Timeline of events in Cyprus, 1974

• 15 – Operation President: At roughly 08:30am numerous soldiers, armoured cars, tanks, mortars and other sections of the Greek Cypriot National Guard, EOKA B and forces under the command of the Greek Junta surround the Presidential Palace. They launch a coup and overthrow the democratically elected President, Archbishop Makarios III, with the goal of Enosis (annexation of Cyprus into Greece). [1] [2]
• 15 – Roughly 190 presidential security forces resist the attack. The defenders knock out the lead tank in the main frontal assault with bazooka fire. All tanks open fire on the Presidential Palace. Commandos attacking from the rear are accidentally shelled. Some of the tanks malfunction, causing confusion among the attackers. Makarios discards his clerical garb and sneaks out of the presidential palace from its back door with two aides, passing an unguarded position through the National Guard lines and escaping the battlezone. The presidential security fight on for nearly three hours. The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation is occupied and exultantly proclaims: "Makarios is dead. Long live the National Guard! Hellenism lives in Cyprus!"[3]
• 15 – Makarios sees and hails a passing car heading towards Baf (Paphos). On its way the car runs out of gas. Another vehicle soon appears and is commandeered. He reaches Baf which, except for the naval station, is entirely occupied by his followers.
• 15 – At roughly 13:00pm most resistance ceases in Lefkoşa (Nicosia). Makarios' assistant Dr. Lyssarides flees into the Syrian Embassy and his private army disperses into the Troodos mountains. Angered at not finding Makarios' body the National Guard set fire to what is left of the presidential palace.
• 15 – At roughly 14:50pm Nikos Sampson, also known as the Conqueror and Butcher of Küçük Kaymaklı (Omorphita), is appointed president by the leaders of the coup, Kombokis and Georgitsis. His appointment is greeted with alarm and dismay by the Turkish Cypriots, who note it is "as unaceceptable as Adolf Hitler would be as President of Israel".[4] The coup is supported by the Greek Cypriots, who show their approval through the 15,000 telegrams of support that are sent to Sampson over the course of the week.[5][6]
• 15 – The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation continues to air martial music exulting the demise of Makarios. The National Guard occupies Kykko Monastery and the Greek quarter of Limasol after stiff resistance. The supporters of Makarios in Baf attack the naval station, forcing the National Guard to flee. Makarios addresses the people from a local radio station in Baf, informing them that he is alive and asking them to oppose the new regime. A Civil War erupts between pro-Samson and pro-Makarios factions on the island. Bodies litter the streets. There are mass burials. People told by Makarios to lay down their arms are shot by the National Guard.[7] The US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger sends Joseph Sisco to try to mediate the conflict between Makarios, Sampson and Greece.[8] Sampson declares the dissolution of the Republic of Cyprus and the establishment of the "Hellenic Republic of Cyprus". Lefkoşa (Nicosia) Airport is occupied and briefly closed. Greece sends a further 100 soldiers to the island to support the coup.[9] Attacks on the Turkish Cypriots are violently accelerated.
• 15 – Rauf Denktaş, the Turkish Cypriot leader, issues a plea for calm and calls for UN intervention. He also tells his Bayrak radio audience that "Our duty in this situation, which we believe is a matter between Greek Cypriots, is to protect our international security, to take defensive measures and not to interfere in any way in inter-Greek Cypriot events".[10][11]
• 15 – The government of Turkey explicitly voices its concern over the events. It lays the responsibility for action against Greece on the Geneva signatories, UN, NATO, and the US, unless, it says, Turkish Cypriots come to suffer substantially, in which case direct action of some kind is going to be likely.
• 15 – Some Greek Cypriots appeal to seek Turkey's help.
• 15 – The National Security Council releases a statement saying: "This is a Greek interference. The constitutional order on the island was overthrown and an illegitimate military administration was established. Turkey considers this a violation of treaties and guarantees."
• 16 – The Prime Minister of Turkey, Bülent Ecevit, sends a letter to the British government urging it to cooperate with Turkey in enforcing the Treaty of Guarantee. A procession of armoured cars and tanks move towards Baf (Paphos) while a small warship begins shelling the Bishopric where Makarios is taking shelter. The British manage to retrieve Makarios by Westland Whirlwind helicopter and fly him from Akrotiri to Malta in a Royal Air Force Armstrong Whitworth Argosy transport aircraft.[12][13]
• 16 – The National Guard seizes Baf. Supporters of Makarios are forced to surrender their weapons, rounded up, arrested or killed. Sampson, Greece and EOKA supporters are freed. Three Greek Cypriot men, Charalambos and Anastasis Christofi, and Pantelis Charalambous, take two members of the presidential guard – Christakis Kombos and Yiorgos Vrountou – to Limasol, before they are intercepted, interrogated, tortured, killed and dumped in a rubbish tip in the Ayos Tiçonas (Ayios Tychonas) area. Christakis Kombos is also killed.
• 16 – The Security Council meets in a special emergency session to debate the crisis. The representatives of the United States and Great Britain argue that too little information is available to come to any conclusion. The session adjourns without taking action. The Soviet Union strongly backs the Turkish government and offers to help reinstate the deposed Archbishop.
• 17 – Makarios is flown from Malta to London in a de Havilland Comet. He holds talks with the British leaders, counseling them against the use of force. The Prime Minister of Turkey, Bülent Ecevit, also flies to London for talks with the UK Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, and the UK Foreign Secretary, James Callaghan and colleagues. He tries to persuade them to join Turkey in a military operation to preserve the independence and neutrality of Cyprus. The UK says it favours a cautious approach. The US government shows signs that it is going to recognise the Sampson regime, convincing the Turkish government to act with haste.[14]
• 18 – There are tortures and executions at the central prison. An old man who asks for the body of his son is shot on the spot. Lefkoşa (Nicosia) International Airport is temporarily allowed to reopen to civilian traffic. It becomes the site of chaotic scenes as holidaymakers and other foreign nationals try to flee the ongoing chaos and civil war. The Prime Minister of Turkey, Bülent Ecevit, sends the Greek government an ultimatum through the US Undersecretary of State, the Deputy of the US Undersecretary of State, Joseph Sisco, demanding: "1) the immediate removal of Nikos Sampson, 2) the withdrawal of 650 Greek officers from the Cypriot National Guard, 3) the admission of Turkish troops to protect their population, 4) equal rights for both populations, and 5) access to the sea from the northern coast for Turkish Cypriots."[15] Greece rejects Turkey's demands. The Turks distribute leaflets informing the local populace of their intentions. West German officials begin advising their nationals to leave the island.
• 19 – Whilst addressing the UN Security Council, Archbishop Makarios III accuses Greece of having invaded Cyprus: "The coup of the Greek junta is an invasion, and from its consequences the whole people of Cyprus suffers, both Greeks and Turks." He also tells the UN Security Council that so long as a single Greek officer remains on the island it is to be considered under occupation. The bulk of the Greek fleet put to sea from the island of Salamis. Shops and offices in the Greek sector of Lefkoşa are closed. There are traffic jams as residents try to flee to the capital for the safety of the countryside. The Turkish government, exercising its legal right of intervention according to Article IV of the Treaty of Guarantee, gives the order for Turkish troops to carry out a special military operation, the Kıbrıs Barış Harikatı (Cyprus Peace Operation), to preserve the independence of Cyprus and protect the Turkish Cypriot community.
• 20 – After lack of international support against the Greek-led coup d'état and the Greek-installed puppet president Nikos Sampson, Turkey invades the island of Cyprus. Turkish jets bomb and strafe Greek strong points in and around the port of Girne (Kyrenia) on the island's northern shore. Two Greek Cypriot Navy motor torpedo boats, the T1 and the T3, are sent out from Girne to engage the Turkish naval flotilla approaching the shore. Both ships are sunk by combined Turkish air and naval attack.[16]
• 20 – The Kekmak Special Strike Force Landing Brigade, consisting of one battalion of the 6th Amphibious Infantry Regiment, the 50th Infantry Regiment, and one company of the 39th divisional tank battalion, the 39th infantry division, combining for a total of 3,000 troops and 12 M47 tanks, lands unopposed in Pentemilli, a few miles west of Girne.
• 20 – Greek and Greek Cypriot forces launch an organised counter-attack against the Turkish beachhead at Girne, supported by T-34 tanks, but this ultimately fails to dislodge the Turkish landing force. Four Greek-Cypriot T-34 tanks and two armoured vehicles are destroyed by Turkish infantry and air attacks.[17] Turkish forces continue their advance.
• 20 – The Greek Armed Forces and Greek Cypriot National Guard, supported by all available T-34 tanks, as well as Greek ELDYK forces, launch a massive attack against the Turkish Cypriot enclave at Gönyeli (Kioneli), attempting to prevent Turkish forces from forming a bridgehead to Lefkoşa (Nicosia). The Turkish Cypriots, who were able to fortify the area with defensive and anti-tank structures, repel the attack. The attack fails and two Greek Cypriot T-34 tanks are destroyed. Turkish paratroopers land in the area for additional support. More than 90 of 120 paratroopers are killed by Greek and Greek Cypriot forces still in the area. The Turkish 399th battalion counterattacks inflicting significant damage to the Greeks. 4 Greek tanks are destroyed.
• 20 – At around 10:00, 450 Greeks of the 203rd reserve infantry battalion attack the Turkish Cypriot enclave at Limassol, where approximately 1,000 lightly armed inhabitants are situated. Simultaneously, 100 Greeks engaged the Turkish Cypriot enclave of Evdim (Düzkaya, Avdimou), west of Limassol, rounding up Turkish Cypriots as POWs to be taken to the main stadium at Limassol.
• 20 – The Turkish Armed Forces continue fighting their way inland. Turkish commandos are airlifted via helicopter to the Turkish quarter of Lefkoşa (Nicosia) and to various points on the vital Lefkoşa-Girne (Nicosia-Kyrenia) highway, where they make contact with Turkish Cypriot resistance fighters guarding the fortress of St. Hilarion Castle and the 650-man Turkish army contingent which controlls the northern approaches to the capital.
• 20 – Turkish paratroopers close in on the airport in Lefkoşa (Nicosia). It is heavily bombed and a ground attack of multiple battalions ensues. Machinegun, mortar and rocket fire is exchanged between the Greek and Turkish quarters of Lefkoşa.
• 20 – At around 17:00, the Greek landing craft vessel Lesvos (L-172) commanded by Lt Cdr E. Handrinos arrived at Paphos and began to shell Turkish-Cypriot positions at the enclave close to the harbour with her 40mm anti-aircraft guns. The vessel then unloaded some 450 troops of the ELDYK replacement force at Paphos, and immediately headed back out to sea to evade the enemy. Lesvos was interpreted by the Turks as part of a larger task force, ultimately leading to the arrival of the three Turkish destroyers which the Turkish Air Force mistakenly attacked.[18]
• 20 – Greek Cypriot National Guard commando and infantry forces launch a coordinated attack against the Turkish enclave of Agyrta-Nicosia, encircling the northern flanks in an effort to isolate it. Turkish parachutists are dropped in and around the enclave in order to reinforce it, leading to heavy infantry losses at Mia Milia, where they are accidentally dropped on Greek Cypriot defensive lines.
• 20 – At around 22:00, the Turkish Cypriot resistance in Baf (Paphos) issue a general surrender. At the same time, Turkish Cypriot resistance fighters and civilians in Mağusa (Famagusta) take cover behind the walls of the old city and prepare for a siege.
• 20 – Limasol is overrun by the Greek Cypriot National Guard. Turkish homes and businesses are rushed, broken into, their inhabitants are captured, women are raped and then shot, the buildings are looted and then burnt to the ground. Greek soldiers fire indiscriminately in the streets. Women and children are shot down, children's bodies are left draped dead in the streets, and other atrocities occur.[19][20][21]
• 20 – The United Nations Security Council passes Resolution 353, demanding the immediate withdrawal of "foreign military personnel present otherwise than under the authority of international agreements" and urged negotiations between Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom to take place.[22]
• 21 – The Turkish destroyer D-354 Kocatepe is subjected to friendly fire from Turkish warplanes and sunk after being mistaken for a Greek ship. Two other destroyers are also damaged in the attack.
• 21 – Cypriot National Guard forces deploy around Kyrenia and begin to form defensive lines on the Kyrenia-Karavas road, and also at Trimithi.
• 21 – Heavy fighting takes place in the Pentedaktylos mountains between Greek Cypriot mountain commando forces and Turkish forces. The Greek Cypriots take Aspri Moutti, while the Turks take control of Ag. Ilariona, both sides using them as support positions.
• 21 – Greek Cypriot mountain commandos are ordered to begin leaving the Pentedaktylos mountains in order to secure other objectives. The Cypriot National Guard captures the village of Pileri.
• 21 - An attempt is made to assassinate the Greek Cypriot Naval Commander as he travels to Karavas on the Mirtou-Asomatou road. The attempt, mounted by Turkish paratroopers, fails.
• 21 - At the Agyrta-Nicosia pass, the Greek Cypriot mountain commando forces achieved their objectives, with the 31MK and 33MK arriving from the west to capture the Kotsakagia mountain top, while the 32MK arrive from the east to force a Turkish retreat from the pass.[23]
• 21 - At around 06:00, all Turkish-Cypriot resistance at Limassol collapsed under the weight of a Greek Cypriot assault, and approximately 1,000 POWs were taken. Meanwhile, the Turkish-Cypriot held village of Pileri was captured by the 231st Infantry battalion.
• 22 – Turkish landing ships reach the beachhead and begin unloading M47 and M48 main battle tanks as well as supporting equipment. The Greek Cypriot forces in the area are unable to contain the new landing force and retreat.
• 22 – An attempt by Turkish landing craft to land at Kyrenia harbour fails. Cypriot National Guard forces retreat towards Kyrenia, under pressure from Turkish armoured forces.
• 22 – Turkish Prime Minister, Bülent Ecevit, calls upon the UN to "stop the Genocide of Turkish Cypriots".[24]
• 22 – The last defences at Kyrenia collapse. Greek Cypriot forces trapped in the castle manage to escape out of the city.[25]
• 22 – Operation Niki: A flight of Greek Noratlas planes, bringing reinforcements from Greece, encounter friendly fire from Greek defenders at Nicosia International Airport, causing heavy casualties. Turkish forces successfully create a bridgehead between Kyrenia and Agyrta-Nicosia, forcing Cypriot National Guard forces to retreat south.
• 23 – The Greek-installed president Nikos Sampson is removed from office and replaced with Glafkos Clerides. The coup regime ends. A general ceasefire is declared, but in many parts of the island, this is not adhered to.
• 23 – The Greek A Commando (35MK Commando) Force based at the Archbishop School in Nicosia was given its orders – the battalion force of three commando LOK companies (41, 42, 43 LOK) was to be transported immediately to Nicosia International Airport to defend it from an anticipated attack by Turkish forces moving through the Kyrenia-Nicosia bridgehead. The airport was already defended by a company of Greek Cypriot commandos, a company of ELDYK infantry and a company of Airport paramilitary police, the latter equipped with anti-tank weapons and five M8 Greyhound armoured vehicles.[26]
• 23 – The forces of A Commando arrived at Nicosia Airport just in time to mount a defence, via old city buses. They assumed fighting positions in and around the main terminal building, as a convoy of Turkish vehicles arrived at the north end of the airport, about 500 metres from the defenders. The main plan was to cooperate with the Greek Cypriot LOK in deploying a number of machine guns and anti-tank weapons (the Greeks had three 90mm EM69s), and allow the Turkish force to advance into the path of overlapping fire. However, the Turkish advance units spotted some of the enemy positions and commenced a general attack from the north.[27]

The initial wave of around a company of Turkish infantry attack was blunted by heavy weapons and small arms fire from the 42 LOK and 43 LOK to the south, while the 41 LOK opened fire from the terminal on the flank. Conceding defeat, the Turks fell back to their original positions with significant casualties. The latter then regrouped and advanced again in battalion strength towards the positions of the 42 and 43 LOKs, braving a withering hail of bullets. In turn, the Turks commenced fire from their rear-line with a 4.2-inch (110 mm) mortar from the direction of an adjacent UN encampment. The Greek Cypriots now launched a counter-attack against the Turkish infantry within the airport perimeter by assaulting the ground troops with their five M8 Greyhound armoured vehicles.[28]

The Turkish forces based near the UN camp were targeted by the Greek 41 LOK, which fired M79 phosphorus grenades at them in order to cause a bush fire and smoke. A 90mm anti-tank rocket was also fired in the direction of a suspected observation post in a house on the northern edge of the airport, forcing it to be abandoned. Before the Canadian UN forces arrived, two Turkish M47 tanks attempted a diversionary attack to the eastern terminal. Defenders subsequently destroyed both with an M20 Super Bazooka. crew.[29]

• 25 – The first Geneva talks begin between the foreign ministers of the guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom) to discuss the situation on the island.
• 26 – Turkish forces occupy the villages of St Ermolaos and Sisklipos, as well as the pass of St Pavlos.
• 27 – The village of St Ermalaos is briefly recaptured by Cypriot National Guard forces.
• 28 – Cypriot National Guard forces retreat from St Ermolaos after holding the area for more than three days against sustained Turkish assault.
• 29 – Council of Europe passes Resolution 573 condemning the Greek coup d'état in Cyprus and acknowledging Turkey's right to intervene to restore the pre-coup democratic regime in accordance with Article 4 of the Guarantee Treaty of 1960.[30] Resolution 573 also calls on Turkey, as a signatory state, "to guarantee the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of Cyprus".

• 1 – Heavy fighting at Karavas. One Turkish M47 tank is reported destroyed by an AT-3 Sagger anti-tank guided weapon.
• 2 – The Battle of Kornos Hill results in a minor victory for the Cypriot National Guard, with an ambush capturing an M47 tank, "092273", and an M113 APC, "239943", while destroying an M47 tank and an M113 APC with recoilless rifle fire. (Vlassis, 2004)
• 6 – Turkish forces of the 28th Division attack Lapithos and Karavas in the north of the island. Fighting in the general area progresses south, and continues until after 14 August.
• 8 – Turkish forces occupy Lapithos after two days of resistance there by Greek Cypriot forces.
• 10 – The second Geneva conference is held, during which time Glafcos Clerides and Rauf Denktaş meet to discuss the situation on the island.
• 14 – Turkish forces commence the second stage of their operation, known as "Atilla-II", contravening the UN ceasefire.
• 14 – Massacres of civilians in 3 Turkish villages - Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda.
• 14 – The 28th and 39th Divisions of the Turkish Army advance beyond their previously observed UN ceasefire lines and engage in three days of assault against the Cypriot National Guard. Morphou and Lefka both fall to Turkish forces.
• 15 – The last defences at Famagusta (Varosha) collapse, and Greek Cypriot forces withdraw to Larnaca. Two Turkish M47 tanks are reported destroyed by M40A1 recoilless rifle fire at Vasilia.
• 15 – In Nicosia, Turkish and Greek Cypriot tanks encounter each other in the only known tank-to-tank battle of the conflict. One Turkish M47 is reportedly destroyed by fire from three T-34's, and a number of other Turkish M47's are forced to retreat under artillery fire.[31]
• 16 – Turkish forces advance as far as the "Green line", a predetermined territorial occupation by which time, 37% of the island is now under Turkish control.
• 16 - The United Nations Security Council Resolution 360 was adopted and declared their respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, and formally recorded its disapproval of the unilateral military actions taken against it by Turkey.[32]

• Military operations during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
• Battle of Pentemili beachhead (1974)
• Reported military losses during the invasion of Cyprus (1974)
• Cyprus Air Forces
• Cyprus Navy and Marine Police
• List of military equipment of Cyprus
• Cyprus dispute

• Cypriot National Guard Official Site
• The Cyprus Conflict
• "Cyprus, 1974", by T. Cooper and N. Tselepidis, published October 28, 2003 for ACIG.org.
• APORRITOS ATILLAS, Savvas Vlassis
• 1974: The Unknown Backstage of the Turkish Invasion, Makarios Drousiotis, Nicosia 2002, ISBN 9963-631-02-9
• Cyprus 1974 - The Greek coup and the Turkish invasion, Makarios Drousiotis, Hellenic Distribution Agency
• Cyprus 100 Years Alex Efthyvoulou, Laiki Cultural Bank Archive
• Hellenic Nationalist page
• "ELDYK Camp 1974- the Thermopyles of Cyprus" in Stratiotiki Istoria Issue 95, July 2004
• Representative of Peloponnesian ELDYK (based on listed sources: The Battle of Cyprus (G.P. Sergis (Colonel ret.)), Waiting for Attila (Har. Haralampopopoulos (Vice general ret.)), For Cyprus (Ministry of Defence), He called the Turks (Gr. Mixalopoulos) ELDYK album 74 (Association of Reserve Officers of Kyrenia), ELDYK album).
• Occupied Cyprus Project
• "OPERATION "NIKI" 1974 - A Suicide Mission to Cyprus". (Mihail Solanakis).
• "The Battle of the Nicosia International Airport", July 23–24, 1974
• War in Peace, "Cyprus 1974", Pages 1669-1673 (P. J. Banyard).
• "The Action of the Captured M47 in Atilla II" in The Unknown Soldier of Cyprus (Savvas Vlassis)