5th Airmobile Brigade (Greece)
| 5th Airmobile Brigade "5th Cretan Division" | |
|---|---|
| 5η Αερομεταφερόμενη Ταξιαρχία Πεζικού "V Μεραρχία Κρητών" | |
 Camp flag of the 5th Airmobile Brigade | |
| Active | 1912–1941 1951–present |
| Country |  Greece |
| Allegiance |  Provisional Government of National Defence(1916–17) |
| Branch |  Hellenic Army |
| Type | Air Assault |
| Role | Rapid reaction |
| Size | 2Battalions |
| Part of | ASDEN |
| Garrison/HQ | Chania,Crete |
| Motto(s) | Επικρατέειν ή Απόλλυσθαι “Prevail or be Destroyed” (Herodotus,Histories,VII 104.5) |
| Engagements | Balkan Wars |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Dimitrios Matthaiopoulos |
The5th Airmobile Brigade "5th Cretan Division"(Greek:5η Αερομεταφερόμενη Ταξιαρχία Πεζικού «V Μεραρχία Κρητών»), formerly the5th Infantry Division(V Μεραρχία Πεζικού) and commonly referred to simply as theCretanDivision(Μεραρχία Κρητών), is anair assaultbrigade of theHellenic Armyresponsible for the defense of the southern Aegean sea.
History[edit]
The 5th Division was first formed in September 1912 atFarsala,on the eve of theFirst Balkan War,following the mobilization of Greece and the otherBalkan Leaguestates.[1]Its first commander was ColonelDimitrios Matthaiopoulos,and it comprised the16th,22ndand23rdInfantry Regiments, the 3rd Squadron of the 1st Field Artillery Regiment and the 2nd Mountain Artillery Squadron.
The division fought in the First andSecond Balkan War,and was retained on the Army's order of battle afterwards. It was relocated toKilkisin August 1913 and from December 1913 inDramainMacedonia,and subordinated to the newly formedIV Army Corps.It comprised the 22nd and 23rd Infantry Regiments and the3/37 Cretan Regiment.[2]As Greece remained neutral initially duringWorld War I,the division remained at Drama. On 12 September 1916, along with the rest of IV Corps – at the time demobilized to a skeleton force of ca. 7,000 men – it surrendered to the Germans during the German-Bulgarian occupation of eastern Macedonia. For the remainder of the war, the 5th Division was interned atGörlitzin Germany,[3]and was disbanded upon the war's end.
Soon after, the outbreak of aVenizelistrevolt inThessalonikiresulted in the formation of a "Provisional Government of National Defence",which entered World War I on the side of theAllies.The new government quickly extended its authority across northern Greece and the Aegean Islands, including Crete. There, from October 1916 until April 1917 a newCretan Division,based atChania,was formed.[3]The division participated in theMacedonian Frontoperations in 1917–1918, and subsequently in theAsia Minor Campaign,during which it was distinguished in theBattle of Sakarya.In early 1921, following the anti-Venizelist victory in theNovember 1920 elections,the division was renamed to 5th Infantry Division in order to purge the Venizelist-associated name.
Following the Greek defeat in Asia Minor in August 1922, the division retreated along with the rest of the Greek army, toChios.It was reformed atSerresin early 1923, again as the Cretan Division, by merging the remnants of the 5th and9thdivisions. On 30 June 1923 it was re-renamed to 5th Infantry Division.[3]From 1924, the division was based again in Chania in Crete, comprising the14th(Chania),43rd(Heraklion) and44th(Rethymno) Infantry Regiments.[3][4]
With the arrival of British troops that took over the defense of the island in late 1940, the division was transferred to theAlbanian frontwhere it participated in the January–February offensives against the Italians, distinguishing itself in theCapture of Kleisoura Passand in theBattle of Trebeshina.On January 29, 1941, the 14th Infantry Regiment under Colonel Nikolaos Spendos advanced through heavy blizzards to take the 1,923 meter Mount Trebeshinë, which had been abandoned by the Italians. After reinforcing defensive positions, they met consecutive Italian counter-attacks throughout the night and suffered considerable casualties to hold the position. The 11th Rifle Company, which had been tasked with holding the peak, saw particularly heavy fighting. Its commander, Captain Artemios Kourtessis, lost both his legs in the battle, while 2nd Lieutenant Hesiod Tsingos was awarded the Medal of Valour in Gold for conspicuous gallantry.
The division remained in the front until the Greek withdrawal from Albania in the face of theGerman invasion of Greecein April. The division retreated to thePeloponnese,where it dissolved itself in May 1941, as there was no way for it to reach Crete.[3]However, three battalions that had remained in Crete after the rest of the division was transferred to the mainland participated in the subsequentBattle of Crete.
Greece was liberated from German occupation in October 1944, although German garrisons remained on Crete until the German capitulation in May 1945. Soon after, theIndependent Crete Military Commandwas established, comprising the 603rd, 606th and 607th National Guard Battalions.[5]In April 1946, these troops were reformed as the51st Independent Brigade(51η Ανεξάρτητη Ταξιαρχία).[6]On 2 January 1951, it was reformed as the 5th Infantry Division,[3]comprising three battalions and a Mountain Artillery Squadron.[7]In 1954, with the reduction of the army's size, the 5th Division was converted into a training and reserve formation.[8]
On 1 July 2004, as part of a general reorganization of the Greek Army's structure, the division was disbanded and reorganized as the5th Infantry Brigade(5η Ταξιαρχία Πεζικού).[3]On 20 October 2009 however, it was renamed as the5th Cretan Division(V Μεραρχία Κρητών).[3]In a wide-ranging defence review in 2013, the brigade was transformed into anair assaultunit, earmarked forrapid reactionin the southernAegean Sea.It retains its traditional name of "5th Cretan Division" as an honorary title, however.
Structure[edit]
- 5th Airmobile Brigade,based atChania
- HQ Company (Λ/Σ 5ης Α/Μ ΤΑΞ ΠΖ)
- 5th Signal Corps Company (5 ΛΔΒ)
- 547th Airmobile Infantry Battalion (547 A/M ΤΠ) atRethimno.
- 545th Airmobile Infantry Battalion (545 A/M ΤΠ) atHeraklion.
- 5th Support Battalion (5 ΤΥΠ)
- 699th Outpost Weaponry Vault (699 ΠΑΠ)
- Rethymnon Home Guard Battalion (ΤΕ Ρεθυμνου)
- Heracleion Home Guard Battalion (ΤΕ Ηρακλειου)
- Chania Home Guard Battalion (ΤΕ Χανιων)
Citations[edit]
- ^The history of the organization of the Hellenic Army, 1821–1954 (2005), p. 287
- ^The history of the organization of the Hellenic Army, 1821–1954 (2005), pp. 287–288, 291
- ^abcdefghInformational guide for personnel transferred to Crete (2010), p. 4
- ^The history of the organization of the Hellenic Army, 1821–1954 (2005), p. 362
- ^The history of the organization of the Hellenic Army, 1821–1954 (2005), p. 397
- ^The history of the organization of the Hellenic Army, 1821–1954 (2005), p. 403
- ^The history of the organization of the Hellenic Army, 1821–1954 (2005), pp. 441, 443
- ^The history of the organization of the Hellenic Army, 1821–1954 (2005), p. 445
General and cited sources[edit]
- Ενημερωτικός οδηγός μετατιθέμενων στελεχών στην Ν. Κρήτη[Informational guide for personnel transferred to Crete](PDF)(in Greek). 5th Cretan Division. April 2010.Retrieved18 May2011.
- Η ιστορία της οργάνωσης του Ελληνικού Στρατού, 1821–1954[The history of the organization of the Hellenic Army, 1821–1954] (in Greek). Hellenic Army Historical Directorate. 2005.ISBN960-7897-45-5.
 Divisions of theHellenic Army | |
|---|---|
| Infantry | |
| Other | |