A Greece expert at the boundary of resistance and empire
After the 1942 Gorgopotamos operation, he stayed in Greece rather than evacuating, building the mission that linked the resistance to Cairo.
Christopher Montague Woodhouse was a British army officer, SOE and MI6 operative, and historian of Greek politics. In occupied Greece he helped establish and later led the British Military Mission, maintaining contact with ELAS and EDES while linking the resistance to Allied strategy. His work also reveals the tension between military cooperation with a broad resistance and Britain's effort to restore the monarchy and preserve its influence after liberation. He later served as an MP and wrote extensively on modern Greece.
Also known as: Chris Woodhouse · Monty Woodhouse
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1939Enlisted in the Royal Artillery
- 1941Served on an SOE mission to organize resistance in Crete
- 1942Second-in-command of the Harling Force in Operation Harling
- 1942–1943Maintained liaison with ELAS and EDES through the British Military Mission
- 1943–1945Commanded the Allied Military Mission in Greece
- 1945–1946Second Secretary at the British Embassy in Athens
- 1959–1974MP for Oxford and ministerial office in Conservative governments
- 1976Published The Struggle for Greece
Related historical events
Operation Harling and liaison with the resistance
In September 1942 Woodhouse joined the SOE's Harling party and parachuted into central Greece with Colonel Eddie Myers. Their mission was to disrupt the railway linking Thessaloniki and Athens, which carried supplies to Rommel's forces in North Africa. For the destruction of the Gorgopotamos railway viaduct on 25 November, Woodhouse made contact with Napoleon Zervas of EDES and helped coordinate cooperation with the ELAS units of Aris Velouchiotis. Greek guerrillas attacked the bridge guards while British engineers placed the explosives. Rail traffic was disrupted for six weeks, but the operation came after the Allied victory at El Alamein and did not affect the outcome of Rommel's campaign. It prompted the SOE to expand its support for the Greek resistance; Woodhouse and the party, originally expected to withdraw, were ordered to remain and liaise with resistance forces.
In summer 1943 Woodhouse took part in negotiations for the National Bands Agreement, an effort to coordinate resistance organizations. It established a Joint Guerrilla General Headquarters, but did not achieve unified control of resistance operations. After Italy's surrender in September 1943, Woodhouse negotiated an armistice with part of the Italian forces in Greece. When the Foreign Office prevented Myers from returning, Woodhouse was appointed commander of the Allied Military Mission on 17 October. After ELAS and EDES clashed, he mediated the Plaka Agreement in February 1944, securing a truce between them. When the British government considered breaking with EAM-ELAS and withdrawing the mission in summer 1944, Woodhouse argued that it should remain in Greece and maintain contact.