The 15th Infantry Regiment "XV Inf. Div." ( el, 15ο Σύνταγμα Πεζικού (15ο ΣΠ) , translit=15o Syntagma Pezikoú, 15o SP) is an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

of the

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 ...

recently (2013) reduced in size from a brigade. The brigade was formed on 31 March 1998 when the 15th Infantry Division was reduced in size as part of a force restructuring in the

History

On 31 March 1998, after a

force restructure, the 15th Infantry Division was reduced to a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

-level formation and renamed as the 15th Infantry Brigade ( el, 15η Ταξιαρχία Πεζικού, 15η ΤΑΞΠΖ). It evolved into a

motorized infantry Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, which ca ...

role in 2011 and, as a result, was renamed the 15th Motorized Infantry Brigade "PYXOS" ( el, 15η Μηχανοποιημένη Ταξιαρχία Πεζικού «ΠΥΞΟΣ» (15η Μ/Π ΤΑΞΠΖ) , translit=15 Mekhanopiiméni Taxiarkhía Pezikoú, 15 M/P TAXPZ). The honorific ''Pyxós'' ( el, Πυξός), a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

settlement on the western peninsula of

Lake Prespa The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus: the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Gree ...

(near the town of Vrontero), was given to the brigade in recognition of its historic defense of the area as the 15th Infantry Division. On 6 November 2012, in anticipation of an upcoming defense review and its expected disbandment as a combat formation, the brigade commemorated its 72 years of service with a ceremony in

Argos Orestiko Argos Orestiko ( el, Άργος Ορεστικό, , Orestean Argos, before 1926: Χρούπιστα - ''Chroupista''; rup, Hrupishte) is a town and a former municipality in the Kastoria regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government refo ...

. The occasion also included a remembrance ceremony for the 112 officers and 5812 enlisted soldiers who lost their lives in its (and, primarily, the 15th Infantry Division's) service. In April 2013

KYSEA The National Security Governmental Council ( el, Κυβερνητικό Συμβούλιο Εθνικής Ασφαλείας) (ex. Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence), usually known by its acronym KYSEA (ΚΥΣΕΑ), is the supreme d ...

decided the disbandment of the brigade as part of a new force structure for the Hellenic Army. However, within months, it was decided that the brigade would eventually be reduced to the level of a regiment. The brigade was officially reorganized and renamed the 15th Infantry Regiment "XV Inf. Div." ( el, 15ο Σύνταγμα Πεζικού «XV ΜΠ» (15ο ΣΠ «XV ΜΠ») , translit=''15 Sýntagma Pezikoú "XV MP"''), on 13 November 2014 and placed under the command of the NDC-GR.

Emblem and Motto

The emblem of the original 15th Infantry Division - a

labrys ''Labrys'' ( gr, , lábrus) is, according to Plutarch (''Quaestiones Graecae'' 2.302a), the Lydian word for the double-bitted axe. In Greek it was called (''pélekus''). The Ancient Greek plural of ''labrys'' is ''labryes'' (). Etymology P ...

-wielding griffin ( el, Γρύψ), symbolizing strength, speed and vigilant guard - was carried-over to the 15th Infantry Brigade in 1998. The brigade's motto is This Number Is Sufficient ( el, Και Ούτος Ο Αριθμός Ικανός , translit=Ké Oútos o Arithmós Ikanós). The phrase was attributed to

Leonidas Leonidas I (; grc-gre, Λεωνίδας; died 19 September 480 BC) was a List of kings of Sparta#Heraclids, king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the List of kings of Sparta#Agiad dynasty, Agiad line, a dynasty which claimed d ...

when he was in charge of guarding the narrow mountain pass at

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: (''Thermopylai'') , Demotic Greek (Greek): , (''Thermopyles'') ; "hot gates") is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur ...

with just 7,000 Greek men in order to delay the invading Persian army. He was asked why he had come to fight such a huge host with so few men. Leonidas answered, "If numbers are what matters, all Greece cannot match a small part of that army; but if courage is what counts, this number is sufficient." ( el, «τω πλήθει, ουδέ η πάσα Ελλάς αρκεί· βραχεία γαρ μοίρα του εκείνων πλήθους εστίν· ει δε ταις αρεταίς, και ούτος ο αριθμός ικανός»).Plutarch, ''Apophthegmata Laconica,'' 225c.8-9.

Structure (2016)

* HQ (ΛΔ/15ου ΣΠ) at

Kastoria Kastoria ( el, Καστοριά, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria regional unit, in the geographic region of Macedonia. It is situated on a promontory on the weste ...

. * 574th Motorized Infantry Battalion (574 M/Π ΤΠ) based at

. * 585th Motorized Infantry Battalion (585 M/Π ΤΠ EKE) based at

* 15th Support Battalion (15 ΤΥΠ) * 15th Signal Company (15 ΛΔΒ) * 15th Engineer Company (15 ΛΜΧ)

References

{{Greece divisions 1998 establishments in Greece Infantry regiments of Greece Kastoria