Odysseas Angelis

Odysseas Angelis
Οδυσσέας Αγγελής
Odysseas Angelis ; Οδυσσέας Αγγελής
Vice President of Greece
	In office; June 1, 1973 – November 25, 1973
President	Georgios Papadopoulos
Personal details
Born	January 2, 1912; Steni, Euboea
Died	March 22, 1987; Korydallos Prison
Nationality	Greek
Awards	Gold Cross of Valour[1]
Military service
Allegiance	Greece
Branch/service	Hellenic Army
Rank	General
Commands	Chief of the Armed Forces Headquarters; Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff
Battles/wars	Greco-Italian War, Greek Civil War

Odysseas Angelis (Greek: Οδυσσέας Αγγελής, 1912–1987) was a Greek military officer, who served as head of the Greek military during the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, and was selected by junta principal Georgios Papadopoulos as Vice President of the junta-proclaimed republic in 1973. He was deposed along with Papadopoulos by junta hardliners in November 1973, and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for high treason in the Greek Junta Trials in 1975.

Biography

Early career

Angelis was born in the village of Steni on the island of Euboea in 1912.[1] After completing his studies at the Hellenic Army Academy, he was sworn in as an Artillery Second Lieutenant on 2 August 1934.[1] Promoted to Lieutenant in 1937 and Captain in 1940, he participated in the Greco-Italian War as a mountain artillery battery commander.[1] Following the German invasion and the Axis occupation of Greece, in 1943 Angelis fled the country and joined the Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East, where he commanded an anti-aircraft battery.[1]

After the liberation of Greece he was promoted to Major in 1946, and fought in the Greek Civil War in 1948 and 1949 as an artillery battalion commander.[1] After the end of the civil war, he served in various artillery commands and completed courses at the Superior War School and the National Defence School. He served in the NATO headquarters at Izmir, as aide-de-camp to King Paul, professor at the Superior War School, chief of staff of the 9th Infantry Division, commandant of the Artillery School, Director of the 2nd Staff Bureau at the Hellenic Army General Staff, chief of staff of ASDEN, and deputy commander and commander of the 5th Infantry Division.[1] He was promoted to Lt. Colonel in 1950, Colonel in 1958, Brigadier in 1960, and Major General in 1965.[1]

In 1967 he was promoted to Lt. General and Deputy Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, a post he held at the time of the coup d'etat of 21 April 1967.[1]

Under the Junta

After the establishment of the military regime, he was appointed Chief of the Army General Staff on 22 April 1967.[1] He was responsible, at least officially, for the Army Decree Nr. 13, which banned the musical works of Mikis Theodorakis. On 21 April 1967 Angelis passed a series of laws limiting protest, including a ban on public gatherings of more than five people, a ban on all private gatherings of a political nature, a ban on propaganda against the generals and a ban on civilians holding guns.[2]

During the failed royal counter-coup of 13 December 1967, Angelis remained loyal to the junta, and assumed, in addition to his post as head of the army, the position of Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff. On 19 December 1968, he assumed command of the newly formed Armed Forces Headquarters (Αρχηγείο Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων). He was promoted to full General in 1970, and retired from the army on 16 August 1973.[1]

Personally loyal to junta principal Georgios Papadopoulos, Angelis was chosen by the latter as his Vice President when he abolished the monarchy and declared Greece a Presidential Republic on 1 June 1973. Angelis served in this post until 25 November 1973, when Papadopoulos lost power to a hardliner coup.

Trial and imprisonment

Following the restoration of democratic rule in 1974, in the 1975 Junta Trials, he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for high treason and mutiny.[3] Angelis committed suicide in his cell in the Korydallos Prison on 22 March 1987.

References

Συνοπτική Ιστορία του ΓΕΣ, 2001, p. 180.
Andreas Papandreou, Democracy at Gunpoint: The Greek Front, Penguin Books, 1971, p. 40
"Deaths Elsewhere – Odysseas Angelis, 75". The Times-News. Hendersonville, NC. Associated Press. March 24, 1987. p. 6. Retrieved 25 August 2013.

Sources

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. ISBN 960-7897-44-7.

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[FOOTNOTEΣυνοπτική_Ιστορία_του_ΓΕΣ,_2001180-1] Συνοπτική Ιστορία του ΓΕΣ, 2001, p. 180.

[2] Andreas Papandreou, Democracy at Gunpoint: The Greek Front, Penguin Books, 1971, p. 40

[3] "Deaths Elsewhere – Odysseas Angelis, 75". The Times-News. Hendersonville, NC. Associated Press. March 24, 1987. p. 6. Retrieved 25 August 2013.

Greek military junta of 1967–1974
People	Georgios Papadopoulos Stylianos Pattakos Nikolaos Makarezos Dimitrios Ioannides Odysseas Angelis Konstantinos Kollias Georgios Zoitakis Grigorios Spandidakis Phaedon Gizikis Adamantios Androutsopoulos Ioannis Ladas Michael Roufogalis Georgios Georgalas Nikolaos Dertilis Alexandros Hatzipetros
Events	1967 Greek counter-coup attempt 1968 constitutional referendum Greek Constitution of 1968 Greek case 1973 republic referendum Greek Constitution of 1973 Athens Polytechnic uprising 1974 Cypriot coup d'état Turkish invasion of Cyprus Metapolitefsi Greek Junta Trials
Ideology and symbols	Glossary of the Greek military junta Greek nationalism Enosis Anticommunism Censorship Internal exile Stratocracy Torture methods Police state Atlanticism Phoenix Anthem of the 21st of April
Establishments	Hellenic Vehicle Industry Hellenic Railways Organisation

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 Floros^‡ Christodoulou Floros
^§ Under the title "Chief of the Armed Forces" ^‡ acting chief

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 Kambas
^§ 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"