Army. – The army was reorganized with the help of foreign military missions (one French and one English) after 1922. In 1930 the war budget amounted to 430,000,000 dramas, equal to about 12.85% of the general budget; the balanced force rose to about 5,500 officers and 57,000 enlisted men. The supreme authority is the Minister of War, assisted by the Chief of the General Staff and assisted by the military superior council.
The army is made up of troops (infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers, air force, gendarmerie) and services (health, administration, administrative control, transport, recruitment, veterinarian, military justice, military geographic, military schools), grouped into 4 corps army, 11 infantry divisions (of which 9 are part of the army corps and 2 autonomous), 2 cavalry brigades. The infantry division is made up of 3 infantry regiments and 1 mountain artillery regiment; each cavalry brigade of 2 cavalry regiments.
The various weapons include: infantry 24 regiments (each of 2 battalions, on 3 rifle companies and 1 machine gun company of 6 weapons); 1 autonomous battalion; 2 euzoni battalions. – 4 cavalry regiments (each on 4 squadrons and 1 machine gun squadron of 8 weapons). – 8 regiments artillery and 1 mountain section (on 2 groups of 2 batteries, 65 or 75 guns, 105 howitzers); 2 campaign regiments (each of 2 groups of 2 batteries, 75 guns); 2 heavy regiments (each of 2 groups of guns or howitzers of various caliber). – Engineer 2 sapper regiments; 1 telegraph regiment; 1 railway regiment; 1 bridging regiment: 2 depots. – Gendarmerie (in charge of security and order), divided into superior directorates (9), regional commands (35) public security directorates (41), subcommands, sections and posts.
The services consist of executive bodies (units, warehouses, factories, etc.) directly dependent on central governing bodies or local governing bodies of army corps and divisions. The military schools are made up of: official recruitment schools (1 evelpidi, 1 non-commissioned officer cadets, 1 health, 1 air force, 1 reserve officer, 1 gymnastics); non-commissioned officer recruitment schools (1 preparatory for non-commissioned officers); application schools (1 of infantry, 1 of cavalry, 1 of artillery, 1 of engineers, 1 of stewardship, 1 of train, 1 of health care); superiors (1 war, 1 higher education center).
Military service is compulsory (normal stay 12 months) from the 21st to the 50th year (1 year active service; up to the 40th year reserve A ; up to the 50th year reserve B). Only physically disabled people are exempt; there are numerous temperaments, some of which can be obtained by paying special military taxes. The incorporation of the quota takes place twice a year (March and September).
Navy. – The Greek navy, constituted at the dawn of the kingdom, has been able to assert itself for the seafaring qualities and for the courage that in every time, and especially in the wars for independence, have distinguished its sailors. The arms race with Turkey, which for a time seemed to be on the Greek government’s agenda, ceased following recent agreements (1930) with that power. Currently, the naval forces of Greece (not too homogeneous, since it does not have its own shipyards and has ships built abroad) are made up of: 1 armored cruiser Ge č rgios Abér ō f (built in Italy), launched in 1910 and partially modernized in France in 1925-27, of 9450 tons. (standard displacement) and 22.5 knots, armed with 4/234, 8/190, 18/76 and 2 launch tubes; 1 light cruiser Héll ē (built in the United States), launched in 1912 and partially modernized in France in 1926-27, of 2116 tons. and 21 knots, armed with 3/152, 2/76, and 2 launch tubes; two destroyers P. Kountouri è t ē s e H ý dra, already delivered by the Odero Shipyard in Sestri Ponente (two more are under construction), of 1362 tons. and 40.5 knots, armed with 4/120 and 6 x 533 launch tubes; four Lé- type destroyers ō n (Lé ō n, Aetós, Hiérax, Pánth ē r), launched in 1911 and modernized in 1924-25 in England, of 1029 tons. and 32 knots, armed with 4/102 and 2 triple 533 launch tubes; 2 destroyers Th ý ella and Sfendón ē (built in England), of 310 tons. and 31 knots, armed with 2/88, 1/40 and 4 launch tubes; 2 destroyers Ník ē and Aspís (built in Germany), of 275 tons. and 30 knots, armed with 2/88, 1/40 and 2 launch tubes; 5 torpedo boats type Pérgamos, of 241 tons. and 28 knots, built in Austria in 1914-15 and modernized in 1926; 4 torpedo boats type D ō rís, of 145 tons, built in Germany in 1913 and modernized in 1926-30; Ár ē s training ship, built in France in 1927, disloc. normal 2261 tons; 4 submarines type Gla ũ kos (Gla ũ kos, N ē reús, Pr ō teús, Trít ō n) of 730/930 tons, 14 / 9.5 knots, armed with 1/102 and 8 launch tubes; 2 submersible type L. Kats isn ē s (Kats è n ē s and Papanikol ẽ s) of 576/775 tons, 14 / 9.5 knots, armed with 1/102 and 6 launch tubes, all built in France.
The education and training of the Greek navy was directed for over twenty years (barring a few brief interruptions) by a British naval mission.
Military aviation. – The Hellenic military aviation is being reorganized on the basis of a law already approved (1932).
The constitution of the single corps of officers was decided, whose nominative role has not, however, been published yet. The officers currently serving in the air force and who will be part of the new corps still belong to the army and navy. It will take 7 years to fully carry out the planned organization and therefore an expenditure amounting to about one billion dramas is foreseen. The air force will be divided into three sections: army, navy and reserve aviation. The army aviation will include a regiment in Tatoi, near Athens, one in Larissa and one in Thessaloniki; that of the navy an air base at Vecchio Falero and one in Volo. The reserve aviation will consist of 2 regiments. The following schools are planned: one for the officers and non-commissioned officers in Larissa; a technical school for skilled workers at Vecchio Falero; a shooting school for seafarers in Tatoi. A total of 3 general officers, 38 senior officers and 185 junior officers are envisaged; 232 observation and maneuvering non-commissioned officers.
The aircraft in service in the Hellenic Air Force are usually purchased in France and some in England. For land aviation: warplanes: 35 Bréguet 19; 24 Potez 25 and 10 Marz-Banel; for school and training: 20 Morane 137 and 147, 18 Morane 230, 4 Bréguet 14. For maritime aviation: war aircraft: 4 Hawker Horseley, 8 Velox, 10 Atlas, 10 Fairey; school and training equipment: 6 Avro. However, it is secondary material in every respect.
