(1914-1940) Cruiser "Elli"

Built by New York Shipbuilding, Elli was originally ordered by the Chinese as the Fei Hung, but the order was cancelled due to the Nationalist Revolution of 1912-13. The Greeks bought it in 1914 as part of a naval expansion program following the Balkan wars. As Greece was neutral at the beginning of World War I, the French confiscated the Greek ships, including Elli, which they used in convoy escort and patrol duties in the Aegean Sea until the Greeks sided with the Entente in June 1917. Until the end of the war, Elli continued its operations in the Aegean as part of the Greek navy. In 1925-27, she was modernized in France, where she acquired modern antiaircraft armament and minelaying equipment. Elli is best known for having been sunk by an Italian submarine in peacetime. After the war, as part of the war reparations for the sinking of Elli, the Greeks received from Italy the cruiser "Eugenio di Savoia", which they renamed "Elli" (II). 47 m below the surface, Elli (I) was scavenged in the 1950s over a period of two years by a private company (presumably with the tolerance if not bribing of the local authorities), and as a result only a few pieces of her remain in the sea off Tinos today.

Operational History
14 June 1911 - Laid down.
4 May 1912 - Launched.
November 1913 - Completed and looking for alternative buyers after the Chinese order is cancelled due to the 1912-13 Nationalist Revolution. (The photos below are from Fei Hung being built and then on trials in 1913)

1914 - Purchased by the Greeks and commissioned in the Greek Navy.
November 1916 - Seized by the French, with whom Elli takes part in convoy escort and patrol duties in the Aegean (photo below is of Elli in French service; Corfu, 1917).

June 1917 - Elli is returned to the Greeks, and continues operations in the Aegean until the end of World War I.
1925 - 1927 - Undergoes major alterations in France, where she acquires modern antiaircraft armament and minelaying equipment for 100 mines.
15 August 1940 Elli lays at anchor off the island of Tinos, participating in the island's religious festivities, when at 06:45 an Italian spotter plane (with its markings painted over) flies over the harbour. Elli's antiaircraft guns are trained on the plane, but hold fire. The pilgrims on the island wave at the plane thinking that it is a Greek plane that has also come for the festivities. Two hours later, Italian Submarine Delfino (commanded by G. Aicardi) launches four torpedoes, one finding Elli below the active boiler, which explodes and causes a fire to spread. Without propulsion, the crew tries to use the help of nearby merchant ships to beach Elli in shallow waters, but fails and abandons ship. Elli begins to sink at 09:45, with nine crew killed and 24 wounded due to the explosion and the fire. The other three torpedoes have missed their target, two having exploded on the harbour's jetty (causing a woman to die of heart attack) and one having changed course and headed out to sea. The following days, fragments of the torpedoes are recovered and identified as Italian, but the Greek government announces instead that the submarine's nationality is unknown so as to delay the beginning of the Greco-Italian War



According to the early reports:
Dead or missing: Engine Chief Petty Officer Papanicolaou, Engine Petty Officer Mantouvalos, Firemen Sailors Anastelopoulos, Grivas and Bonos
Wounded: Petty Officer Electrician Kimoulis; Chief P.O. Engine Papadopoulos; P.O. Engine Syrigos; P.O. Engine Eugenopoulos; P.O. Torpedoes Rakkas; P.O. Fireman Kokoras; P.O. Signalman Anagnostopoulos; Warrant Officer Fireman Mammis; Chief P.O. Bossn's mate Tsirigotis; Sailors Argyriou, Aggeloudis, Anthoulis, Panagos, Hatzispyrou, Mantzouranis, Apostolakos, Synodinos, Pallis, Dendrinos, Giannakis, Mavromatis and Hatzidemetriou.

Specifications
Chao Ho class Protected Cruiser "Elli"
Displacement: (standard) 2,149 t, (full) 2,642 t
Length: 98 m (321 ft 6 in)
Beam: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Draft: 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Propulsion: 3 propellers
Speed: (1914) 26 knots, (1940) 18 knots
Complement: 238
Armament: 3×6-inch (152 mm), 2×3-inch (76 mm), 3×40mm AA, 2x19-inch (483 mm) Torpedo Tubes, 100 mines

For Gamers and Game designers
By 1940, Elli was too slow and underarmed to be of significant use to the Greek navy, except for minelaying. Her sinking though, in peacetime and on the day of a major Greek Orthodox festivity, increased the resolve of the Greeks. The photo below shows a captured Italian L3-35 tankette with "Elli's avenger" written on it.

For Modellers

A profile by Chadoulas:

Models of Elli from the Chania Maritime Museum and the Hellenic Maritime Museum:


Additional photos of Elli:


A documentary (in Greek) of all that is left of Elli.

(1914-1931) Battleship "Kilkis"

Previously USS Mississippi BB-23, Kilkis was built in 1905 and sold to the Greeks together with her sister Limnos in 1914 in an effort to counterbalance the Turkish naval rearmament at the time. After arriving in Greece, Kilkis became the flagship of the Greek Navy.

Operational History
12 May 1904 - Laid down.
30 Sep. 1905 - Launched.
1 Jan. 1908 - Commissioned in the USN as USS Mississippi BB-23.
30 June 1914 - Mississippi and sister Idaho are sold to the Greeks for $12,535,277.
22 July 1914 - Commissioned in the Greek Navy.
19 Oct. 1916 - Seized by the French, reduced to a skeleton crew, with the breech blocks for her guns removed to render them inoperable, and all ammunition and torpedoes removed.
1917 - Even after a pro-Entente government replaces the king and declares war on the Central Powers, Kilkis does not see active service with Greece's new allies, and instead is used solely for harbour defense until the end of the war under Kakoulidis.
1 Nov, 1918 - After the Turkish capitulation in WWI, Kilkis sails to Nikomideia and then Constantinople. 1919 - Takes part in the operations in the Krimean against the Bolsheviks. Then returns to Constantinople to take part in the 1919-22 Greco-Turkish War.
5 May 1919 - Kilkis and a pair of destroyers escort a convoy of six troop transports to Smyrna, where the soldiers are disembarked. The Ottoman Navy cannot provide opposition because it has been interned by the Allies after the end of World War I.
3 June 1920 - Despite in the middle of a war with the Turks, Kilkis leaves the theatre to represent Greece during the Fleet Review in Spithead in honour of King George V.
July 1920 - Kilkis and a pair of destroyers escort a convoy carrying 7,000 infantrymen, 1,000 artillerists, and 4,000 mules to Panderma.
Aug. 1922 - Kilkis and Limnos support the Greek Army's retreat. They then both sail to Chios instead of covering the Greek population during the Catastrophe of Smyrna.
1926 - 1928 - Kilkis undergoes repairs and upgrades. It has her boilers re-tubed. An ambitious plan to upgrade her against Turkish Yavuz does not even start.
29 Nov. 1929 - The Greek navy announces that Kilkis will be withdrawn from service and broken up for scrap.
1930 - Averof becomes the Greek Navy's flagship.
1931-32 - Kilkis is withdrawn from active service and becomes a training ship.
1935 - She becomes a training ship for anti-aircraft gunners.
1940-41 - She is used as a floating Anti-air battery and bunker. Spare guns are used as coastal batteries around Greece.
23 Apr. 1941 - Sunk by German Stuka bombers in Salamis. According to Parramore et al., she attempts to get underway to evade the attacks but is hit by three bombs and succumbs. Later the Germans will cut the masts and stacks.
1947-49 - Salvaged by Organismos Anelkysis Navagion (OAN) and broken.

Specifications
Mississippi Battleship "Kilkis"
Displacement: Full 14,697 t, Design 13,000 t
Length: 382 ft (116.4 m)
Beam: 77 ft (23.5 m)
Draft: 24.8 ft (7.5 m)
Propulsion: Engines: 2x triple-expansion reciprocating engines, 8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers, Power: 10,000 ihp (7,500 kW)
Speed: 17 knots maximum
Complement: 744
Armament: 4×12-inch (305 mm), 8×8-inch (203 mm), 8×7-inch (178 mm), 12×3-inch (76 mm), 6×3 pdr, 2×1 pdr, 2×21-inch (533 mm) Torpedo Tubes
Armour: Belt 9in, Turrets 12in, Deck 3in, Conning Tower: 9in

For Gamers and Game designers
Although relatively obsolete even by WWI standards and decommissioned before WW2, Kilkis is puzzlingly a popular unit for inclusion both in WW1 and WW2 naval wargames. In his "Hellenic Warships 1829-2001" book, Vice Admiral Paizis-Paradellis has chosen her low speed and low freeboard as her main disadvantages, and acknowledged the extensive use of electrically driven machinery as a novelty for the Greek navy at the time.

For Modellers

A profile by Chadoulas:

A model of Kilkis (I believe from the National Maritime Museum in Faliro):

A 1:1800 miniature for Axis & Allies Naval miniatures by Seisen:

An award-winning Kilkis displayed at IPMS-Hellas 2010:

Additional photos of Kilkis:

(1917-1931) Breguet XIV

French built biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered French and Greek service in 1917. It equipped the 532 and 533 Squadrons operating in the Macedonian front. It remained in service throughout the 1920s before becoming a trainer for observers in 1931.

Operational History

November 1917 - The Breguet XIV enters Greek service, equipping the 532 and 533 Squadrons which operate in the Macedonian front.
22 Dec. 1918 - Commander Denain lends his personal plane to A. Moraitinis, the leader of the Greek Navy Air Service, to fly from Thessaloniki to Phaliron. The plane never arrives to its destination. A month later Moraitinis is declared dead.
21 Sep. 1921 - A Breguet XIV A2 is captured by the Turks and will serve from now on with them. It takes the name "Sakarya".
17 Apr. 1922 - On the third attempt to land, a Greek Bre XIV crashes and burns at Afion Kara Hissar, with one of two crew dead.
22 Aug. 1922 - A second Breguet XIV A2 is forced to land due to enemy fire and is captured by the Turks. It will serve from now on with them and it takes the name "Garipçe". These are the first two Breguets XIV A2 in Turkish service. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic another 16 will be bought from the French and will serve Turkey until 1926.
October 1931 - From now on, 7 Bre XIV aircraft are used for the training of observers.

Specifications
Breguet XIV A2 Reconnaissance Length: 8.87 m Height: 3.3 m Wing area: 47.5 m² Wingspan: 12.4 m Weight: 1,010 kg (empty), 1,536 kg (max takeoff) Engine: 1x Renault 12Fe, 224 kW (300 hp) Service Ceiling: 6,000 m Speed: 184 km/h Armament: 1 fixed 0.303-in (7.7-mm) Vickers machine gun on fuselage port side, 2 ring-mounted 0.303-in (7.7-mm) Lewis machine guns in observer’s cockpit, 40 Kg bomb payload. Range: 3 hours Crew: 2

Specifications
Breguet XIV B2 Bomber Length: 8.87 m Height: 3.3 m Wing area: 47.50 m² Wingspan: 14.36 m Weight: 1,010 kg Engine: 1x Renault 12Fe, 224 kW (300 hp) Service Ceiling: 6,000 m Rate of climb: 292 m/s Wing loading: 32 kg/m² Power/mass: 0.14 W/kg (0.09 hp/lb) Speed: 175 km/h Range: 900 km Armament: 1x fixed 7.7 mm (.303 in) Vickers machine gun, 2x flexible 7.7 mm (.303 in) Lewis Gun for observer, 300 Kg bomb payload. Crew: 2

For Gamers and Game designers
Apart from its widespread usage, it was noteworthy for becoming the first aircraft in mass production to use large amounts of metal rather than wood in its structure. This allowed the airframe to be lighter than a wooden airframe of the same strength, in turn making the aircraft very fast and agile for its size, able to outrun many of the fighters of the day. Its strong construction was able to sustain much damage, it was easy to handle and had good performance. The Breguet 14 is considered one of the best aircraft of World War I.

For Modellers
A profile of the No3846 Breguet XIV A2 that fought in Asia Minor in 1921, taken from Issue No. 15 of Insignia Magazine: The text is from the Insignia Magazine: "This aircraft was one of at least 30 Breguet 14 A2 and B2 types which served with the joint French-Hellenic 522 and 523 Reconnaissance-Bomber Squadrons. Finished in a Green and Brown camouflage scheme, with Natural Metal forward and upper fuselage areas. Lower flying surfaces are Clear Doped Linen. Struts, undercarriage legs and wheel covers are Light Grey. Greek roundels in Blue and White, adapted from French roundels, are worn on the upper and lower wings as well as the fuselage. The Asia-Minor 'wavy line' theatre marking in Dark Grey/Black partially obscures the fuselage roundel. Serial number and rudder data are Black."

A model exhibited in the National War Museum, Athens.


A Breguet XIV A2 from AZ Models (seems to be No3844):

A 1:33 paper model by Fitter's Models:

A Microsoft Flight Simulator model by Manuele Villa:

(1912-1915) Henri Farman Biplane

In 1912, with the help of French experts Greece received its first four aircraft to form an air force. They were French-built Farman biplanes; a Henri Farman Biplane named "Daedalus", a Henri Farman 20, a Maurice Farman Hydravion and a Maurice Farman Biplane. Prime minister Eleftherios Venizelos had stated earlier that year that "... the airplane is the weapon suitable for the weaker countries. The venturesome nature of the Greek will make it a brilliant weapon and in the future will do yeoman's service to the Greek Armed Forces...". The purchase of the four aircraft had been financed substantially by the donation of a poet named Matsoukis.

One of the first Greek pilots was Dimitrios Kamperos, an artillery officer. In June 1912, he converted his Henri Farman to a hydroplane and reached a speed of 110 km/h, setting a new world record. After World War I, he served briefly as chief instructor of the Hellenic Air Force Academy ("Icarus School"). He died of cold and starvation during the great famine of 1942.
The nickname Trelokamperos (Crazy Kamperos) that he earned for his daredevil flying lives on in the Greek language today.

The French carte postale below shows Kamperos ("Campères" in French). It reads: "Henri Farman biplane piloted by Lieutenant Kamperos of the Hellenic Army has landed at Champagne the 1st of May 1912".

Operational History
December 1911 - Chosen from a list of 60 applicants, the first Greek officers to be trained as pilots are Dimitrios Kamperos (1st Lt., Artillery), Michalis Moutousis (1st Lt. Engineers) and Christos Adamidis (2nd Lt., Cavalry). The training is held at the flight school of the Farman brothers in Etampes, France.
April 1912 - Three more are added; Loukas Papaloukas (1st Lt., Infantry), Markos Drakos (1st Lt., Artillery), Panoutsos Notaras (2nd Lt., Cavalry).
9 April 1912 - The first four aircraft arrive at the port of Piraeus inside wooden boxes.
Early May 1912 - Having graduated, Dimitris Kamperos arrives to Greece together with his French mechanic, A. Chauveau. The aircraft are assembled inside the Zoo of Paleo Faliro.
13 May 1912 - Kamperos takes off and flies for a few minutes. This is the first military flight in Greece. Note that Emmanouil Argyropoulos has already performed the first civilian flight in front of thousands of spectators on 8 February 1912.
27 May 1912 - Official ceremony and christening of the aircraft by Venizelos, as "Daedalus", "Aetos", "Gyps", "Ierax". A large crowd has gathered to see them.
June 1912 - Having converted his Henri Farman to a hydroplane, Kamperos breaks the airspeed world record, reaching 110 km/h.
September 1912 - All trainees are called back from Etampes to Greece, to participate in the first Balkan war against the Ottoman Empire.
5 October 1912 - In the first ever Greek air operation, Kamperos takes off from the new Larisa Aerodrome, flies over the borders at the area of "Skompia" and returns to report on the enemy's position.
17 October 1912 - Prince Constantine sends a telegraph asking Kamperos to perform reconnaissance flights over the enemy positions in Kozani. On a forced landing near Kozani due to mechanical failure, both Kamperos and Chauveau are injured.

Specifications
Henri Farman Biplane "Daedalus"
Crew: 1
Length: 12 m (39 ft 4½ in)
Wingspan: 10 m (33 ft 9¾ in)
Height: 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 40 m² (430.56 ft²)
Gross weight: 550 kg (1213 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Gnome et Rhône 7-cylinder rotary engine, 37 kW (50 hp)
Max. Speed: 60 km/h

For Gamers and Game designers
The Henri Farman aircraft could realistically be used only for reconnaissance.

For Modellers
The profile below is based on the replica Daedalus at the entrance of the National War Museum in Athens.

(1912-1941) Destroyer "Leon II"

Leon II was one of four Wild Beast class destroyers built in the Camell Laird shipyards in Liverpool. They were originally intended for Argentina, but they were bought by Greece for £148,000 each. For the Balkan Wars, these ships were not given torpedoes and were considered scouts rather than destroyers, because the Royal Hellenic Navy had purchased only minimum ammunitions; 3,000 torpedoes for the whole of the fleet. Leon had a lot of bad luck and no major achievements during the wars that it participated in.

Operational History
19 Sep. 1912 - Commissioned in the Royal Hellenic Navy. It will soon participate in the Balkan wars under Lieutenant Commander J. Razikotsikas, while also on board is Squadron Commander D. Papachristos.
Oct. 1916 - Seized by the French. Participates in World War I on their side.
1918 - Returns to escort duty under Greek colours and in the blockades of the coasts of the Black Sea from the Bosphorus to Trebizond.
22 Dec. 1921 - While moored with Ierax in Piraeus harbour, they are both severely damaged by the explosion of a depth charge bomb which the crew of Leon was transporting. Two officers, one petty officer and two sailors are killed on Leon and two sailors on Ierax. Leon completely loses her aft section up to her stern gun.
1925-27 - Undergoes refurbishment.
1 March 1935 - During the failed coup attempt of 1935, Leon is briefly captured by the venizelists.
1940 - Leon is commanded by Petros Protopapas during World War 2.
18 April 1941 - During a convoy escort, she collides with passenger ship Ardena and two depth charges explode. As a result, the stern section is cut off and two officers get killed.
15 May 1941 - Sunk by German bombers in Souda Bay (Crete) where she was towed from Salamis Naval Base.

Specifications
Wild-beast class destroyer "Leon" II
Displacement: (Standard) 880 tons
Length: 89.4 m
Beam: 8.3 m
Draft: 3 m
Range: 530 m
Speed: (before 1925) 31 knots, (from 1925) 32 knots
Complement: 58
Armament: (as completed) 4× Bethlehem 102 mm, 1× 75 mm AA, 6× 533 mm T.T., 3× electric search lights
(from 1925) 75 mm AA removed, 37 mm AA added, four-barrel 40 mm added, 2 mortars added, modified for laying 40 mines

For modellers
The ship differs significantly before and after its 1925 refit. This scale model represents the pre-1925 version with the five funnels.

For gamers and game designers
Notice that Leon II has no torpedoes during the Balkan wars and can act only as scout. In later years it acts as proper destroyer with torpedoes, depth charges, etc.