Charalambos Tseroulis ( el, Χαράλαμπος Τσερούλης; 1 June 1879 – 2 May 1929) was a distinguished infantry officer of the Hellenic Army who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General.

Life

Tseroulis was born on 1 June 1879 in Missolonghi. After studies in the Hellenic Military Academy, he was commissioned as an Infantry 2nd Lieutenant on 16 July 1900. Early in his career he served in the Hellenic Military Geographical Service, and fought in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

of 1912–13 as a company commander in the 6th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. After the Balkan Wars, in early 1914, he fought as a volunteer for the

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

of Northern Epirus. In Autumn 1916 he joined the

National Defence National security, or national defence, is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as p ...

uprising and was appointed as commander of the 2nd Regiment of the Serres Division, which he led to the front near Gevgelija (

Macedonian front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...

). He commanded the regiment in the

Battle of Skra-di-Legen The Battle of Skra-di-Legen (Skora di Legen) was a two-day battle which took place at the Skra fortified position, located northeast of Mount Paiko, which is north-west of Thessaloniki, on May 29–30, 1918, on the Macedonian front of World War I ...

in May 1918, and became chief of infantry of the 3rd Infantry Division in August 1918. In May 1919, as chief of infantry of the

1st Infantry Division 1st Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) *1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) *1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoured Division (Australi ...

, he took part in the Greek landing at Smyrna and the subsequent operations for the capture of

Aydın Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar'', Ancient and Modern Greek: Τράλλεις /''Tralleis''/) is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of B ...

. He then led detachments of the Archipelago Division in the capture of Pergamon. He was later promoted to commander of the entire Archipelago Division whish he led in the Greek Summer Offensive of 1920, capturing Balikesir and

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

. Following the November 1920 elections, he was dismissed from the army as a Venizelist. He was recalled to active service by the

September 1922 Revolution The 11 September 1922 Revolution ( el, Επανάσταση της 11ης Σεπτεμβρίου 1922) was an uprising by the Greek army and navy against the government in Athens. The revolution took place on 24 September 1922, although the date wa ...

, and appointed commander of IV Army Corps in the

Army of the Evros The Army of the Evros ( el, Στρατιά Έβρου) was a field army of Greece, stationed in Western Thrace between December 1922 and August 1923. History The Army of the Evros was formed following the defeat and evacuation of the Army of As ...

. He continued to command various Corps until 21 April 1926, when he was named Minister of Military Affairs by the dictatorial regime of

Theodoros Pangalos Lieutenant General Theodoros Pangalos (; 11 January 1878 – 26 February 1952) was a Greek general, politician and dictator. A distinguished staff officer and an ardent Venizelist and anti-royalist, Pangalos played a leading role in the Septemb ...

, a post he held until the overthrow of the regime on 22 August. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant General on 30 August 1926. Tseroulis died on 2 May 1929.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tseroulis, Charalambos 1879 births 1929 deaths 20th-century Greek people Hellenic Army lieutenant generals Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Greek military personnel of World War I Ministers of Military Affairs of Greece People from Missolonghi Northern Epirus independence activists