The 1944 Greek naval mutiny was a mutiny by sailors on five ships of the

Royal Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of ...

in April 1944 over the composition of the

Greek government-in-exile The Greek government-in-exile was formed in 1941, in the aftermath of the Battle of Greece and the subsequent occupation of Greece by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The government-in-exile was based in Cairo, Egypt, and hence it is also refer ...

, in support of the National Liberation Front (EAM).

Petros Voulgaris Petros Voulgaris ( el, Πέτρος Βούλγαρης, 13 September 1883 – 26 November 1957) was a Greek Admiral who served briefly as Prime Minister of Greece in 1945. He was famous for his role in suppressing the 1944 Greek naval mutiny and r ...

was called from retirement and appointed vice-admiral to quell the revolt. The revolt began in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

. Sailors Revolutionary Commissions were formed both on ships and the naval shore establishments on 4 April 1944. The 1st Brigade of the

Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East After the fall of Greece to the Axis powers in April–May 1941, elements of the Greek Armed Forces managed to escape to the British-controlled Middle East. There they were placed under the Greek government in exile, and continued the fight alongsi ...

also suffered a EAM-inspired mutiny on 6 April 1944. The American philosopher

James Burnham James Burnham (November 22, 1905 – July 28, 1987) was an American philosopher and political theorist. He chaired the New York University Department of Philosophy; his first book was ''An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis'' (1931). Burn ...

, writing in the ''

Partisan Review ''Partisan Review'' (''PR'') was a small-circulation quarterly "little magazine" dealing with literature, politics, and cultural commentary published in New York City. The magazine was launched in 1934 by the Communist Party USA–affiliated John ...

'', saw the mutiny as the start of a "Third World War" as the start of a geopolitical confrontation between the Western Allies and Soviet communism.

Ships involved

* Greek corvette ''Apostolis'' * Greek corvette ''Sachtouris'' * Greek destroyer ''Kriti'' * * Greek destroyer ''Pindos''

Ships involved

References

Further reading