CHristos S. Fotopoulos

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Christos Sotiriou Fotopoulos was born in 1930 in Aigio, where he completed his secondary education. In 1948, he entered the Hellenic Military Academy and graduated in 1950 as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. He served as a commander, instructor, and staff officer in various units, groups, and formations of the Special Forces and Infantry, as well as a staff officer at the Hellenic Army General Staff (HAGS). He attended all the prescribed schools for Second Lieutenants, Lieutenants, Captains, and Majors of the Infantry and Commandos, and additionally trained at the Paratroopers School. From the rank of Colonel to Lieutenant General, he held the following positions: - Colonel Commander of the 1st Commando Regiment - Colonel Chief of Staff of the III Special Forces Division - Brigadier Deputy Commander of the III Special Forces Division - Brigadier Director of the Organization Directorate (DOR) of HAGS - Brigadier Commander of the 95th National Guard Higher Command - Major General Director of the A' Branch of HAGS - Major General Director of the X Infantry Division - Lieutenant General Deputy Chief of HAGS (B' Deputy Chief of HAGS) - Lieutenant General General Army Inspector (GAS) He retired in 1986 and was awarded the title of Honorary GAS. He is a graduate of the Higher War School and the National Defense School and served as a professor of military art at the Hellenic Military Academy as a Lieutenant Colonel. He participated as a volunteer in the military operations of the Hellenic Expeditionary Force in Korea (1953) with the rank of Lieutenant (Platoon Leader). He has been honored with the Golden Cross of Valour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix, the Commander of the Order of Honour, and several other Greek and allied decorations and medals. During his active service in the army and especially after his retirement, he has been systematically involved in historical research in the field of the Greek army and has authored studies, military regulations, historical books, and historical monographs, mainly on the special forces and the Hellenic Military Academy. He is an active member of the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece.