Greek Army uniforms

The modern Greek Army has a history of over 180 years, during which has undergone dramatic changes and been involved in some of the major conflicts on the European continent. The modern Greek military throughout its history was closely following international developments in equipment and uniforms. With the notable exception of the elite Evzones units, which based their uniforms on the indigenous traditional garments of the 18th century, the rest of the Army, as most militaries worldwide, was always quick to adopt the military fashion current among the armies of the influential Great Powers. This influence can be roughly divided in three periods: French-style uniforms, which dominated throughout the 19th century (with many Bavarian elements during the reign of King Otto, and some Austrian and Russian influences later on), the British styles introduced around World War I and used during World War II and until the late 1960s, and the "NATO" or US-style predominating from ca. 1968 onward. Various individual items or details can of course be traced to other influences, and there were also transitional uniforms combining previous designs.

The army that fought the Greek Revolution was composed primarily of irregulars, who followed their own military leaders or "captains", and had no uniform code of dress. The first uniformed Greek unit however was the short-lived Sacred Band formed by Alexander Ypsilantis in the Danubian Principalities. Its uniform was black, inspired by Russian models and the uniforms of Brunswick, including the death's head emblem on the men's visorless shakos.

In Greece itself, uniforms of West European cut and black colour arrived in 1822, and were meant to be used by the newly established "Regular Corps". The Greeks however largely preferred their native garb, and only in 1825, when French Colonel Charles Fabvier assumed command of the regular forces, did a uniform, imported from Britain, begin to be used. It consisted of a blue coat, grey trousers (identical to those of the British Army), white leather equipment and a black leather, classically looking helmet. In 1828, Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias supplied the reorganised army with French-style uniforms, and issued a standardised version of the traditional dress for the irregular forces. His reforms however faltered after his assassination, and by 1832, for all intents and purposes, the regular Greek Army was non-existent.

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