19 Facts About Napoleon Zervas

Napoleon Zervas was a Hellenic Army officer and resistance leader during World War II.

Napoleon Zervas organized and led the National Republican Greek League, the second most significant, in terms of size and activity, resistance organization against the Axis Occupation of Greece.

Napoleon Zervas was a Venizelist, and in 1916 was among the first to join the venizelist Movement of National Defense in Thessaloniki.

Napoleon Zervas served with distinction in many battles of the Macedonian front during World War I, being eventually promoted to major.

Napoleon Zervas only returned to Athens in late 1922, after the Revolution of September 1922, and rejoined the army.

Nevertheless, Napoleon Zervas participated in the coup d'etat of 22 August 1926, led by General Georgios Kondylis, that overthrew Pangalos.

Napoleon Zervas confronted Kondylis a month later, when the new strongman sought to disarm and dissolve the Republican Guard.

However, two years later, the newly established republican government of Eleftherios Venizelos, granted him amnesty and Napoleon Zervas was named lieutenant colonel in retirement.

Notably, the platform of EDES did not mention armed resistance, and only after Napoleon Zervas was bribed with 24,000 gold sovereigns from an agent of the British Special Operations Executive did he agree to take to the mountains to wage guerrilla war.

Obese and a hypochondriac, Napoleon Zervas was reluctant to take up the arduous life of an andarte, preferring to stay in Athens.

Napoleon Zervas was very much a traditional guerrilla leader whose status as an archigos was based upon his charisma, and his political platform was notably vague beyond its call to restore the republic.

Napoleon Zervas incorporated not only Republicans but increasingly royalists into his movement, who saw EDES as the only acceptable alternative to EAM, the Communist-dominated rival resistance movement that had established itself over most of the country.

EOEA's activities were largely confined to Epirus, but Napoleon Zervas had some control of Aetolia-Acarnania, in the Valtos area.

The British substantially increased the supply of arms to EDES after Napoleon Zervas proclaimed his loyalty to the king, and in course of 1943 EDES received twice the amount of weapons that EAM received from Britain.

On 18 June 1944, EDES forces under Napoleon Zervas with Allied support launched an attack on Paramythia, in Thesprotia.

On 15 February 1945, after the defeat of ELAS in Athens by the governmental and British forces, Napoleon Zervas dissolved the remnants of his guerrilla force in Corfu.

Napoleon Zervas then served as Minister of Public Works in Sophoklis Venizelos' cabinets from 2 September 1950 to 30 September 1951, holding the portfolio of Merchant Marine until 1 February 1951.

Napoleon Zervas did not manage his reelection in the Parliament at the next elections and withdrew from politics.

The House of General Napoleon Zervas Museum opened in November 2022, its exhibits cover Zervas' life and EDES' resistance activity.