(1921). After finishing school in Karditsa, he joined the 5th Infantry Regiment as a volunteer in 1904. He fought in the
Macedonian Struggle, and participated in the military
coup of 1909. He entered the NCO School in 1910 and, after being assigned to the rank 2nd lieutenant in 1912, he fought with distinction in the
Balkan Wars, where he earned his nickname "The Black Rider". He first rose to wider prominence when, as a major, he supported the
Movement of National Defence of
Eleftherios Venizelos during the
First World War. He fought with distinction with the
Archipelago Division at the battle of
Skra-di-Legen and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In 1919, Plastiras commanded the
5/42 Evzone Regiment in the
Ukraine, as part of an
Allied force aiding the
White Army in their ultimately unsuccessful fight against the
Red Army. His force was then transferred to
Smyrna in
Asia Minor via
Romania. After the change in power in Greece (November 1920) and the return of king
Constantine, he was the only officer, who had participated in the National Defence movement, who was not dismissed from the army. The men of his Regiment warned that they wouldn't fight under another commander. During the
Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, the Turks called Plastiras
Kara Biber ("The Black Pepper"), while the 5/42 Regiment of Evzones became known as the
Şeytanın Askerleri ("Satan's Army"). Soon after, at the
battle of Sakarya, the Greeks were forced to begin their retreat. . Asia Minor, 1922. After the Turkish breakthrough in August 1922, his unit have been ordered to counterattack at Kamelar mountain to regain Greek's positions. He didn't try on 13 August, but he did try and failed the following day. For this failure he was accused to be responsible for the 4th Greek Infantry Division destruction, supposed to get accusations on a court marshal. His unit, 5/42 Evzones Regiment, was among others withdrawing orderly to the coast, fighting off superior Turkish forces and having serious casualties. The remnants of the Hellenic Army made their way to the islands of the Eastern Aegean.
September 1922 Revolution The Army's resentment at the political leadership in
Athens resulted in the outbreak of the
11 September 1922 Revolution, led by Plastiras, Colonel
Stylianos Gonatas and Commander Phokas. Having the support of the Army and much of the people, the revolutionary officers quickly entered Athens and assumed control of the country. He is reported by
Penelope Delta, witness of the events, to have said to the crowd: "Why do you cheer? We lost, we came destroyed". Plastiras forced
King Constantine I to abdicate, called upon the exiled
Venizelos to lead the negotiations with Turkey which culminated in the
Treaty of Lausanne, and set about to
reorganize the Army of Thrace against any Turkish advance (eastern Thrace was still in Greek hands). One of the most controversial acts of the revolutionary government was the trial and execution of five
royalist politicians, including former PM
Dimitrios Gounaris, and the former Commander-in-Chief, General
Georgios Hatzianestis, on 28 November 1922 as those mainly responsible for the
Asia Minor Disaster, in the infamous "
Trial of the Six". Plastiras faced multiple challenges in governing Greece. The 1.3 million refugees from the population exchange had to be catered for in a country with a ruined economy, internationally isolated and internally divided. The
Corfu incident, and a
botched Royalist coup in October 1923 were evidence of this. After the failed royalist coup,
King George II was forced to leave the country. Nonetheless, he managed to restore some order to the state and to lay the groundwork for the
Second Hellenic Republic. After the elections of December 1923 for the new National Assembly, he resigned from the army on 2 January 1924, retiring to private life. In recognition of his services to the country, the National Assembly declared him "worthy of the fatherland" and conferred to him the rank of lieutenant general in retirement. Plastiras was even admired by his greatest enemy,
Mustafa Kemal. At the end of the war, during the negotiations that took place regarding the exchange of populations between Greece and the newly formed Republic of Turkey, Atatürk is quoted telling Plastiras, "I gave gold and you gave me copper." == Political career ==