By George Houpis,

As a consequence, thousands of Greeks were presented and transported to Larissa in order to join the battle for the liberation of the rest of the Greek regions from the Turkish yoke.

Among them, there was one 12 year old kidwhich had traveled from Pylos and reached Piraeus.
Naturally, the young boy was not received by the competent military authorities, nevertheless, he managed, without being noticed, to board the train bound for Larissa and the 18th Infantry Regiment of the IV Division.

It was about him Gerasimos Rautopoulos, who was born on December 20, 1900 in Mesovunia, Kefalonia and was a descendant of I. Ratopoulos, a fellow soldier of Kolokotronis. Also, his father had taken part as a volunteer in the War of 1897. The young boy, knowing that he came from heroic ancestors and families, decided to make this long journey and join the Greek Army. And as it turned out, he was determined to achieve his goal to the fullest. Soon he became the little hero of the Balkan Wars, who was not only decorated, but also, at the age of only 13, became the youngest Greek non-commissioned officer in history.

Rautopoulos worked in the house of a wealthy resident of Pylos, while his mother worked in Piraeus and his father in Hydra. The exploits of little Gerasimos became known mainly through the work of the teacher, writer and poet Dimitris Dalla, who brought to light important facts about the young hero, but also wrote a short story and a series of poems in his honor.

The young Rautopoulos initially had a supporting role in the 18th Regiment, however, he himself knew that he was destined for something more important. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Sarandaporos, after which he received, as a reward, a Mannlicher gun. Later, at the Battle of Kilkis–Lakhana, he rescued a wounded lancer, which led to his promotion to corporal. When at one point he was captured by five Bulgarians, he used his gun to kill three of them and put the other two to flight. He also took part in the 1970 Hill Raid, displaying unparalleled heroism. Soon after, he was promoted to sergeant.

According to Dimitris Dalla, during the awarding ceremony of little Gerasimos, the queen herself bowed before his mother. However, the 13-year-old warrior had not been able to attend the ceremony.

Rautopoulos died at the age of only 18 years. The documents in Dallas’ possession allow us to know the exact cause, date, and place of death. The young hero fell seriously ill and breathed his last in the Thessaloniki Military Hospital on 18-8-1918.

*Published in column PHYSIOLOGIES of the monthly magazine
Military Historyissue 310 (June 2023)

The monthly magazine MILITARY HISTORY

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