The internment of the 4th Corps of the Greek Army in Görlitz 1916–1918

Abstract

The article analyses the circumstances surrounding the internment of the Fourth Greek Army Corps in the German city of Görlitz during the First World War. The aim of the study is to present the causes of this unique situation and the course of the Greek soldiers’ stay in Germany. The author employed the historical method, relying on an analysis of political events connected with Greek neutrality and the conflict between supporters of King Constantine I and Eleftherios Venizelos. As demonstrated, following the advance of Bulgarian forces into Eastern Macedonia in 1916, the commander of the Fourth Corps, Colonel Ioannis Hatzopoulos, approached the German authorities with a proposal to transport his units to Germany in order to avoid capitulation to the enemy. Germany accepted the proposal, and approximately 6,500 Greek soldiers were interned in Görlitz. Initially, they were provided with relatively good living conditions, which gradually deteriorated as the war continued and Greece joined the Entente camp. In the final stage of the war, the presence of the internees became an increasing burden on the city. The conclusions indicate that the internment of the Fourth Corps was a consequence of the Greek political crisis and the policy of neutrality and constituted a unique episode in the history of the First World War.