Kleftopolemos
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Kleftopolemos (Greek: Κλεφτοπόλεμος) was a military tactic during the Greek War of Independence. These were surprise attacks carried out by the rebel Greeks against the Ottomans following an ambush.[1] Kleftopolemos is the only military tactic that has been preserved by tradition until the Greek revolution.
Without knowledge of it, it is impossible to understand the struggles of the Greek nation under Turkish rule. The core of his fighting forces are armatoles and klepht. He was the one who, during the Turkish occupation, kept the morale of the Greeks high and, during the struggle, contributed the most to the liberation of Greece from the Turkish occupation.[2]
History of kleftopolemos[edit]
Although the term was first used by thieves, the tactic is ancient. The conventional mode of hostilities, using a regular army, is a relatively recent invention. It was established with the development of agrarian societies, which could build fortifications and a regular army. In the history of mankind only a few states had organized armies and even very recently, close to historical times.[3]
Examples of stealth warfare, in modern times, we find in the American Revolution (1776–1783), as well as in the Napoleonic Campaign in Russia, where Russian rebels acted against Napoleon's army.[4]
In the Greek area, operations in the form of stealth warfare were carried out during the Greek revolution but also earlier in individual revolutionary movements.[5]
Tactic[edit]
The tactics used by the Greeks in stealth warfare were first developed in the Balkans by the Albanians. The tactic responded to the need for small groups to fight while minimizing their losses. Each group was a separate military element, and the personal safety of each member was so important that it was considered a crime to injure someone if they were trying to distinguish themselves or gain personal glory, because to do so would endanger the whole group. The Greeks followed this way of war, since the Turkish army was numerically superior.[6] During their conflicts with the Turks, the tactics of surprise, ambush and hiding were applied, while in attacks by the Turks they defended themselves with natural or artificial fortifications (drums).
They fought scattered, standing or kneeling, behind whatever they found in front of them: behind a wall, a tree, a rock or even the corpses of their enemies. These covers were called meterizia. Sometimes surrounded, pinned down for days and nights and even deprived of water, food and sleep, they found the strength (at times when the enemy thought they were exhausted and ready to surrender) to jump from their positions and make the so-called yürüyüş, the desperate raid. That is, to rush upon them, to open a way with their spears through their lines and to escape. In other cases, resistance to the death was their usual tactic, knowing full well that there was no other hope of salvation.[7] The basic elements that characterize the conduct of traditional stealth warfare are: ambushes, surprise, wearing down the opponent and a quick retreat. These elements were later adopted by regular armies in the "Special Forces".[8]
The tactics and logic of stealth warfare throughout the ages can be summed up in what Sun Tzu has said in «The Art of War»:[9]
Every war is based on cunning. Therefore, when you can, feign helplessness, when you are active, feign inactivity. When you are near, make it seem that you are far, when you are far, show that you are near. Offer the enemy a decoy, to mislead him, pretend to scatter your forces and hit him. When he gathers, prepare against him, where possible avoid him. Enrage the enemy general and confuse him. Keep him under pressure and wear him down. When he has unity, divide him. Attack where he is unprepared. Hit him when he's not expecting you. These are the secrets of victory. -Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Armor[edit]
The main weapons used in stealth warfare during the period of the Greek Revolution of 1821 were the pistols, the rifle, the knife and the yatagan.
The evolution of kleftopolemos[edit]
Today's kleftopolemos is an evolution of Guerrilla warfare. This type of warfare has been successfully tested mainly in the struggle of colonized peoples against occupying forces, by citizens resisting dictatorships or even civil wars. What has changed is that the rural character of the war has receded, as it manifests itself in urban areas, while at the same time it has assumed a political character.
References[edit]
- ^ https://el.wiktionary.org
- ^ Απόστολος Βακαλόπουλος (2000). Ιστορία του Νέου Ελληνισμού. Vol. Β’. Θεσσαλονίκη: Αντ.Σταμούλη. ISBN 9789608353275.
- ^ "foreignaffairs".
- ^ Νέα μεγάλη σύγχρονη Εγκυκλοπαίδεια. Αθήνα: Γιοβάνη. 1983.
- ^ Γούλας, Θοδωρής (1961). Σύγχρονο λεξικό ελληνικής γλώσσας. Άτλας.
- ^ Douglas Dakin, Ο Αγώνας των Ελλήνων για την Ανεξαρτησία, 1821-1831, ΜΙΕΤ, 1983, σελ.97-101
- ^ Βακαλόπουλος, Απόστολος (2000). Ιστορία του Νέου Ελληνισμού, τομ. Β’. Θεσσαλονίκη: Εκδοτικός οίκος Αντ.Σταμούλη. ISBN 9789608353275.
- ^ "Ειδικές δυνάμεις-Εκπαίδευση". Γενικό Επιτελείο Στρατού-Διεύθυνση Ειδικών Δυνάμεων. 2015-03-23. Archived from the original on 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
- ^ Taber, Robert (1976). R.Taber ( O πόλεμος του ψύλλου .Θεωρία και πρακτική του ανταρτοπολέμου, Εκδόσεις Κάλβος 1976 ,Μετ. Σ.Μάνδρος). Αθήνα: Εκδόσεις Κάλβος.