Donated by Alexandros Haitoglou

This is a collection of vehicles and firearms of the Greek Army, consisting of handmade models and permanently exhibited in the “Alexandros Haitoglou” hall of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle.

From Mannlichers to modern armament programmes

During the 19th century and until 1896, the Greeks carried out various revolutionary movements in Macedonia against the Ottoman rule, but without positive results. Finally, the liberation and accession of Macedonia to the Greek state took place with the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913.

To this day, all families, villages or social groups seek with interest and pride their participation in the dramatic events of that time. The “certificate” of the Macedonomachoi and the black and white photo of the ancestor with the “doulamas” and the “Mannlicher” take on enormous importance. It is the family share in national history, an irrefutable certificate of national conviction, as well as of participation in the public affairs; a valuable chapter for the local history of each village.

The weapons had the first say in the Macedonian Struggle, as is the case in all wars. What we take for granted today, the need to equip the army with an increasing number of more modern weapon systems, had only just begun to come into view in the military planning of the late 19th century. This need became even clearer after having experienced the two World Wars and it gradually led to the equipping of the Greek army from Mannlichers to modern weapon systems.

The collection of vehicles and weapons of the Greek Army, exhibited at the Foundation for the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, consists of handmade models made of various materials (such as plastic, metal and resins). Modelling was developed after the war, along with the plastics industry. Plastic kits were initially marketed as toys, but soon became a hobby for all ages. Today, at the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, visitors can see up close the automobiles that were used in the Balkan Wars, in World War I and the Asia Minor Campaign, as well as during the Greco-Italian War.