Agamemnon Gratzios

Agamemnon Gratzios
Gratzios in Thessaloniki in 1974
Born	1922 Elafotopos, Zagori, Ioannina
Died	11 August 1993
Allegiance	Greece
Service/branch	Hellenic Army
Years of service	1940–1982
Rank	General
Commands held	Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff
Battles/wars	Greco-Italian War Battle of Crete Greek Civil War
Awards	Gold Cross of Valour (twice)^[1]

Agamemnon Gratzios or Gratsios (Greek: Αγαμέμνων Γκράτσιος/Γκράτζιος, 1922 – 11 August 1993) was a Greek Army officer who rose to the rank of full General, and held the posts of Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff and of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff.

He was born in the village of Elafotopos, Zagori in the Ioannina Prefecture, in 1922. He entered the Hellenic Army Academy, but the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War on 28 October 1940 interrupted his studies; along with his classmates, he participated in the Battle of Crete, where he was seriously wounded. In 1942 he was named a Second Lieutenant. During the Greek Civil War, he served as a platoon, company and battery commander, being promoted to Lieutenant (1946) and Captain (1948). He was again wounded during the Battle of Naousa in April 1949.^[1] Gratzios was an artillery officer, but after the civil war, he was trained in special operations in Greece and Germany and held several command and staff positions in the Greek Special Forces: commander of the Paratroopers School, of the 5th Raider Squadron, of the Special Forces in Cyprus (in 1965-67). He also commanded the 12th Infantry Division, the ASDEN and III Army Corps, and First Army, being successively promoted to Major (1952), Lt. Colonel (1958), Colonel (1967), Brigadier (1971), Major General (1972) and Lt. General (1974).^[1] On 14 September 1976 he assumed the position of Chief of the Army Command, which a year later was reconstituted again as the Hellenic Army General Staff, a post he held until 11 January 1980, when he was appointed as Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff and promoted to full General. He finally retired on 19 January 1982.^[1]

He died in 1993, and is survived by a wife and two children.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 "Στρατηγός ΓΚΡΑΤΖΙΟΣ ΑΓΑΜΕΜΝΩΝ του ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥ, ΑΜ 23048." (PDF). Συνοπτική Ιστορία του Γενικού Επιτελείου Στρατού 1901–2001 [A Concise History of the Hellenic Army General Staff 1901–2001] (in Greek). Athens: Army History Directorate. 2001. p. 186.

Military offices
Preceded by Lt General Ioannis Davos	Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff 14 September 1976 – 11 January 1980	Succeeded by Lt General Efthymios Karagiannis
Preceded by General Ioannis Davos	Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff 11 January 1980 – 19 January 1982	Succeeded by Admiral Theodoros Degiannis

Chiefs of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff
Papagos Grigoropoulos Kitrilakis Dovas Frontistis Pipilis Tsolakas Avgeris Angelis^§ Zagorianakos^§ Bonanos^§ Arbouzis^§ Davos^§ Gratzios Degiannis Kouris Vellidis Veryvakis Skarvelis Lymberis Tzoganis Paragioudakis Antonakopoulos Chinofotis Grapsas Giangos Kostarakos Apostolakis
^§ Under the title "Chief of the Armed Forces"

Chiefs of the Hellenic Army General Staff
Sapountzakis Danglis Nider^§ Kontogiannis^§ Dousmanis Metaxas^† Moschopoulos Stratigos^† Charalambis A. Vlachopoulos Dousmanis Gouvelis Exadaktylos^§ Makrykostas N. Vlachopoulos Klados Mazarakis-Ainian Sarigiannis Mazarakis-Ainian N. Vlachopoulos Merentitis^† Mazarakis-Ainian K. Manetas Th. Manetas Katheniotis Chasapidis Papagos Pallis Batas Maraveas Skoulas Bourdaras Laios^† Liosis^† Ventiris Liosis^† Dromazos Spiliotopoulos Ventiris Giatzis Kosmas Grigoropoulos Tsakalotos Tsingounis Gikas Nikolopoulos Seiradakis Kardamakis Sakellariou Gennimatas Spandidakis Angelis ^‡ Tsoumbas ^‡ Zagorianakos ^‡ Mastrantonis ^‡ Galatsanos ^‡ Davos ^‡ Gratzios Karagiannis Panagopoulos Kourkafas Pentheroudakis Vellidis Veryvakis Skarvelis Kapravelos K. Voulgaris Paragioudakis Panagiotakis Antonakopoulos Charvalas Douvas Grapsas D. Voulgaris Frangos Ziazias Ginis Tselios Manolas Tellidis Stefanis
^§ Substitute Chiefs of the General Staff for the Rear Areas/Interior (as opposed to the Field Staff) ^† Deputy Chiefs substituting during vacancies ^‡ Under the title "Chief of the Army"

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