaville between 13 and 17. April
From May 1943, the Sacred Squadron, now composed of 314 men, moved toPalestine, in various camps.[14] In July, it went to Jenin forparachute training. There it also underwent a reorganization into an HQ Section, a Base Section, and Commando Sections I, II and III. After theItalian armistice on 9 September 1943, British forces moved into the Italian-occupied, but Greek-inhabitedDodecanese islands. Section I of the Sacred Squadron was dropped by air to the Greek island ofSamos on 30 October, while sections II and III moved there on fishing boats. With the failure of the campaign after thebattle of Leros, however, Samos was evacuated, and the men of the Sacred Squadron withdrew to the Middle East.
In February 1944, it was put under the command of the British Raiding Forces.[15] On 7 February Section I moved for combat operations to the islands of the northernAegean Sea (Samos,Psara,Lesvos,Chios), while Section II moved to the Dodecanese with the same purpose.
In April 1944, the Sacred Squadron was expanded to regimental size, with a strength of around 1,000 men. This reflected the unit's effectiveness, and, from a British standpoint, political reliability in the face ofmounting political tensions among the Greek forces in exile. Along with the BritishSBS, the Sacred Squadron took part in the successfulRaid on Symi in July 1944 in which the entire German garrison was either killed or captured.[16][17]
After the Greek mainland was liberated (October 1944), the Sacred Squadron returned to Greece, where strains were becoming evident in the relationship ofGeorge Papandreou's British-backed national unity government and the leftistNational Liberation Front (EAM), which controlled most of the Greek countryside. The crucial issue was the disarmament of the guerrilla forces and the formation of a new national army out of members of both the exiled armed forces and the guerrillas ofELAS andEDES. However, the Papandreou government wished to retain the Sacred Squadron and the3rd GreekRimini Mountain Brigade intact: faced with the far larger guerilla army of uncertain political intent, Papandreou and the British wished to keep these units and make them the core of the new army. Disbanding them would mean that their members would become individual recruits in a possibly EAM-dominated people's army. This tension eventually spilled over into theDekemvriana events in Athens, where the Sacred Squadron fought against ELAS forces.
Throughout October 1944, and then again from February 1945, after the fighting in Athens had ended, the Sacred Squadron continued operating against the remaining German garrisons in the islands of the Aegean Sea until the war's end in May 1945.[18] In July, the unit returned to Egypt prior to its disbandment, which took place in a ceremony in Athens, on 7 August 1945.[19] During the ceremony the unit's flag was awarded with Greece's highest military awards, the Commander's Cross of theCross of Valour and theWar Cross First Class. The unit's casualties throughout its existence amounted to 25 dead, 56 wounded, 3 missing and 29 taken prisoner.
In theHellenic Army, some of the Sacred Squadron's traditions are carried on by theMountain Raiding Companies (LOK), founded at the end of 1946 and beginning of 1947.[20][21]
From the start of August 1945, shortly before the disbanding of the Sacred Band, he contributed to the idea of creating a commando force of brigade size.
