Dimitrios Matthaiopoulos

Who was Dimitrios Matthaiopoulos?

Dimitrios Matthaiopoulos was a senior Greek Army officer who participated in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913.

He was born in Piraeus in 1861, entered the Greek Army Academy and was commissioned as an Engineer officer on 24 March 1881. He participated in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, taught at the Army Academy and published numerous books and studies on military engineering. In 1911–1912, as Colonel, he supervised the construction of fortifications around Larissa.

During the mobilization before the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Matthaiopoulos was placed as CO of the 5th Infantry Division, newly formed from reservists. During the war, he was tasked with covering the left flank of the Army of Thessaly through his division's advance into Western Macedonia. His division however was attacked by superior Ottoman troops and driven back at the Battle of Sorovich, on 22–24 October 1912. Dismissed from his command, he was placed in charge of the 8th Infantry Division in the Army of Epirus, with which he participated in the Battle of Bizani.

After the Balkan Wars, he was promoted to the rank of Major General, and continued in service until November 1922, when he went into retirement with the rank of Lieutenant General. He died in December 1923.