Three Greek reservists and two Cypriot soldiers, using a captured Turkish M-47 tank, managed to pin down an entire Turkish armored squadron of 50 tanks, destroy five of them, and save the residents of the village of Skylloura from certain death.
Cyprus 1974 – A Story of Heroism and Tactical Brilliance
On Sunday, July 20, 2025, an article was dedicated to Captain Nikolaos Katountas (who became a Lieutenant General in 2008), known as the “Leonidas of Kyrenia.” The article stirred emotions and brought attention to a 1974 war hero who has been missing for 51 years.
Countless other acts of bravery and self-sacrifice occurred during that tragic period in Cyprus. However, many critical orders were never given, Phantom jets and submarines never reached the island, and although Turkey quickly requested a ceasefire after unexpectedly stiff resistance and the incompetence of its landing forces, Greece accepted—without demanding total Turkish withdrawal from the island.
While Konstantinos Karamanlis had assumed leadership in Greece, the Turks, under the guise of negotiations, landed thousands more troops. From controlling only 3% of the island on July 23, they expanded to 37–38% after the Attila II operation.
A Turkish Tank Becomes a Greek Weapon
This remarkable incident is documented in Nikolaos F. Argyropoulos’s book “The Guilty Ones” (published by Endochora, Alexandroupolis, 2022). Argyropoulos, now 72, served as a Reserve Sergeant in the Armored Corps in Cyprus from November 1974 to May 1975, and a total of nearly 34 months in the Hellenic Army.
Having served 18 months in the Hellenic Army (2 in Engineering and 16 in Armored Units), specializing as a Tank Crew Commander (M-47/M-48), the author confirms the technical accuracy of the event described. The story is nothing short of incredible.
The 286th Mechanized Infantry Battalion (286 MTP) captured a Turkish M-47 tank, which was immediately handed over to Greek-Cypriot armored units—who until then operated with inferior T-34 tanks. A five-man crew was assigned to the tank:
- Reserve Sergeant Konstantinos Drosos, a schoolteacher from Artotina (the hometown of Greek hero Athanasios Diakos), served as crew commander.
- Reserve Sergeant Andreas Kritharis, served as loader.
- Reserve Corporal Nikos Tountas, was the driver.
- Cypriot soldiers Andreas Koudounas (gunner) and Andreas Apostolou (co-driver) completed the team.
The Repairs and Tactical Upgrades
The tank had a malfunction in the hydraulic turret rotation and gun elevation systems, which only operated manually—taking minutes instead of seconds. There were no spare parts. With ingenuity, the technical support team rerouted power from the engine battery directly to the manual controls, reactivating turret and gun movement.
Additionally, the targeting systems (rangefinder, periscope, scope) were misaligned, meaning that without recalibration, the gun would shoot in a different direction than where the crew was aiming. The Greek and Cypriot team quickly realigned the sights—an edge over many Turkish tanks, which lacked proper calibration and often had no functional turret hydraulics.
The Tank Battle That Saved Skylloura
The Turkish-marked tank with the Greek-Cypriot crew was tasked with defending the village of Skylloura, whose Turkish Cypriot residents had fled during the 1964 intercommunal clashes. A Turkish M-47 armored squadron (52 tanks) and infantry were advancing to seize the village. Had they succeeded, the ~530 Greek Cypriot civilians (according to the 1973 census) would likely have faced atrocities.
But the M-47 with the Greek crew opened precise fire and moved swiftly, avoiding detection and enemy fire. The Turks, confused and panicking, sent even more tanks to eliminate the unknown threat.
Daring Maneuvers and Devastating Accuracy
Commander Drosos ordered Tountas, the skilled driver, to move the tank between enemy formations. In the chaos and dust of battle, Turkish tank commanders couldn’t identify where the fire was coming from—and feared exposing themselves by peeking out of their turrets.
Under Drosos’s orders, the M-47 destroyed five Turkish tanks (or eight, according to Argyropoulos), pinning down the enemy armor and the infantry trailing them.
As ammunition dwindled, Drosos ordered disengagement. With incredible maneuvering, Tountas created a dense cloud of dust, allowing the M-47 to exit the enemy’s line of sight and firing range.
Legacy of Bravery
This event stands as one of the most heroic and tactically brilliant episodes in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus—showing how skill, ingenuity, and courage can turn even a captured enemy tank into a symbol of resistance and salvation.
The civilians of Skylloura managed to evacuate in time, thanks to five brave men who did something unimaginable… Sadly, the village is now located in the occupied part of Cyprus. The tank with its heroic crew returned to their Unit, the 21st Reconnaissance Squadron (21 ΕΑΝ), causing excitement and celebration among their fellow soldiers.
Epilogue
Unfortunately, the bravery of Greeks and Cypriots in 1974 was not enough to prevent one-third of the island from being occupied. The Turks were ridiculed in the eyes of the Americans. Even the notorious anti-Hellenic figure, Henry Kissinger, in a meeting with diplomats and senior military officials on July 22, 1974, reportedly asked:
“Why were the Turks so incompetent?”
“How is it possible to be that incompetent?”
General George S. Brown, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff from August 1973 and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from July 1974, gave what we consider to be the correct answer:
“I think history will show that [the Turks] were inadequate throughout the operation. I believe that if the whole effort is analyzed, it will turn out to be rather amateurish. Air support was ineffective.”
Later in the same discussion, when the subject of military aid to Greece came up, Kissinger remarked that it should continue but with a delay:
“I don’t want the Greek government to feel that we’ve contributed to their rape.” (!)
(Source: Thea Halo’s book “Genocide: The Foundation Stone of Modern Turkey”, Govostis Publications, 2025.)
Turkish infantry in Cyprus, 1974
Source: Nikolaos F. Argyropoulos, “The Guilty”, published by Endochora magazine, Alexandroupoli, 2022.
P.S. Heartfelt thanks to my good friend Giannis, a Tank Crew Commander on M-48 A5s, who served for many months in units in Northern Evros (Orestiada and surrounding areas) decades ago, for his valuable help.
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