Theodoros Manetas

Theodoros Manetas (Greek: Θεόδωρος Μανέτας, c. 1881–1947) was a Hellenic Army officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general and served as Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff in 1931–1933. He also served thrice in ministerial positions and was elected to parliament in 1946.

Theodoros Manetas
Θεόδωρος Μανέτας
Theodoros Manetas c. 1930
Member of Parliament for Arcadia
In office 18 April 1946 – 24 January 1947
Monarch	George II
Prime Minister	Konstantinos Tsaldaris
Minister of Military Affairs
In office 22 November 1945 – 4 April 1946
Monarch	George II
Prime Minister	Themistoklis Sofoulis
Preceded by	Spyridon Georgoulis
Succeeded by	Petros K. Mavromichalis
Minister of Aviation
In office 22 – 26 November 1945
Monarch	George II
Prime Minister	Themistoklis Sofoulis
Minister Governor-General of Northern Greece
In office 21 March – 16 April 1945
Monarch	George II
Prime Minister	Nikolaos Plastiras Petros Voulgaris
Preceded by	Alexandros Rangavis
Succeeded by	Alexandros Merentitis
Personal details
Born	1881 Tripoli, Kingdom of Greece
Died	1947 Athens, Kingdom of Greece
Political party	Liberal Party
Relations	Konstantinos Kolokotronis (great-great-grandfather) Lambros Tzavelas (great-great-grandfather) Theodoros Kolokotronis (great-grandfather) Ioannis Kolokotronis (grandfather) Photini Tzavela (grandmother) Panos Kolokotronis (great-uncle) Kitsos Tzavellas (great-uncle) Nikitas Stamatelopoulos (great-uncle) Zoe Maneta (sister) Konstantinos Manetas (brother) Ioannis Manetas (brother)
Parent(s)	Panagiotis Manetas Zoe Kolokotroni
Alma mater	Hellenic Army Academy
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Greece Provisional Government of National Defence Second Hellenic Republic
Branch/service	Hellenic Army
Years of service	1902–1920 1922–1925 1926–1935
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff
Battles/wars	Balkan Wars First Balkan War Second Balkan War World War I Macedonian front Battle of Doiran 1935 Greek coup d'état attempt

Military career

He was born in Tripoli in about 1881, the son of the politician Panagiotis Manetas, the youngest brother of Lieutenant General Konstantinos Manetas and of the politician Ioannis Manetas.^[1]

After finishing school, he enrolled in the Hellenic Army Academy and graduated on 6 July 1902 as an Artillery Second Lieutenant. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1909, and spent the period 1910–1912 studying in France. He returned to take part in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 as a battery commander, and was promoted to captain in 1913 and major in 1915.^[2]

During World War I, he joined the Venizelist Movement of National Defence and fought in the Macedonian front leading artillery battalions and regiments. In 1917 he was promoted to Lt. Colonel and assigned as head of the Personnel Department in the Ministry of Military Affairs. In 1918 he was reassigned to the front, assuming the post of artillery chief of the Cretan Division and taking part in the Battle of Doiran.^[2]

In 1919 he was promoted to full colonel, but was dismissed from the Army in November 1920 following the Venizelist electoral defeat. After the disastrous defeat of the Greek army in Anatolia by the Turkish nationalist forces in August 1922 and the subsequent outbreak of a military revolt, he was recalled to active service by the new revolutionary government and named Inspector of Artillery. Promoted to major general in 1924, he quarrelled with the dictator Theodoros Pangalos in 1925 and resigned, only to be recalled to his post soon after.^[2]

On 27 October 1928 he was named Vice-Minister of Military Affairs in Eleftherios Venizelos' cabinet, a post he held until 9 June 1929.^[3] Promoted to lieutenant general, he was then given command of II Army Corps. In August 1931, he was appointed Chief of the Army General Staff, remaining at this post until 15 July 1933, when he re-assumed command of II Corps. He was involved in the unsuccessful Venizelist coup attempt in March 1935 and was dismissed from the Army on 30 April, following the coup's suppression.^[2]

Political career

Following the liberation of Greece from the Axis occupation, on 21 March 1945 Manetas was appointed as Minister Governor-General for Northern Greece in the Nikolaos Plastiras cabinet,^[4] a post he held until 16 April, a few days into the Petros Voulgaris cabinet.^[5] He then held the post of Minister of Military Affairs in the Themistoklis Sofoulis cabinet, from 22 November 1945 until 4 April 1946, and was pro tempore also Minister of Aviation in 22–26 November.^[6] Manetas elected to the Hellenic Parliament in the March 1946 elections on the Liberal Party ticket for his home province of Arcadia, holding the seat until his death in 1947.^[2]

References

1. Δέλτα, Πηνελόπη Σ (1997). Αλληλογραφία της Π. Σ. Δέλτα: 1906-1940 (in Greek). Βιβλιοπωλεῖον τῆς Ἑστίας. p. 457. ISBN 978-960-05-0756-0.
2. "Αντιστράτηγος ΜΑΝΕΤΑΣ ΘΕΟΔΩΡΟΣ του ΠΑΝΑΓΙΩΤΟΥ, ΑΜ 5031". Συνοπτική Ιστορία του Γενικού Επιτελείου Στρατού 1901–2001 [A Concise History of the Hellenic Army General Staff 1901–2001] (in Greek). Athens: Hellenic Army History Directorate. 2001. p. 154. ISBN 960-7897-44-7.
3. "Κυβέρνησις ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΟΥ ΒΕΝΙΖΕΛΟΥ – Από 4.7.1928 έως 7.6.1929" (in Greek). General Secretariat of the Government. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
4. "Κυβέρνησις ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΥ ΠΛΑΣΤΗΡΑ (De Facto) – Από 3.1.1945 έως 8.4.1945" (in Greek). General Secretariat of the Government. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
5. "Κυβέρνησις ΠΕΤΡΟΥ ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΗ (De Facto) – Από 8.4.1945 έως 11.8.1945" (in Greek). General Secretariat of the Government. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
6. "Κυβέρνησις ΘΕΜΙΣΤΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΣΟΦΟΥΛΗ (De Facto) – Από 22.11.1945 έως 4.4.1946" (in Greek). General Secretariat of the Government. Retrieved 29 September 2012.

Political offices
Preceded by Spyridon Georgoulis	Minister for Military Affairs of Greece 22 November 1945 – 4 April 1946	Succeeded by Petros K. Mavromichalis
Vacant Axis Occupation Title last held by Alexandros Rangavis as Minister Governor-General for Macedonia in the Georgios Tsolakoglou cabinet	Minister Governor-General for Northern Greece 21 March – 16 April 1945	Succeeded by Alexandros Merentitis
Military offices
Preceded by Lt General Konstantinos Manetas	Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff Αugust 1931 – 15 July 1933	Succeeded by Lt General Dimitrios Katheniotis