Greek forces in Southern Russia, January 1919

Greek forces in Southern Russia, January 1919 - May 1919
v.1.0 June 2, 2002

Alexis Mehtidis

Source: The Greek Expeditionary Corps in Southern Russia, 1919 Directorate of Army History / Army Staff, Athens, 1955.

Any corrections or additions are welcome at : alexmehtidis@hotmail.com

The official name this campaign is ' Southern Russia Campaign, 1919 '. It covers the battles fought with the reinforcements sent by the Greek Army ( A' Army Corps - II and XIII Divisions - ) to the Ukraine between January - May 1919 to help the French, British and White Russian forces against the forces of the Russian Revolution.

Transport of the whole of the Corps was not completed ( for example the Corps' I Division and the artillery assets of the XIII Division were not transported at all and the Corps command was transported to Odessa when the evacuation of the front had already started ). The Corps was evacuated to Bessarabia, Romania then and finally to Asia Minor to take part in the Asia Minor Campaign 1919 - 1922 (The War of Independence for the Turks). The last Greek units left Romania on July 17th.

Formations and main units

A' Army Corps ( part of Allied Forces East Command / Danube Army / I Divisional Group )

II and XIII Divisions. With the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 34th, 5/42 Evzones Infantry Regiments and the IIa, IIb Mountain Artillery Batteries.
Odessa Base
4th L.O.C. Battalion
A 'Telegraphists' Detachment
543rd Air Squadron (4th Airplane Flotilla )
B' Evacuation Military Hospital
4th Transport Car Squadron
V, VI and VII Medical Car Squadrons
1st Car Park Party.
32nd Bakery Platoon.

Transportation of A' Army Corps formations and units to Southern Russia and Romania , January 1919 - June 1919

Notes :

1. Including units transported to Romania, after the evacuation of the Southern Russia front.
2. All embarkation ports are in Greece.
3. All embarkation and disembarkation dates are in 1919, in the Old Calendar.
4. Units are arranged in an order of the different dates of embarkation. Each row of units was transported by a different steamship.
5. If a unit appears to have been transported in two different dates it is because different components of it were transported in these different dates.
6. Translating the units' names is a mixture of literate translation and one according to the British Unit Organisation of World War I - where possible -.
7. 543 Air Squadron was 4th or 401st Airplane Flotilla.
8. Animals' Pack was a unit slaughtering animals to feed the troops.
9. Two-company is a unit composing of two companies.

Units	Embarkation Port	Embarkation Date	Disembarkation Port	Disembarkation Date
II/34 Battalion II/34 Machine Gun Company IIa Medical Unit 5th Car Platoon II Telegraphists' Detachment Postal Service	Thessaloniki Stavros	January1st January 2nd	Odessa	January 7th
B' Evacuation Hospital 5th Car Platoon	Thessaloniki	January 2nd	Odessa	January 7th
Headquarters Group / 34th Infantry Regiment I/34 Battalion III/34 Battalion V Medical Car Squadron 5th Car Platoon	Thessaloniki Stavros	January 2nd January 3rd	Odessa	January7th
11/34 Company Corps Transportation for the 34th Infantry Regiment 32nd Bakery Platoon	Thessaloniki Stavros	January 18th January 20th	Odesaa	January 27th
9th Car Platoon VIII Medical Car Squadron Bakery Detachment IIa Medical Unit IIb Operating Theatre	Thessaloniki	February 8th	Odessa	February 14th
Headquarters Group / 7th Infantry Regiment I/7 Battalion II/7 Battalion IIb Operating Theatre IIb Medical Unit IIa Stretcher-bearers Squadron Infantry Command / II Division	Thessaloniki Stavros	February 7th February 8th	Odessa	February 14th
Machine Gun Companies - Battle Transport - Corps Transport / 7th Infantry Regiment	Thessaloniki	February 13th	Odessa	February 17th
Machine Gun Companies / 7th Infantry Regiment II Animals Pack	Thessaloniki	February 15th	Odessa	February 26th
Headquarters Group / 1st Infantry Regiment I/1 Battalion II/1 Battalion Infantry Command / II Division	Thessaloniki	February 18th	Odessa	February 22nd
III/1 Battalion	Thessaloniki	February 20th	Odessa	February 24th
Battle Transport Corps Transport	Thessaloniki	February 20th	Odessa	February 24th
III/7 Battalion	Thessaloniki Stavros	February 20th February 21st	Odessa	February 26th
1/3 Company 2/3 Company 3/3 Company Headquarters / II Division Distribution Platoon / II Division II Telegraphists' Detachment / II Division 4th L.O.C. Battalion 1th Infantry Regiment reinforcements Military Postal Service Odessa Base	Thessaloniki Eleftherai	February 21st February 23rd	Odessa	February 27th
IIa Mountain Artillery Battery	Thessaloniki	February 25th	Odessa	March 5th
5/3 Company 6/3 Company 7/3 Company Battle Transport - Corps Transport / 3rd Infantry Regiment Headquarters Group - Three battalions - Corps Transport / 5/42 Evzones Regiment	Eleftherai	February 27th	Odessa	March 4th
1st Infantry Regiment reinforcements Artillery Command / II Division II Distribution Platoon Infantry Command / XIII Division	Thessaloniki Eleftherai	February 27th February 28th	Odessa	March 4th
III/3 Battalion Two engineer companies / II Division Engineer Park / II Division	Thessaloniki Eleftherai	February 27th February 28th	Odessa	March 5th
2nd Infantry Regiment A' Army Corps commander Logistics Unit Commander and Staff / II Division XIIIa Operating Theatre IIc Operating Theatre B' Evacuation Hospital 1st Infantry Regiment reinforcements	Thessaloniki Eleftherai	March 5th March 6th	Sebastopol Odessa	March 10th March 13th
A' Transport Car Squadron ( 1st Car Park Detachment and 4th Transportation Platoon ) 401st Airplane Flotilla	Thessaloniki	March 9th	Odessa	March 13th
4 L.O.C. Battalion 1st Infantry Regiment Staff / II Division Commander and Staff / XIII Division 3rd Infantry Regiment ( machine gun companies and 11 infantry companies ) 5/42 Evzones Regiment (machine gun companies )	Thessaloniki Eleftherai	March 13th March 14th	Odessa	March 18th
IIb Mountain Artillery Battery	Thessaloniki	March 16th	Odessa	March 20th
Headquarters II Division 1st Infantry Regiment VI Medical Car Squadron B' Evacuation Hospital	Thessaloniki	March 16th	Romania	March ?
XIII Engineer Two-company XIII Telegraphists' Detachment XIII Muleteers Company XIII Animals Pack XIII Infantry Two-company XIII Repair Party XIII Engineer Park Headquarters XIII Division Headquarters II Division	Thessaloniki Eleftherai	March 27th March 28th	Constanza, Romania	March 31st
Commander III/2 Battalion 10/2 Company III/2 Machine Gun Company	Kavala		Odessa Sebastopol	March 13th ?
1st Infantry Regiment 2nd Infantry Regiment 3rd Infantry Regiment 5/42 Evzones Regiment Headquarters II Division Headquarters XIII Division Distribution Platoon A' Army Corps Headquarters Section A' Army Corps	Thessaloniki Eleftherai	April 26th April 27th	Romania	May 6th
Telegraphists' Detachment A' Army Corps Headquarters A' Army Corps Headquarters XIII Division	Thessaloniki Eleftherai	April 30th May 1st	Constanza, Romania Romania	May ? June 1st