The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-02
GREECE HAS MANY
 VETERAN SOLDIERS
Interesting Figures Brought into Limelight by War
REAL GENIUS OF LAND
General Dousmanis Has Made Rapid Strides, Arriving at Supreme COm- mand at Age of 54-King Great
 Figure in Eyes of the Greeks

Athens, Greece, December 16.-(Corre- spondence of the Associated Press) Should Greece enter the European war arena some interesting military figures will be added to those already in the martial limelght, for Greece has seen quite a few wars since the middle nineties indeed, she has seen little else and there has grown up among a certain class of the Creek people strong military tradi- ton.
 To the average Greek the great military figure of his country is Constantine l, the King of the Creeks But his greatness rests rather on the tenacity and enthu- siasm with which ho has constantly kept at the business of building Up a Greek army and the personal courage with which he has taken the active command of his Country's troops in the last two successful wars. That he is a military genius in any sense. none of the real military men of the country pretend. The real military genius of Greece in the as yet merely Balkan sphere ot his activi-
  of brigade. chief of the general staff of Greece. In Greece only the King is a flelG marshal and Constantine I is field marshal not only of Greece, but of Prus- sia Us well.
 For his age, General Dousmanis has made rapid strides to arnVe 2t the su- preme effective command of the army of
 men m tlnle of peace and, roughly, 35o0Oo men iu time of War. He was born on August 20 Greek calendar-Septembef ?, our caiendar--1S61, on the Island of Cor flu, He has been a professional soldier all his life, graduating from the military school and entering the regular army at once as a second lieutenant in 1883, where he had a rapid rise in the engineering branch of the service.
 IN TURKISH WAR
 When the disastrous war with Turkey was undertaken in 1897, Dousmanis had already been a captain seven years He was attached to the general staff of the then Crown Prince, now the King. As much below medium stature as the King is above average height, as dark as the King is blonde as silent and unsmiling as the King is expansive and genial, the two were in great contrast, though General Dousmanis is seven years older than his sovereign. Throughout that war and the long years that followed in which Prince Constantine planned and effected the re- generation of the Greek army, Dousmanis was his right hand man. They shared and still share the same admiration for or belief in the Prussian system and de- spite the training of the Greek army as q whole by a French military mission, King Constantine and his chief of staff have succeeded in putting upon the off evrs ct the army thoroughly Prussian stamp.
 During the successful war against the Ottoman empire in 1912 the then Lieuten- ant Colonel Dousmanis was again at- tached to the staff of Crown Prince Con stantine and when the latter became King he was made chief of the general staff, post which he held through the war against Bulgaria and has held since. fn addition he was also his sovereigns aide-de-camp in the war and he tells story which the King himself confirms, that the two were with the young Crown Prince George watching the battle of Kill kich from behind a cemetery wall when rife bullet struck the gold wrist watch on Prince Georges arm, clipping the watch off neatly and smashing it beyond repair though not even leaving scratch on the Princes wrist. Both the King and his chief of staff believe in being where they can see what is going on in battle.
 Speaking of the honors which have from
  is characteristic of General Dousmanis that he could only remember two-that he is commander of the Order of the Savior, Greek order, and wears the grand cor don of the Grown of Prussia.
 An entirely different type is General Constantine Moskopoulos, general of di- vision, and commander of the Third Creek army, with headquarters at Salonil1i, He is an older man than General Dousmanis, having been born in Constantinope dur ing the Crimean war. in 1854 He, too is a professional soldier, graduating from the military academy in 1877 and entering the artillery corps. where he shortly made name for himself in the Mountain Ar tillery corps.
 MOUNTAIN FIGHTER
 General MoskopoG!os Is 8 specialist in telsing mountains. If Greece should ever enter the war he will he most useful to- the European commanders in showing them how, to get over trackless peaks. He has no appearance of a rugged noun taineer, however -dandifed, agreeable, ta!kative. littis man with upturned, waxed blonde mustache, gold wrist watch and half a dozen heavy rings on his fingers
 Nevertheless, at the battle of Saranda- pculo in the war against Turkey in 1912, already a general of division, he received the order from the Crown Prince Con- stantine to cross Mount Kanvouian and attack the Turks from the rear at Sa- randa poalo. His men had to march single file, and made line IA miles long. He reached Rakhovo in the evening and at- tackled the enemy the following morning at o'clock. The struggle was one be- tween mountain guns and field pieces, and General Moskopoulos mountain artillery won the day, A of the Turkish pieces falling into the hands of the Greeks. In similar fashion the general crossed Mount velnious for the battle Of Costanja and Mount I.itzika to attack the fortress of Vesanjoul.
 The story is told that at Florina Gen. eral Moskopoulos appeared suddenly be- fore the city and sent word to the Turkish commander couched in the following teims "Surrender or I shall attack at once with all my divisions" The Turkish commander was amazed, He had no idea that there were so many Greeks in the vicinity. with all his divisions!' ex- claimed the poor Turk. "Alah's will be done,,' And he surrendered 30 cannon, regiment of cavalry and several thousand miscellaneous infantry.
 General Moskopoulos had just one di- vision.
 Possibly the best known of Greece's warriors is General O.. Douglis. general Of brigade, commanding the Fifth Greek army. with headquarters at Jouina. Until recently he was minister of war in Ven izelos' ill-starred cabinet, and counted a very able man. Comparatively young, he too had made a reputation in the three wars Greece has waged since 1897 Af- fable. courteous, more widely travelled Aa1r nl6 vii