THE EVZONOI

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 95, 18 April 1941, Page 3

THE EVZONOI

Greek Shock Troops The Evzonoi (pronounced Evzonee)the skirted Greek mountain warriors | who have wrought such havoc among -Mussolini’s blackshirts — have a tradition of military glory that stretches back to Greece’s War of Independence in 1821, Under Theodore Kolocontronis, Greece’s George Washington, they played a memorable part in wresting the freedom of Hellas from the Turk, In the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, Evzonoi soundly trounced the Bulgarians when they treacherously sought to seize the province of Macedonia from the Greeks, their own allies. And further laurels for gallantry were won by these hardy mountaineers in the First World War. Evzonoi in Greek means "He who has a slim, beautiful waist." It stands for strength, courage, and sureness of footthe qualities most respected by a tough mountain people. In battle, the Evzonoi wear over their frilled skirts knee-length khaki overcoats, and khaki caps replace the red tasseled fez. Otherwise their picture postcard uniform remains unchanged; white cotton shirt, white woollen stockings held up by black tasseled garters, and red _ slipperlike shoes adorned with puffs of black wool. This costume-an outgrowth of the uniform of the soldiers of Ancient _Greece-was, until 50 years ago, the national dress of the peasants of Epirus, Thessaly, and the Peloponnesus. It was abandoned largely for reasons of economy: the frilled skirt alone requires 45 yards of material. The Evzonoi &ctually constitute only a small fraction of Greece’s fighting forces. There are no more than three brigades of them-15,000 men in all. Their duties are those of "shock" troops -scouting, surprise raids, harassing tactics, bayonet charges, and mopping-up operations. Their armament consists of a rifle and bayonet, with hand grenades, and light machine-guns for special occasions. They carry no tents, field kitchens or other equipment that would impede lightning action. They sleep wherever they happen to be fighting — behind a reck, on a dried-up river bed, in a forest. Their specialty is the bayonet charge; it has won their most spectacular victories against the Italians. They have no standard battle-cry, but give vent to a chorus of blood-curdling yells as they bear down upon the enemy.