Greek-Americans during the Balkan Wars

 This is Peter Giakoumis's research into Americans of Greek origin who returned to Greece to fight in the Greek military during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. The author's approach is somewhat unusual: the book is less an analysis of the subject and more a collection of newspaper reports. These are at least contemporary, although they inevitably have some challenges. US newspapers report what they see: Greek Americans gathering and supporting the war. There is also the question of bias. US newspapers uniformly broadly supported the Greek position and make no real effort to look objectively at the struggle. That doesn't make it without value, but it has to be read in that context.

The Balkan Wars were initiated by the Balkan League, a coalition of Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro.  They wanted to expand their territories at the expense of the weakening Ottoman Empire, which still controlled much of the Balkans. They also wanted to gain territory populated by their own ethnic or religious groups. The First Balkan War was an outright victory for the League, which drove the Ottomans out of most of Europe. However, ethnic nationalism is rarely tidy, and the coalition fell apart over areas where two or more nations had populations. Bulgaria was particularly incensed over areas like Macedonia and started the Second Balkan War. They were defeated, and this also allowed the Ottomans to recover some of the ground in Thrace that they lost to the Bulgarians. Ethnic cleansing was a consequence, and the methods of warfare pre-dated much of what would happen in 1914.

At the end of the 19th century, Greece was in economic chaos, and the state was in financial ruin. This was not helped by a failed war against the Ottomans in 1897. As a consequence, many Greeks emigrated to the USA and established well-organised communities, including the Greek Orthodox Church, societies and newspapers. This provided an important source of income to families back in Greece, around $3-4m per year. As the Greek state prepared for war, it called on reservists who had emigrated to return to the army and navy. This wasn't a general call for men; the Greek military wanted trained soldiers, although many turned up without prior experience. The exact numbers who returned aren't known, but estimates range from 45,000 to 57,000. Some claim this could have been up to one-third of the army. They fought in their own units and in line regiments, and a few Greeks serving the US military were given leave to return.

Just as important was the financial support from the Greek community in the USA. They collected donations for military equipment, medicine, food and support for soldiers and their families. The author also covers some of the Philhellenes, who contributed to the Greek military during the conflict.

There is no doubt that Greeks in America made a significant contribution to the outcome. Many left established jobs, mostly at their own cost, to fight in a war that resulted in nearly 10,000 Greek soldiers being killed and another 28,000 wounded. Their bravery and commitment were beyond doubt, as many had no real obligation to return and fight.

This book covers a subject that hasn't been covered in any detail before. The research into US newspapers is also impressive. The difficulty for the reader is that these reports are not analysed for themes or, indeed, accuracy. There isn't a narrative flow, which makes it a challenging read. Excellent as a source of data, but not an approach for the general reader.

Some of my 28mm Greek infantry of the period.