Grigorios Spandidakis ( el, Γρηγόριος Σπαντιδάκης, 1909–1996) 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 th ...

officer who rose to the rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and the post of Chief of the

Hellenic Army General Staff The Hellenic Army General Staff ( el, Γενικό Επιτελείο Στρατού, abbrev. ΓΕΣ) is the general staff of the Hellenic Army, the terrestrial component of the Greek Armed Forces. It was established in 1904. Since 1950, the HAGS ...

in 1965–1967. From this position, he was instrumental in the military preparations that resulted in the coup d'état of 21 April 1967 and the establishment of the

Regime of the Colonels In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...

. He served as

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

and Minister for National Defence in the first government of the new regime, but was dismissed after supporting the failed counter-coup attempt launched by King Constantine II on 13 December 1967. After the fall of the regime, he was tried and convicted to life imprisonment for his role in it. He secured an early release on health grounds and died in 1996.

Life

Spandidakis was born in

Rethymno Rethymno ( el, Ρέθυμνο, , also ''Rethimno'', ''Rethymnon'', ''Réthymnon'', and ''Rhíthymnos'') is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants ...

Cretan State The Cretan State ( el, Κρητική Πολιτεία, Kritiki Politeia; ota, كريد دولتى, Girid Devleti) was established in 1898, following the intervention by the Great Powers (United Kingdom, France, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Germany ...

, in 1909. He entered the

Hellenic Army Academy The Hellenic Army Academy ( el, Στρατιωτική Σχολή Ευελπίδων), commonly known as the Evelpidon, is a military academy. It is the Officer cadet school of the Greek Army and the oldest third-level educational institution in ...

, graduating on 5 August 1931 as a Cavalry Second Lieutenant. Promotions followed to lieutenant in 1935 and captain in 1938. Spandidakis fought in the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdoms of Italy and G ...

, and was wounded during the

German invasion of Greece The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...

. During the Axis Occupation of Greece, he participated in the Omiros resistance group, and in 1944 he fled to the Middle East and joined the elite Sacred Band 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 referr ...

. In 1946 he was promoted to Major and fought in the first operations of the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...

. In 1947 he was appointed as the first head of the new Armour School, a post he held until 1949. Promoted to lieutenant colonel in the same year, he was placed for a while as aide de camp to Marshal

Alexandros Papagos Alexandros Papagos ( el, Αλέξανδρος Παπάγος; 9 December 1883 – 4 October 1955) was a Greek army officer who led the Hellenic Army in World War II and the later stages of the subsequent Greek Civil War. The only Greek caree ...

, followed by command of the 391 Tank Regiment. During the 1950s he was posted in a succession of staff and command posts: Operations Officer of the First Army and of the National Defense General Staff, director of the 1st Staff Office of the NATO HQ in Izmir, CO of the II Tank Battle Command, director of the Army's Organization Bureau, director of the Armour Training Centre, and CO of the 20th Armoured Division and later of the I Army Corps. In the process he rose to Colonel (1955), Brigadier (1959), Major General (1961) and Lt. General (1964). On 9 October 1965, he was appointed Chief of the

. From this position, Spandidakis became the driving force behind the Army's plans to seize power in view of the ongoing political crisis in the country, under the codename ''IERAX II''. The Army hierarchy, supported by King Constantine II, feared the growing influence of the left, particularly after the Apostasy of July 1965 and the rising anti-palace sentiment among the populace. Spandidakis promoted several officers who would later play a leading role in the coup d'état of 21 April 1967 to key positions; most notably the then-Lieutenant Colonel

Georgios Papadopoulos Geórgios Papadopoulos (; el, Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος ; 5 May 1919 – 27 June 1999) was a Greeks, Greek military officer and political leader who ruled Greece as a military dictator from 1967 to 1973. He joined the Hellenic ...

. In early March 1967, in view of the oncoming legislative elections in May which the right-wing

National Radical Union The National Radical Union ( el, Ἐθνικὴ Ῥιζοσπαστικὴ Ἕνωσις (ΕΡΕ), ''Ethnikī́ Rizospastikī́ Énōsis'' (ERE)) was a Greek political party formed in 1956 by Konstantinos Karamanlis, mostly out of the Greek Rall ...

was widely expected to lose, preparations began for implementing the plan, and Spandidakis postponed a planned visit to the United States. Nevertheless, Spandidakis was caught by surprise by the outbreak of the military putsch of 21 April 1967, which the group of mid-level officers around Papadopoulos initiated without waiting for authorization by the King and the Army leadership. He was at first arrested by the putschists who replaced him with

Odysseas Angelis Odysseas Angelis ( el, Οδυσσέας Αγγελής; 2 January 1912 – 22 March 1987) was a Greek military officer, who served as head of the Greek military during the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, and was selected by junta principal ...

, but quickly agreed to assist them. His acquiescence was a crucial factor in allowing the coup d'état to unfold smoothly: he used his authority to persuade the acting CO of the III Army Corps, Brigadier Orestis Vidalis, that the coup was sanctioned by the King, and prevented Vidalis' formation, the most powerful in the

, from descending upon Athens. The putschists initially planned to name him Prime Minister, but were persuaded by the King to appoint a civilian, the judge

Konstantinos Kollias Constantine Kollias ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Κόλλιας) (1901 – 13 July 1998) was a Greek Attorney General of the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court who was proclaimed Prime Minister by the far right-wing military junta, which ruled ...

, instead. In the new government, Spandidakis was thus appointed

and Minister of National Defence. When King Constantine II tried to overthrow the junta on 13 December 1967, Spandidakis was on a NATO summit. He supported the failed attempt, and was dismissed from his offices. After the fall of the junta in 1974, he was

tried In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, ...

and condemned to life imprisonment for his role in the coup d'état, but released on grounds of ill health. He died in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

in 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spandidakis, Grigorios 1909 births 1996 deaths People from Rethymno Hellenic Army lieutenant generals Chiefs of the Hellenic Army General Staff Deputy Prime Ministers of Greece Greek Resistance members Ministers of National Defence of Greece Leaders of the Greek junta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Greece) People convicted of treason against Greece