Christos Tsolakopoulos ( el, Xρήστος Τσολακόπουλος, 1868–1923) was a

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

officer.

Life

Tsolakopoulos was born on 1 January 1868 in Epidavros. He enlisted in the

as a volunteer on 15 August 1886. While a student at the NCO School, he participated in the

Greco-Turkish War of 1897 The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 ( or ), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 (, ''Mauro '97'') or the Unfortunate War ( el, Ατυχής πόλεμος, Atychis polemos), was a w ...

. On 9 August 1899 he graduated from the NCO School as an Infantry 2nd Lieutenant. In 1905, during the early stages of the Macedonian Struggle, he led an armed band in the area of Morihovo with the ''

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

'' of Kapetan Rembelos (Καπετάν Ρέμπελος). During 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 he fought as an officer in the

8th Infantry Regiment The 8th Infantry Regiment of the United States, also known as the "Fighting Eagles," is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. The 8th Infantry participated in the Mexican War, American Civil War, Philippine Insurrection, Moro Rebel ...

, and was wounded in the siege of

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

. He particularly distinguished himself during the

Battle of Kilkis–Lachanas The Battle of Kilkis–Lachanas took place between Greece and Bulgaria during the Second Balkan War. The two countries fought for the town of Kilkis in Central Macedonia from 19 to 21 June 1913 O.S. with Greece ultimately being victorious. B ...

in the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

. Serving as adjutant of the regimental commander, Col. Kambanis, he concealed the Colonel's death from the troops and took over command of the regiment until the end of the battle. In 1917–18 he served as commander of the 35th Infantry Regiment at the Strymon sector of the

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 ...

. In 1919 he participated with his regiment in the Allied intervention in Ukraine, landing at

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

. He retired in 1920 with the rank of Colonel, and engaged in politics in town of Nafplio. Upon his death in 1923, the Greek government promoted him to the rank of Major General.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsolakopoulos, Christos 1868 births 1923 deaths 20th-century Greek people Hellenic Army major generals Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1897) Greek military personnel of World War I People from Nafplion People of the Macedonian Struggle Greek military personnel of the Russian Civil War