Alexandros Karamanlakis: First fatality of the Hellenic Air Force

On August 29, 1912, Alexandros Karamanlakis became the first member of the Hellenic Air Force to die in the line of duty. His aircraft crashed into the waters of the Corinthian Gulf during a flight.

Born in Constantinople in 1888, Karamanlakis was a pioneer who trained in Germany and France at the school of renowned aviator Louis Blériot. Before his aviation career, he was involved in journalism, publishing the weekly newspaper ‘Anexartitos Athinon’ in 1911. His death serves as a historical milestone marking the early, high-risk era of Greek aviation as the nation prepared for the Balkan Wars.