Subsequently he served as adjutant to King George I of Greece and King Constantine I of Greece during the Balkan Wars. He was then promoted to Major General and appointed commander of the newly raised 11th Infantry Division at Thessaloniki in late 1913. From this position he was among the main driving figures behind the pro-Venizelist National Defence coup d'état of August 1916, which established the Provisional Government of National Defence in the city. He helped organize the new government's army, and led the National Defence Army Corps on the Macedonian front in 1917 and until the Battle of Skra-di-Legen in May 1918. During the Battle of Doiran in 1918 he commanded the Greek forces (Serres Division and Crete Division).