GREEK ARMED FORCES’ MUTINY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 210, 2 June 1944, Page 5

GREEK ARMED FORCES’ MUTINY

Details Now Revealed LONDON, May 27. Now that Mr. Churchill has macle hia statement in the House of Commons it is possible to give the full story of the mutiny in the Greek forces in the Middle East. The Cairo correspondent of the Daily Express” says: “Today the censorship ban was lifted on incidents which affected a considerable portion of the Greek Army throughout April. “The Eirgi Greek’ Brigade, which contained the elite of the Greek Army abroad, was in a state of . armed revolt against the exiled Greek Government. “Contrary to the general belief, the revolt was led, not by Greeks conscripted in Egypt, but by veterans of the Albanian campaign, who felt that the Government headed by M. Tsouderos no longer represented public opinion, either inside or outside Greece.” On March 31 a deputation of army and air force officers called on M. Tsouderos the Government recognize the National to present a memorandum demanding that Liberation Committee and negotiate with it for the formation of tj new Government. Deputation Arrested. M. Tsouderos arrested the deputation ; after promising to consider their case. 1 This was followed up by a mutiny among i several Greek army units, which spread to the Greek Navy. . < On April 5 soldiers of the First Brigade < camping in the desert near Alexandria arrested their commanding officer and several other officers. .

The following day, General Sir Bernard Paget, Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East, assumed direct command. On April 11 General Paget met the mutineers’ representatives and explained that he was interested only in maintaining discipline, not in political events. On April 23 General Paget issued an ultimatum saying that force would be used if the Greeks did not lay down their arms, adding that a smoke-screen would be laid down for those who wished to get awnv unobserved. News that the Greek Navy mutineers had capitulated, however, reached the Greeks after fighting had begun. Resistance was offered only from outposts on a ridge between a depression and the sea, where shots were fired, one killing a British officer. Later the delegation heard that their conditions of surrender had been turned down. They then surrendered unconditionally.