Nikolaos Vlachopoulos

Nikolaos Vlachopoulos
Nikolaos Vlachopoulos
	Vlachopoulos on the Epirus Front, 1912.
Native name	Νικόλαος Βλαχόπουλος
Born	1868; Chalkis, Kingdom of Greece
Died	1957; Athens, Kingdom of Greece
Allegiance	Kingdom of Greece; Second Hellenic Republic
Service/branch	Hellenic Army
Years of service	1886–1920; 1922–28
Rank	Lieutenant general
Commands	4th Infantry Division; 2nd Infantry Division; Military Governor of Smyrna; Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff
Wars	Balkan Wars First Balkan War; Second Balkan War; World War I Macedonian front; Russian Civil War Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War Southern Front Southern Russia Intervention; ; ; Greco-Turkish War (1919–22) Occupation of Smyrna;
Alma mater	Hellenic Military Academy
Children	2

Nikolaos Vlachopoulos (Greek: Νικόλαος Βλαχόπουλος, 1868–1957) was a Hellenic Army officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. He participated in all the Greek wars of the early 20th century, and served twice as chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, in 1922–24 and in 1927–28.

Biography

Nikolaos Vlachopoulos was born in Chalkis in 1868. He enrolled in the Hellenic Military Academy and graduated on 9 September 1888 as an Artillery 2nd Lieutenant. He continued his studies in Germany and Belgium, and on his return to Greece served as professor in the Military Academy. During the Balkan Wars of 1912–13 he commanded a field artillery battalion, fighting in the Epirus front during the First Balkan War, and participating many battles of the subsequent Second Balkan War against Bulgaria.^[2]

During World War I, having reached the rank of colonel, he served in the Macedonian front as CO of the 4th Infantry Division. Promoted to major general in 1919, he assumed command of the Athens-based 2nd Infantry Division and led it during the Greek participation in the Allied intervention in the Ukraine against the Bolsheviks. On his return he was appointed as the first military governor of Smyrna following its occupation by Greece, and remained in Anatolia until dismissed from the army following the monarchist victory in the November 1920 elections.^[2]

After the defeat of the Greek army in Anatolia by the Turkish forces in August 1922, however, Vlachopoulos was recalled to service and appointed chief of the Army Staff Service, serving until 1924. In the same year he was promoted to lieutenant general, and served once again as Chief of the Army Staff in 1927–28, when he retired.^[2]

Vlachopoulos was a well-educated officer, who spoke fluently German, French, Italian and English. He also wrote an artillery manual for the Military Academy and translated into Greek the book of the German field marshal Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz on the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.

He was married with two children, and died in 1957.^[2]

References

^ Note: Greece officially adopted the Gregorian calendar on 16 February 1923 (which became 1 March). All dates prior to that, unless specifically denoted, are Old Style.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Αντιστράτηγος ΒΛΑΧΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ του ΞΕΝΟΦΩΝΤΟΣ, ΑΜ 3705". Συνοπτική Ιστορία του Γενικού Επιτελείου Στρατού 1901–2001 [A Concise History of the Hellenic Army General Staff 1901–2001] (in Greek). Athens: Hellenic Army History Directorate. 2001. p. 148. ISBN 960-7897-44-7.

Military offices
Preceded by Lt. General Viktor Dousmanis	Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff 1922–1924	Succeeded by Major General Petros Klados
Preceded by Lt. General Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian	Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff 1927–1928	Succeeded by Major General Alexandros Merentitis

[1] Note: Greece officially adopted the Gregorian calendar on 16 February 1923 (which became 1 March). All dates prior to that, unless specifically denoted, are Old Style.

[bio-2] "Αντιστράτηγος ΒΛΑΧΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ του ΞΕΝΟΦΩΝΤΟΣ, ΑΜ 3705". Συνοπτική Ιστορία του Γενικού Επιτελείου Στρατού 1901–2001 [A Concise History of the Hellenic Army General Staff 1901–2001] (in Greek). Athens: Hellenic Army History Directorate. 2001. p. 148. ISBN 960-7897-44-7.

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