The Greek Air Force was born shortly before the Balkan Wars in which it operated for the first time. From 1914 there were two branches, the Army Air Force and the Naval Air Force. The term Air Force is conventionally used in the title. The development of Military Aviation continued after the Balkan Wars. On August 16, 1913, the city of Thessaloniki was designated as the headquarters of the "Air Company" which was subordinate to the Engineer and was under the orders of the Commander of the 3rd Army Corps. From December 23, 1913, the "Air Company" was subordinated to the Ministry of Military with Captain Dimitrios Kamperos as its Commander and headquarters at Lebet Airport (today's Efkarpia).
In October 1915, the "Squadron" was renamed the Army Air Service (AUS). The initial neutrality of Greece in the First World War (WW), combined with the political crisis that followed, brought about the intervention of the Entente forces in Greece, resulting in the collapse of the AUS in Amyntaio of Florina and then in S. Greece. The official entry of Greece into the First World War in June 1917 also marked the active activation of the Air Force with the help of the French under the French Major Denain, with the help of Vice Admiral Alexandros Zannas, an aviator and later Minister of Aviation. strong>
The French had developed significant activity in the area of Thessaloniki, organizing 8 airfields and an advanced base factory (Orchos Aeroporias). The training of the first aviators and technicians began under French command at the Sedes airport facilities on September 4, 1917. In November 1917, the AUS returned to Thessaloniki. After the training of the officers by the French, the AUS was transformed in 1918 into a separate Air Corps, equal to the other arms of the Greek Army.
The first Greek Squadron was the 532 Reconnaissance Squadron. It operated in the area of Gorgopi (near Axioupoli), on the Axios River from 10 December 1917 with a force of 12 Dorand A.R.1 aircraft and a few Breguet 14A2/B2. Initially the personnel were of mixed nationality (French and Greek), while gradually the Squadron was staffed only with Greek aviators until September 1918. Next came the 531 Pursuit Squadron, which was formed on 13 March 1918 and operated in the same area with aircraft Nieuport 24bis and Spad VII/XIII. Its administration was honorably offered to Antipilarch Alexandros Zanna. The 533rd Reconnaissance and Bombardment Squadron was formed with headquarters in Dimitrisi Serron (MAB) on June 1, 1918.1914-1918. The last Greek Squadron of the war was the 534 Reconnaissance Squadron , which was formed in September 1918 in Lebet (today's Efkarpia). Additional auxiliary services were developed by AUS in Mikro Karaburnou, Thessaloniki.
The contribution of the Greek Squadrons in the battle of Skra di Legen was significant, where they undertook missions of regulating artillery fire, bombardment and reconnaissance of the front, supporting the attack of the Greek Army Divisions. With the addition of 533 MAV, operations continued further east and north, where German and Bulgarian forces were collapsing. Following the armistice between Bulgaria (30 September 1918) and the Ottoman Empire (20 October 1918), 531 Squadron was disbanded at Mikra Airfield in October 1918, while 534 Squadron was sent to Russia to support the Allied campaign in 1919. At the same time, 533 Squadron received Breguet 14A2/B2 aircraft. After the end of the war, the facilities became the property of AUS.
The Naval Aviation
The Navy developed the Naval Air Corps (NAS) on April 20, 1914. The British mission that took care of the modernization of the Navy took part in the project.To equip the NAS, the Navy ordered three seaplanes from Great Britain Sopwith Greek Seaplane, the first of which arrived in Greece in May 1914. In Aspropyrgos, near today's airport of Elefsina, an Aviation School was organized, where Aristidis Moraitinis was trained as a pilot. , in October 1914, together with two other Officers.
Due to the unsuitability of the area, the NAS was moved to Paleo Faliro. The School's equipment was strengthened with four Henry Farman ΕF.22. The transfer of Moraitini, along with other experienced aviators and technicians in the autumn of 1915, resulted in the limitation of NAS activities. The renaissance of the NAS began in October 1916, when Moraitinis took over command of the NAS again and was operating as part of the 2nd British Wing of the RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service). The field of action was mainly South Macedonia and Thrace, where Germans and Bulgarians had developed significant air forces and facilities.
On March 18, 1917, Moraitinis with Henry Farman HF.22 aircraft and Lieutenant Psychas as observer carried out a daring mission, bombing Zerevic airport, in Drama, destroying the aircraft hangars. He then bombed the train station in Drama, destroying three trains. The performance of the NAS aviators led to the creation of the Greek Squadron G, in May 1917. Important was the action of the Squadron in a combined operation with the British, against targets in Northern Thrace and over Gallipoli and against the German warships Goeben and Breslau (respectively renamed Yavuz Sultan Selim and Midilli), which had joined the Ottoman fleet with German crews. Their exit to the Aegean on January 20, 1918 mobilized the Allies and became known as the "Goeben situation". The Ottoman ships were silently pursued by the combined actions of Greek and British aviators.
During the operations, Moraitinis was particularly distinguished, who shot down with a Sopwith Camel 1F.1 pursuit three enemy aircraft, which tried to intercept the allied bombers. During the bombing, Rear Admiral Spyridon Hambas was shot down and killed on August 21, 1918, by the German "ace" pilot Emil Meinecke. With a new law on March 24, 1918, the NAS was reorganized numbering four Divisions , a force of 43 aircraft and air bases in P. Faliro, Thassos, Moudros, Stavros and Sounio.
In June 1918, the NAS carried out operations on targets in Asia Minor, wiping out enemy aviation from the South Aegean. After the capitulation of the Ottoman Empire, a Greek Squadron led by Pilot Aristides Moraitini flew to the airport of Ag. Stefanou, in Istanbul. The appearance of the Greek aviators in the city was enthusiastically received by the Greek population there. The sudden death of Aristotle Moraitini in a plane crash on December 22, 1918 was a significant blow to the Naval Aviation.
Aircraft of the Period 1914-1918
Military Aviation
Breguet 14 A2 (reconnaissance/military cooperation)/B2 (bomber)
Caudron G.3 (training/recognition)
Dorand AR1 (recognition)
Farman F.40 (recognition )
Nieuport 24/24bis/27 (pursuit)
Spad VII (pursuit)
Spad XIII (pursuit)
Naval Aviation
Airco De Havilland DH 4 (bomber)
Airco De Havilland DH 6 (trainer)
Airco De Havilland DH 9 (bomber)
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 (trainer/recognition/light bomber)
Bristol Scout C (recon/fighter)
Henry Farman HF.22 (training seaplane)
Short 184 (recon/bomber/torpedo plane)
Sopwith Baby (recon/bomber)
Sopwith Bat-Boat (aircraft)
Sopwith Camel 1F.1 (pursuit)
Sopwith Greek Seaplane (training seaplane)
Sopwith Pup (pursuit)
Sopwith Strutter 9400 Fighter (Stalker/Fighter)
Sopwith Strutter 9700 Bomber (Fighter)
Sopwith Triplane (Stalker/Identifier)
SOURCE:AIR FORCE