Greek Army uniforms The modern Greek Army has a history of over 180 years , during which has undergone dramatic changes and been involved in some of the major conflicts on the European continent . The modern Greek military throughout its history was closely following international developments in equipment and uniforms . With the notable exception of the elite " Evzones " units , which based their uniforms on the indigenous traditional garments of the 18th century , the rest of the Army , as most militaries worldwide , was always quick to adopt the military fashion current among the armies of the influential Great Powers . This influence can be roughly divided in three periods : French - style uniforms , which dominated throughout the 19th century ( with many Bavarian elements during the reign of King Otto , and some Austrian and Russian influences later on ) , the British styles introduced around World War I and used during World War II and until the late 1960s , and the " NATO " or US - style predominating from ca . 1968 onward . Various individual items or details can of course be traced to other influences , and there were also transitional uniforms combining previous designs . Early 19th century . Greek War of Independence . The army that fought the Greek Revolution was composed primarily of irregulars , who followed their own military leaders or " captains " , and had no uniform code of dress . The first uniformed Greek unit however was the short - lived Sacred Band formed by Alexander Ypsilantis in the Danubian Principalities . Its uniform was black , inspired by Russian models and the uniforms of Brunswick , including the death ' s head emblem on the men ' s visor less shako s . In Greece itself , uniforms of West European cut and black colour arrived in 1822 , and were meant to be used by the newly established " Regular Corps " . The Greeks however largely preferred their native garb , and only in 1825 , when French Colonel Charles Fabvier assumed command of the regular forces , did a uniform , imported from Britain , begin to be used . It consisted of a blue coat , grey trousers ( identical to those of the British Army ) , white leather equipment and a black leather , classically - looking helmet . In 1828 , Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias supplied the reorganised army with French - style uniforms , and issued a standardised version of the traditional dress for the irregular forces . His reforms however faltered after his assassination , and by 1832 , for all intents and purposes , the regular Greek Army was non - existent . Reign of King Otto . When the Bavarian prince Otto arrived in Greece , he was accompanied by a Bavarian Expeditionary Corps . The Greek Army was reorganised , and new , Bavarian - style uniforms , were issued , which in turn were greatly influenced by French and Russian models . The basic Line Infantry uniform was light blue , with white breeches during summer , with bright red collar , piping and cuff facings . Staff officers , Artillery and Engineer Corps soldiers wore a dark blue uniform , with red and black as the branch of service color for the Artillery and the Engineers respectively . A shako was worn as headdress , featuring the blue - white national cockade and King Otto ' s royal cypher , a crowned " O " . The cavalry alone adopted a uniform based on that of the Polish lancers , in green with cherry red as its branch of service color . The " Phalanx " , a special corps formed of pensioned officers of the Revolution , and the Mountain Guard battalions , wore standardised versions of the traditional garb , the former quite elaborate and embellished with gold embroidery , the latter plainer . A new uniform style was adopted in 1851 , effectively copying the new French uniform styles , and was retained until after the ousting of Otto in 1862 . Late 19th century ( 1868 – 1908 ) . The new uniform , adopted in 1869 , remained faithful to the French style . The officers ' dress uniform ( " great uniform " , μεγάλη στολή ) consisted of a dark blue , pocketless , hip - length tunic with stand - up collar and epaulettes ( double - breasted for Artillery officers ) , with straight light blue trousers for Infantry and dark blue for other branches , while the shako was replaced by a kepi sporting a large feather plume . The Cavalry again retained a separate uniform style , with green Hussar - style tunics and breeches , cherry red branch colour and silver braid . Other ranks wore a simplified version of the same uniform both as dress and field uniforms . The leather equipment was black and of French design , to complement the standard - issue " fusil Gras " rifle . The officers ' dress uniform was retained through subsequent changes in uniform styles , and continues in use today as the No . 1 uniform . Its use however is limited to the officers serving in the Army Academy . The officers ' field uniform followed Austro - Hungarian models , with the tunic being dark blue woolen in winter and white cotton during the summer , featuring fly - hidden buttons and scalloped pocket flaps . There were no epaulettes ; rank was exhibited on the collar with tabs and bullion stars . Breeches were worn with high leather boots . French - style leather equipment and a sabre were carried in battle . The " Evzones " battalions were also formed at the time , and acquired a uniform very similar to the one still used today as the ceremonial dress of the Presidential Guard . Around the Balkan Wars ( 1908 – 1915 ) . Following the humiliating defeat of 1897 by the Ottomans , the urgent need for modernisation was felt by both the Government and the Staff of the Greek Army . The idea of khaki uniforms was introduced , just few years after the British had introduced their service dress , making Greece one of the first countries to adopt a modern look for its military . The use of off - white and drab uniforms was already common for summer use of the officers , who traditionally had the option of choosing privately tailored items . It was soon expanded with the universal introduction of the 1908 model for other ranks . This uniform included a near - copy of the British four - pocket tunic of the time , in olive green wool cloth or serge , with the addition of pipings and removable shoulder boards in branch - of - service colour cloth ( Red : Infantry and Staff ; Bright red - purple : Cavalry ; Dark red - burgundy : Artillery ; Light Blue : Engineers ; Dark Blue : Gendarmerie ) . Brass - metal buttons were used for the majority of uniforms . The pants were straight with side pipings , designed to cover the ankle lace - boots , but in campaign the majority of soldiers found these cumbersome and used cloth puttees or stuffed them in their boots to hold them tight . A khaki single - breasted greatcoat was issued for winter . The black equipment was also replaced by a natural - brown leather set . The first type of headgear was a German - style peaked cap , but this was soon replaced by the older French - style kepi but now in khaki wool and leather chinstrap , adorned with branch - pipings and an embroidered Greek royal cockade . In periods of mobilization older stocks continued being used for auxiliary units , mainly older caps and items of black leather . Minor variations of the 1908 uniform and equipment were issued to specialist units , e . g . breeches , high - boots and bandoliers to cavalry troopers . Similar developments followed with the officers ' uniforms . After a period of unstandardised changes , these settled on the model 1910 . Their smart tunic was made in a higher quality olive - green wool , incorporating the internal scalloped pockets and standing collar of the Austrian army , but with branch pipings and Russian - style rank boards . The headgear was a khaki kepi with leather peak , gold - metal pipings ( silver for Cavalry and Engineers ) and a bullion - cockade , and the pants were piped riding breeches , usually worn with high boots or ankle boots and puttees . The equipment was brown leather , with a French - style pistol holster and a binocular case . During this period , all officers brought their sabres in campaign . The ceremonial uniforms nevertheless remained more or less the same as those at the start of the 20th century , in navy - blue and colour and bullion decorations , and topped with the historical kepi in elaborate designs . This remained as the " great uniform " virtually unchanged until the 1960s . During World War I and Greco - Turkish War ( 1915 – 1922 ) . The years 1913 – 1915 saw the introduction of many non - standard and transitional officer ' s uniforms , until finally , the new khaki wool model 1915 uniforms were introduced . These entailed minor changes to the other ranks ' uniform , mainly simplification by removing most coloured decorations , introducing collar tabs in branch - colour and the standard issue of cloth puttees . Branch colours were revised to help easier identification ( Green for Cavalry ; Black for Artillery ) . The officers ' uniform changed though significantly , adopting the changes that were already implemented by King Constantine and his staff in their private tunics , plus a return to the German - style cap that Constantine preferred . The new tunic was more practical for campaign , closer to the modern French and British styles . Wider - cut , it had bigger , external pockets pleated on the breast , scalloped flaps and stand and fall collar . The pipings were replaced by a pair of branch - colour collar tabs with metal buttons and the Russian boards were replaced by smaller straps . The highly visible cap metal pipings were replaced with subdued rank stripes of brown colour . The old - style leather equipment was replaced by a fashionable Sam Browne and a Webley revolver - style holster . The only major change introduced to the above uniform with the entry of Greece to the war in 1917 , was the return of the kepi by the revolutionary government of Salonika . The kepi thus came to represent the Venizelos ' faction in the course of the National Schism against the Royalist government of Athens , and symbolised the alliance with the French - led Entente . When Constantine left in exile , the new government phased - in the kepi headgear for all the Army officers . Other items of French origin saw widespread use during these wars , including the Lebel rifle leather equipment , the Adrian helmet , painted dark olive and the " bonnet de police " in khaki wool . This uniform was used in Ukraine and Asia Minor , along with stocks of French World War I style that were rushed in to equip the excess troops . The main khaki service dress remained virtually unchanged until the late thirties . Second World War . The 1908 pattern for other ranks in khaki wool remained virtually unchanged and was the uniform issued en masse to the troops that were deployed in the Greco - Italian War of 1940 and the brief Battle of Greece . Changes were significant only in the equipment , which by this time was a motley collection of Austrian , German , French and British patterns , reflecting a similar vast variety in personal arms . In contemporary pictures it appears though that the front - line troops had a relative homogeneous appearance . The majority were equipped with a new Model 1934 helmet , which was based on the contemporary Italian shell in field green colour , but without vents and with a locally produced leather liner . The main ammunition carrier was the Mannlicher twin - pouch and the Mauser triple - pouch , according to the rifle issued to the unit . Significant number of older French - design Lebel stocks were still in use , especially in support troops . A minority of front - line troops were issued with the 1915 Adrian helmet and British Brodie helmet , as the newer pattern was not received in adequate numbers . Due to the heavy winter conditions in Albania , the outfit was for most of the campaign covered by the long model 1908 woolen overcoat , single breasted , with turned down collar and rear semi - belt . The decorations on these uniforms were limited to a minimum . In contrast to regulations , only a minority of tunics and coats had the prescribed branch - color collar tabs . These colors remained the same as in WW1 , and expanded to include more specialist troops . A new pattern of NCO rank stripes similar to the British chevrons , did not see universal adoption before the outbreak of the war , and the older patterns were still seen . The officers ' uniforms came in the thirties much closer to the British pattern of service dress with the adoption of an open collar intended to be worn with shirt and woolen tie , again with riding breeches , boots and a Sam Browne belt . The headgear in the late 1930s turned for good to a British - type leather peaked cap in khaki , with the exception of the Gendarmerie and the Hellenic Army Academy , which kept their traditional kepi . Officer rank insignia also changed from the colourful old Russian - style shoulderboards to a more subdued , British - style system . In 1938 a new pattern of forage cap was also introduced which was similar to the contemporary British , but with the Greek royal cockade in metal . By this time swords and sabre s were limited to ceremonial use and a pistol was the main sidearm . As the war progressed , much of the supplies were depleted and the Greek Army increasingly had to use new stocks of British military aid . At the last stages of the Battle of Greece , a significant number of troops was using battledress and the brodie helmet . The reconstituted free Greek Army in Egypt was completely reequipped with British uniforms and arms , which they kept throughout the Italian campaign and the first stages of the Greek Civil War . During these years , the new Greek Army was , outwardly , virtually indistinguishable from the forces of the British Commonwealth . Post war . The loyalist National Army fought the Civil War in British khaki battledress , wearing Brodie helmet s , equipped in the majority with British arms . During their participation in the Korea War , the Greek Army were amply supplied with American stocks , parts of which they continued using in the sixties . Officers uniforms were virtually identical to the British battle dress and service dress of the era . The woolen battledress was progressively replaced during the years of the Military Junta of 1967 - 1974 , giving a more US - like appearance with Olive Green cotton fatigues and webbing , along with the global issue of locally produced M1 helmet s in Dark Green colours . Dark - green uniforms inspired by the contemporary US - ones were also developed for the officers in the 70s , while insignia and ranks remained those of the British - type as before . Camouflage had limited issue to elite units since the 60s , like the Alpine Commandos ( LOK ) . The camouflage chosen was the French lizard type . This became the base for the expansion of camouflage to all troops by the early nineties , when the Greek Army reached its current appearance in uniforms .