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Ioannis Pitsikas ( el, Ιωάννης Πιτσίκας, 1881–1975) was a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
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 ...
active in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, who served as
Mayor of Athens and twice in cabinet posts in interim governments post-war.
Biography
Pitsikas was born in 1881 in the village of Kallithea in
Spercheiada
Spercheiada ( el, Σπερχειάδα) is a town and a former municipality in the western part of Phthiotis, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Makrakomi
Makrakomi ( el, Μακρακώμη) is a town an ...
. He became a career officer in the
Greek 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 ...
after studies in 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 ...
, and fought in the
Balkan Wars and the
Asia Minor Campaign
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
.
Trained as a staff officer in the 1920s, he served as CO of the
6th Infantry Division 6th Division may refer to:
Infantry divisions
* 6th Division (Australia)
* 6th Division (Austria)
*6th (United Kingdom) Division
* Finnish 6th Division (Winter War)
*Finnish 6th Division (Continuation War)
* 6th Division (Reichswehr)
* 6th Divisi ...
until 1935, and then, promoted to
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 ...
, as CO of
I Army Corps until 1940. With the outbreak of 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 ...
, he assumed command of the
Western Macedonia Army Section The Western Macedonia Army Section ( el, Τμήμα Στρατιάς Δυτικής Μακεδονίας, ΤΣΔΜ; ''Tmima Stratias Dytikis Makedonias'', ''TSDM'') was a field army of the Hellenic Army active during the Greco-Italian War (1940–41 ...
(Τμήμα Στρατιάς Δυτικής Μακεδονίας) on the
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
n front and later of the
Epirus Army Section
The Epirus Army Section ( el, Τμήμα Στρατιάς Ηπείρου, ΤΣΗ; ''Tmima Stratias Ipeirou'', ''TSI'') was a field army of the Hellenic Army active between 14 February and 20 April 1941 during the Greco-Italian War and the Battle of ...
(Τμήμα Στρατιάς Ηπείρου), which he led until the Greek Army's capitulation 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 ...
. In July 1943 he was arrested by the German occupation authorities along with a number of other senior generals, led by
Alexander 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 career of ...
, for their contacts with the
Allies in the Middle East, and transported to
Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany.
Released from captivity after the war's end, he retired with the rank of lieutenant general. He was installed by the conservative governments as
Mayor of Athens after his predecessor
Aristeidis Skliros was dismissed, serving in the post in 1946–1950.
He also served as
Minister of National Defence in
Dimitrios Kiousopoulos'
caretaker government in 1952, and as
Minister for Northern Greece
The Deputy Minister for Macedonia and Thrace ( el, Υφυπουργός Μακεδονίας και Θράκης) is the government minister in charge of Greece's Sub- Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace, part of the Ministry of the Interior.
The de ...
in the caretaker cabinet of
Konstantinos Dovas in 1961.
He was awarded the Grand Cross of the
Order of George I
The Royal Order of George I ( el, Βασιλικόν Τάγμα Γεωργίου Α') is a Greek order instituted by King Constantine I in 1915. Since the monarchy's abolition in 1973, it has been considered a dynastic order of the former Greek r ...
.
He died on 6 July 1975 and was buried in the
First Cemetery of Athens
The First Cemetery of Athens ( el, Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών, ''Próto Nekrotafeío Athinón'') is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a prestigious ceme ...
.
References
Sources
* ''Βιογραφική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια του Νεωτέρου Ελληνισμού 1830-2010'', Vol. 3, pp. 196–197, Metron Publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitsikas, Ioannis
1881 births
1975 deaths
People from Spercheiada
Ministers of National Defence of Greece
Mayors of Athens
Hellenic Army generals of World War II
Greek prisoners of war
Greco-Italian War
Dachau concentration camp survivors
Grand Crosses of the Order of George I