Christos I. Soliotis (1919–1993)

Vice Admiral (Ret.)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Born in Athens in 1919. He was the great-grandson of the freedom fighter Nikolaos Soliotis. His grandfather, Christos Soliotis, was a Colonel of the General Staff and a Member of Parliament for Achaea. His father, Ioannis Soliotis, distinguished himself as a submarine naval officer, participating in the naval battles of the wars of 1912–1913 and serving in 1940–1941 as Naval Commander of Northern Epirus. His mother was of Northern Epirote origin from Droviani and belonged to the Pratsikas family.

He attended Varvakeio School and, after enrolling in the Hellenic Naval Academy, graduated first in his class in 1938. As a Sub-Lieutenant, he participated in World War II (1940–1945) aboard the destroyer “Hydra” and the submarine “Triton” until the sinking of the “Triton” during a heroic engagement with a German convoy off Cape Doro in 1942. He was the officer who remained inside the submarine until the very end to open the ventilation valves and scuttle the vessel so that it would not fall into enemy hands. After carrying out his final duty, he exited and jumped into the sea, intending to swim away and evade the Germans. However, while swimming, he noticed Petty Officer D. Kakandris, who had been wounded in the leg and was struggling to stay afloat. Disregarding his own chance for freedom, he carried him to a German boat in an attempt to save him. He was then captured by the Germans and sent to the Marlag and Milag Nord prisoner-of-war camp in Germany, from which he was liberated on April 28, 1945.

After the war, he served as commanding officer of the submarines “Argonautis,” “Pipinos,” “Xifias,” “Amfitriti,” and “Triaina,” as well as the destroyers “Niki” and “Doxa.”

He received specialized training in Great Britain as a navigator and later as a staff officer. He served at the Naval War School as Deputy Commandant and at the headquarters of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), the Hellenic Navy General Staff (GEN), and NATO’s COMEDEAST command in Ankara.

As a Captain, he served as Naval Commander of the Northern Aegean (1964–1965), Commander of Mine Warfare and Submarines (1965–1966), and Commander of Destroyers (1966–1967). As a Commodore, he also served as Senior Commander of the Crete Naval Base. On December 13, 1967, through his actions, he opposed the military dictatorship: instead of handing over the naval base to the junta officers who arrived at his office to take command, he arrested them and locked them up. He was subsequently dismissed by the dictatorship and forcibly retired on December 20, 1967. Following the restoration of democracy after the fall of the dictatorship, he was reinstated in 1975 as an active-duty Vice Admiral. He then served for three years in the honorary position of Vice President of the War Museum, where he oversaw the organization and study of collections of old maps and geographical publications concerning the Greek world.

From 1975 onward, he regularly delivered lectures on strategic subjects at the Naval War School and published numerous studies on naval history and strategy. He also wrote books such as “Modern Strategy” (1983), which was awarded by the Academy of Athens, and “The Maritime Soul of the Nation: A Tetralogy of the Greeks” (Pitsilos Editions), which contained previously unpublished texts on the history of navigation from 1850 BC to AD 1821, as well as the use and construction of the astrolabe. He participated in many television programs on naval and historical topics.

He also distinguished himself in stamp collecting and served for eight years as President of the Hellenic Philatelic Federation, playing a significant role in promoting stamp collecting and organizing Pan-Hellenic and Pan-Balkan exhibitions.

He was also an active sports enthusiast, winning awards in shooting competitions and sailing races.

He received numerous honors and decorations, both Greek and foreign, including those of the French Legion of Honour, the Federal Republic of Germany, Lebanon, and Libya.

He was married and had one daughter. He passed away in 1993 at the age of 74.