Sotirios Stasinopoulos Markos / Metaxas Greek 78RPM Private Press

$

50

An extremely rare 78 RPM single with frustratingly little information in regards to it's origins featuring two songs Sotirios Stasinopoulos label featuring a solider in what appears to traditional Evzoni uniform this along with the song title Metaxas referring to I assume Ioannis Metaxas (Greek: ??????? ???????; 12 April 1871 – 29 January 1941) a Greek soldier and politician, serving as Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. An extremely rare WWII related release. An extremely rare disc as neither song has been anthologized in any of the grey market releases I've seen.   
??????? ????????????? Profile: Sotiris Stasinopoulos or "????????" or "???????????" was a Greek folk singer with a career in Greece as well as in America. Born in 1880, Dafni, Kalavrita, Greece and died in 1960, America.  ??????? ????????????? Satirios Stasinopoulos, Sotirios Stasinopoulos, ???. ?????????????, ???????? ?????????????

The Evzones or Evzonoi (Greek: ???????, ???????, pronounced [ev?zones, ev?zoni]), is the name of several historical elite light infantry and mountain units of the Greek Army. Today, it refers to the members of the Presidential Guard (Greek: ????????? ??????; Proedrikí Frourá), a ceremonial unit that guards the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Greek: ??????? ??? ???????? ?????????; Mnimeío tou ?gnostou Strati?ti), the Presidential Mansion in Athens. An Evzone (Greek: ???????) is also known, colloquially, as a Tsoliás (Greek: ???????; pl. , ?????????, Tsoliádes). Evzones are known for their distinctive uniform, which evolved from the clothes worn by the klephts[1] who fought the Ottoman occupation of Greece. The most visible item of this uniform is the fustanella, a kilt-like garment. Their distinctive dress turned them into a popular image for the Greek soldier, especially among foreigners.
In 1833, after the arrival of King Otto, the Greek Army was organized along new lines. The Bavarian soldiers that had come with Otto formed the majority of the "European" Line Infantry battalions (Greek: ??????? ???????; Tágmata Grammís). Each of these units included one rifle company, designated as "Skirmishers" (Greek: ????? ????????????; Lókhos Akrovolistón) or "Evzone" (Greek: ????? ???????; Lókhos Evzónon). In addition, ten light "Skirmisher" battalions (Greek: ??????? ????????????; Tágmata Akrovolistón) were formed from Greeks, dressed in a uniform based on the garb of the klephts of the War of Independence (1821–1829). In 1836 these battalions were reduced to four, and eight "Mountain Guard" battalions (Greek: ??????? ??????????; Tágmata Orofylakís) were formed in their stead; they were grouped into four regiments in 1843. These units were primarily engaged in patrolling the frontier, combating insurgents and hunting down the many brigands that infested the countryside. The Mountain Guard was incorporated in the strengthened "Skirmisher" battalions in 1854.
On 12 December 1868, King George I signed a Royal Decree authorized the creation of four independent (??????????) Evzone Battalions (??????? ???????), "forming part of the Army's regular strength and intended especially for service on the frontier, and in providing assistance to the Gendarmerie.[3] Each battalion was to be commanded by a lieutenant colonel or a major, with a staff of 4 officers and 6 NCOs, and comprising four companies of 122 officers and men each. Their personnel were to be exclusively career and volunteer soldiers, rather than draftees. Prospective recruits had to be of good health and character, over 17 and under 40 years of age, and preferably unmarried.[3] On the same day, due to the precarious security situation, the King also provisionally authorized the creation of eight further Evzone Battalions, numbered 5–12, as well as the increase of each Evzone company's strength to 170.[4] In addition, on the same day a special detachment, initially named Agema (?????), the precursor of the modern Presidential Guard, composed of two Evzone infantry companies and a cavalry company, was formed.[5] In 1880-1881, the Evzone units were expanded to nine battalions. They participated in the disastrous 1897 war with Turkey as elements of the regular infantry divisions. In the aftermath of the war, through various reorganizations, the number of Evzone battalions varied from eight to six, operating either independently or divided between the infantry divisions, and were among the first units to be equipped with machine guns.
At the time of the Balkan Wars, eight Evzone battalions were in existence. They operated independently on the vanguard or the flanks of the army. They distinguished themselves for their fighting spirit suffering high casualties, especially among officers. Subsequently the Evzone units were increased to five regiments, which fought with distinction as elite shock troops in the First World War, the Asia Minor Campaign and the Greco-Italian War.
During the German invasion in 1941, a memorable event is said to have occurred: on April 27, as the German Army was entering Athens, the Germans ascended to the Acropolis of Athens and ordered the young Evzone who was guarding the flag post, Konstantinos Koukidis (q.v.), to haul the Greek flag down and replace it with the swastika flag. The young soldier did so, but refused to hand over the Greek flag to the Germans, and instead wrapped himself in it and fell off the Acropolis to his death.
After the occupation of the country, in 1943, the collaborationist government raised a number of "Security Battalions" (??????? ?????????), which were dressed in the Evzone uniform and participated in operations against the EAM-ELAS partisans.[6] They were derisively known as Germanotsoliades ("German Evzones") or Tagmatasfalites ("Security Battalionists"), and were disbanded after liberation in 1944.
After the war, the reconstituted Hellenic Army did not re-establish the Evzone regiments, their elite status and role being assumed by the newly established Mountain Raiding Companies. The traditions and distinctions of the Evzones are, however, maintained by a special ceremonial unit, which has served under several names: Palace Guard (Greek: ?????????? ??????), Flag Guard (Greek: ?????? ???????), Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Guard (Greek: ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????????), Royal Guard (Greek: ???????? ??????) and after 1974, with the abolition of the monarchy, the Presidential Guard (Greek: ????????? ??????). Several regular Army Infantry units have been given the numbers and names of the post-1913 Evzone Regiments, however, these names are only honorific.
The historical units were numbered and known as ????? ??????? ("Evzone Battalion") or ???????? ??????? ("Evzone Regiment"). The first Evzone Regiment was formed in 1912, shortly before the outbreak of the Balkan Wars. The "traditional" and well-known Evzone regiments, which fought in World War I, the Asia Minor Campaign, and World War II, were formed after the Balkan Wars by the Royal Decree of 23 December 1913. Since the regiments were distinctive, elite units, they had dual numbers—the first, numbering them in the Evzones order of seniority, the second, in the overall infantry hierarchy. Thus the 5/42 Evzone Regiment was the 5th Evzone regiment, but also the 42nd infantry regiment.
1/38 Evzone Regiment, the former 1st Evzone Regiment, based in Karditsa and recruited in Thessaly 2/39 Evzone Regiment, based in Missolonghi and recruited in Aetolia-Acarnania 3/40 Evzone Regiment, based in Arta and recruited in Epirus 4/41 Evzone Regiment, based in Veroia and recruited in western Macedonia 5/42 Evzone Regiment, based in Lamia and recruited in Central Greece
In 1833, the uniform of the Evzones (as in all infantry companies of the line battalions) was in the unpopular Bavarian style of blue trousers, tailcoats and shako. As light infantry the Evzones were distinguished only by green braid and plumes. In 1837, a new uniform was created based on the traditional fustanella style worn by the klephts, armatoli, and many of the famous fighters of the Greek War of Independence. At first, it was only issued to the native light infantry battalions, but its popularity led to its adoption as the official uniform of the Evzones in 1868.
In the 1868 regulations, officers and warrant officers continued wearing the regular Army uniform, but the men of the Evzone battalions were issued a special uniform of a white wool jacket (???????) with dark blue cord embroidery (????????), with the battalion number embroidered in crimson at the end of each sleeve. The jacket was also decorated with two rows of twelve yellow metal buttons in the chest, and eight on the sleeves. A fez (??????) with a silk tassel, bearing the national cockade and the crown was worn on the head, and a knee-length fustanella of white cloth below, closed by a belt of cotton in blue and white stripes. On the feet were worn tsarouchia, and white wool leggings and garters, the former decorated like the west in dark blue embroidery. For poor weather, an "iron-coloured" knee-length cap was issued.[3]
During the remainder of the 19th century, the dress of the separate line battalions of Evzones appears to have differed slightly in detail between units. After a few minor changes over the years, it became the familiar uniform seen worn today by the Presidential Guard. In 1910 a new field service uniform was adopted, substituting a khaki farion cap and khaki doulama jacket for the respectively red and dark blue garments previously worn.[8] The long white woolen hose and turned-up tsarouchia shoes were still retained, although sometimes replaced on campaign by the standard khaki trousers and leather boots of the line infantry.[9] The khaki and off-white field uniform of 1910 was still being worn during the Greek-Italian War of 1940-41, although without the red collar piping and shoulder straps of the earlier uniform. The traditional black fez tassel and large shoe pompoms were usually removed before battle.

Emmanouil Zymvrakakis Ioannis Velissariou Dimitrios Psarros Christodoulos Tsigantes Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos Paul of Greece Prince Peter of Greece and Denmark Konstantinos Koukidis Vangelis Meimarakis Stelios Manolas Nikos Zisis Kostas Sloukas Nikos Pappas


Albanian fustanellë/fustanella fund fustan Aromanian fustanelã fustã fustanã Bulgarian ????????? (fustanela) ????? (fusta) ?????? (fustan) Greek ??????????? (foustanélla) ?????? (foústa) ???????? (foustáni) Italian fustanella gonna Macedonian ?????? fustan ?????? fustan ?????? fustan Megleno-Romanian fustan fustan Romanian fustanel? fust? Serbo-Croatian ????????? fustanela ?????? fistan ?????? fistan Turkish fistan
Ioannis Metaxas (Greek: ??????? ???????; 12 April 1871[1] – 29 January 1941) was a Greek soldier and politician, serving as Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for the first four months of his tenure, and thereafter as the strongman of the authoritarian 4th of August Regime. On 28 October 1940 he declared war against Italy after an ultimatum was imposed by the Italians to surrender Greece to the Axis.

He was born in Ithaca. His family was inscribed in the Libro d'Oro of the Ionian islands[2], previously a Venetian possession, while its roots originated in the Byzantine nobility. He studied at the Supreme Military School became a career military officer, first seeing action in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. After the war, and under the protection of the Prince Constantine, he continued his military studies in the Berlin War Academy, from where he returned to join the General Staff. He was part of the modernizing process of the Greek Army before the Balkan Wars (1912–1913), in which he actively participated. In 1910 he was appointed by Eleftherios Venizelos as his first assistant. In 1912, just before the first Balkan Wars, Venizelos appointed Metaxas to negotiate the military treaty between Greece and Bulgaria. He participated in all the battles of the first Balkan Wars and negotiated the surrender of Thessaloniki on 26 October 1912. In December 1912 he followed Venizelos to negotiate the terms of the peace agreement with Turkey. In April 1913 he was promoted to the rank of Major and was appointed Commander of the Staff. He took part in the Second Balkan War when he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was thereafter appointed as Director of the Army General Staff and as Director of the Senior Military Academy. In October 1913, he was awarded by the King with the Golden Cross of the Savior. During the crisis with Turkey in 1914 on the islands of the Eastern Aegean, Metaxas drafted a plan of sudden escape and occupation of the Dardanelles Strait in the event of war.
A staunch monarchist, Metaxas supported Constantine I and opposed the Greek entry into World War I. Eleftherios Venizelos, the prime minister, resigned over the refusal of the King (and after military objections by Metaxas) to aid the Allied unsuccessful Dardanelles campaign and used the war as the major issue in the elections. When Venizelos won the May 1915 elections, he mobilised the army to aid Serbia, but was dismissed by the king. This dismissal solidified the rift between monarchists and Venizelists, creating the "National Schism" or National Divide that would plague Greek politics for decades. During the National Divide, Metaxas clearly advocated the preservation of neutrality. On 17 February 1915, right after Venizelos and the King's meeting, Metaxas announced his resignation while filing a memorandum explaining why he believed that the operation in the Dardanelles Strait, supported by Venizelos, would fail. According to Metaxas, a military intervention in Asia Minor, on one hand, would weaken the military front of Greece on the border with Bulgaria while the Turkish population in the hinterland of Asia Minor would create unresolved problems for the Greek administration. In August 1916, Venizelist officers launched a revolt in Greece's northern city of Thessaloniki, which resulted in the establishment of a separate "Government of National Defence" under Venizelos. The new government, with the Allied support, expanded its control over half the country and entered the war on the Allies' side. Metaxas was head of the pro-royal forces during the Noemvriana events in Athens. In June 1917, under Allied pressure, King Constantine was deposed and Venizelos came to power, declaring war officially on behalf of the whole country on 29 June 1917.
Antivenizelist, exile and Interwar political career[edit] Metaxas followed the King into exile in Corsica and later found himself with his family to Italy (where being a freemason he got help).[3][4] He returned in Greece, in 1920, after the electoral defeat of Eleftherios Venizelos.
Metaxas was against the Greek campaign in Asia Minor and repeatedly rejected the military leadership of the Greek army. Following the defeat of Greek forces in Asia Minor, King Constantine was again forced into exile by a revolution, this time led by Col. Nikolaos Plastiras. Metaxas moved into politics and founded the Freethinkers' Party on 12 October 1922. However, his association with the failed royalist Leonardopoulos-Gargalidis coup attempt in October 1923 forced him to flee the country. Soon after, King George II (son of Constantine I) was also forced into exile. The monarchy was abolished, and the Second Hellenic Republic proclaimed, in March 1924.
Metaxas returned to Greece soon after, publicly stating his acceptance of the Republic regime. Despite a promising start, and his status as one of the most prominent royalist politicians, Metaxas' foray into politics was not very successful. In the 1926 elections, his Freethinkers' Party claimed 15.78% of the vote and 52 seats in Parliament, putting it almost on a par with the other main royalist party, the People's Party. As a result, Metaxas became Communications Minister in the "ecumenical government" formed under Alexandros Zaimis.
However, infighting within the party and the departure of many members plunged the party to 5.3% and a single seat in the 1928 elections. The 1932 and 1933 elections saw the percentage drop to 1.59%, although the party still returned three MPs, and Metaxas became Interior Minister in the Panagis Tsaldaris cabinet. In the 1935 elections, he cooperated in a union with other small royalist parties, returning seven MPs, repeating the performance in the 1936 elections.
Prime Minister and the 4th of August Regime[edit]
EON's emblem. After a heavily rigged plebiscite, George II returned to take the throne in 1935. After the elections on January 26, 1936, Venizelists and anti-Venizelists could not form a government mainly on the question of the return of the democratic officers of the 1935 movement to the army. In a series of initiatives, King George II was able to play a decisive role in shaping the political scene. On March 5, George II appointed Metaxas the Minister of Defense, a post in which he would remain until his death in 1941. The political significance of this appointment was great since Metaxas was not only a dedicated royalist but one of the few politicians who had supported the imposition of an authoritarian, non-parliamentary regime in Greece. On 14 March, the Demetzis government was sworn in, and Ioannis Metaxas was appointed Vice-President of the government and Minister of Defense. Demetzis died suddenly on April 13 and on the same day, the king, appointed Metaxas Prime Minister. Following a failure by the Liberals (Venizelists) to come to an agreement with the anti-Venizelist parties, the Metaxas government secured a vote of confidence from the House of Parliament on April 27 with 241 votes in favor, 4 abstentions and 16 against. Three days later, the House of Parliament resolved and suspended its work for five months, authorizing the government to issue legislative decrees on all matters, with the agreement of a parliamentary committee which never operated.
Widespread industrial unrest gave Metaxas justification to declare a state of emergency on August 4, 1936. With the king's support, he adjourned parliament indefinitely and suspended various articles of the constitution guaranteeing civil liberties. In a national radio address, Metaxas declared that for the duration of the state of emergency, he would hold "all the power I need for saving Greece from the catastrophes which threaten her." The regime created as a result of this self-coup became known as "the 4th of August Regime" after the date of its proclamation.
The regime's propaganda presented Metaxas as "the First Peasant", "the First Worker" and "the National Father" of the Greeks. Metaxas adopted the title of Arkhigos, Greek for "leader" or "chieftain", and claimed a "Third Hellenic Civilization", following ancient Greece and the Christian Byzantine Empire of the Middle Ages. State propaganda portrayed Metaxas as a "Saviour of the Nation", bringing unity to a divided country

 Tsamikos (Greek: ????????, Tsamikos) or Kleftikos (Greek: ?????????) is a popular traditional folk dance of Greece, done to music of 3/4 meter.
Men during the Greek War of Independence dancing Tsamiko The dance follows a strict and slow tempo not emphasising on the steps, but more on the "attitude, style and grace" of the dancer. The dancers hold each other from each other's hands, bent 90 degrees upwards at the elbows. It takes a sturdy hand, especially if you are supporting the first or last person of the line (or circle) who will lean on you to perform high acrobatic leaps (usually kicking his right leg up as he takes off followed by the left (in a scissor-like motion), hitting the latter with the back of his hand before landing). The steps are relatively easy but have to be precise and strictly on beat. The dancer might even stomp his foot in response to a strong beat. There is some improvisation involved and many variations of the steps, depending on which area the dancers come from. Over time the dance has taken on many variations. In the past, it was danced exclusively by men, but in modern times both men and women take part.

The name Tsamiko literally means from Chameria or dance of the Chams. Swiss musicologist Samuel Baud-Bovy noted that the Greek Tsamiko was not danced among Cham Albanians.[3] It's alternative name Kleftikos literally means dance of the Klephts, because it was associated with the klephts who fought during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1830).[4] Tsamiko is danced almost exclusively by men. Today Tsamiko is a popular dance in festivals and weddings, especially in the rural areas of Central Greece, Peloponnese, Thessaly as well as Epirus, where a slower version is performed.[5] Sometimes the dancers dress in the traditional Greek fustanella. This dance is usually performed to celebrate national events like in the anniversary of the declaration of the start of Greek War of Independence in 1821.
The Tsamiko of Central Greece (Roumeli) is regarded as the standard version of this dancing genre and is popular throughout Greece.[6] In Central Greece Tsamiko is the most popular folk dance.[7] The version of the Tsamiko danced in Central Greece (Roumeli) is accompanied by vocal and instrumental melodic lines and also the Peloponnese were it is known by the names Klephtikos horos (dance of the Klephts), Pidhiktos (leaping dance) or as the Arvanitikos horos (Arvanitic dance) and all terms are synonymous with Tsamiko.[8] In Peloponnese Tsamiko is one of the most popular folk genres together with Syrtos.[7]
In Epirus Tsamiko is especially popular in the regions of Ioannina and Thesprotia.[9] In general the Tsamiko of Epirus retains a slower tempo compared to the Tsamiko of Central Greece.[10] The Epirote dances Kleftes and Perdikomata have been sometimes regarded as variants of Tsamiko,[11] although this isn't universally accepted since they have been also classified as distinct genres.[12] A general classification of the dancing genres in Zagori region of Epirus can classify Osmanatakas and Berati as variations of Tsamiko too.[13]
Although one of the main dancing genres in Epirus, Tsamiko is not the most popular folk genre in local discography.[14]
The definition of "true" Tsamiko is obscure due to the many regional, choreographic, musical variations, versions and names of the dance