Georgios Kosmas ( el, Γεώργιος Κοσμάς, 1884–1964) was a senior

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 distinguished himself 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 ...

of 1940–1941, served as 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 1949–51, and became a Member of the Hellenic Parliament and cabinet minister.

Life

Georgios Kosmas was born in 1884 in the village of Falanthi in

Messenia Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...

, in southern Greece. He enlisted in the

as a volunteer on 17 January 1904, and after studies at the NCO School, was commissioned as an Artillery Second Lieutenant on 7 July 1912 (O.S.). He participated in the Balkan Wars of 1912–13 as commander of a machine gun section, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1913 and to Captain in 1915. He served on the Macedonian front during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as a staff officer, being promoted to Major in 1918. In 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 ...

, he served as chief of staff of the 14th Infantry Division. In 1923 he was promoted to Lt. Colonel and appointed head of the committee for the determination of the Greco-Albanian border. During the

Interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...

period he served as commander of the 30th Infantry Regiment and of the Evros Border Sector, chief of staff of IV Army Corps and commander of 3rd Infantry Division, while advancing to Colonel (1925) and Major General (1934). At the same time he attended various military schools, and graduated from the

Athens Polytechnic The National (Metsovian) Technical University of Athens (NTUA; el, Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, ''National Metsovian Polytechnic''), sometimes known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest higher education institution ...

Telegraphers' School and the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

Law School. A Lt. General in 1940, he served as commander of IV Corps,

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

("K" Group of Divisions) and

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

during the

of 1940–41. Following 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 April 1941 and the Greek capitulation, he remained in the country until his arrest and deportation to concentration camps in Germany for participating in the Greek Resistance. He was among the high-profile prisoners of Dachau concentration camp liberated at Tirol in April 1945. After his return to Greece, he served as Governor-General of

Western Thrace Western Thrace or West Thrace ( el, �υτικήΘράκη, '' ytikíThráki'' ; tr, Batı Trakya; bg, Западна/Беломорска Тракия, ''Zapadna/Belomorska Trakiya''), also known as Greek Thrace, is a geographic and histori ...

in 1947–48, before being appointed as Chief of the

on 21 January 1949, a post he held until his retirement on 16 March 1951. Kosmas then entered politics, being repeatedly elected an MP and serving in the cabinet of

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 ...

as Minister Governor-General of Northern Greece from 15 December 1954 to 24 May 1955, when he became the first

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 ...

, remaining in the post until 6 October 1955. Georgios Kosmas died in 1964.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosmas, Georgios 1884 births 1964 deaths Hellenic Army generals of World War II Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Greek military personnel of World War I Chiefs of the Hellenic Army General Staff Governors-General of Thrace Members of the Hellenic Parliament Greek prisoners of war Dachau concentration camp survivors National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni National Technical University of Athens alumni Ministers for Northern Greece Greek Rally politicians People from Koroni