Nikos Stavros

Actor: Barry Kramer

Full name: Nicholas ‘Nikos’ Stavros*Nationality:* Greek*Affiliation:* Allied Forces / Greece*Rank:* General*Role:* Deputy Commander of the Allied Forces*Superior:* Gunter von Esling*Partner:* Tanya Adams*Main enemy:* Joseph Stalin*Conflict:* Alternative Second World War*Appearances:* Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Counterstrike
Status: Alive in the Allied timeline.Nikos Stavros is a Greek General and the Deputy Commander of the Allied Forces during the war against the Soviet Union. A close friend of Gunter von Esling, he is one of the key figures in the Allied command and regularly advises the Commander throughout the campaign.

The Fall of Greece

Stavros is deeply attached to his country. When the Red Army invades Greece, this war becomes a personal matter for him.

The Counterstrike expansion pack explores this aspect of the character in particular. Under the protection of Tanya Adams, Stavros returns to Greek territory to see for himself the consequences of the Soviet occupation. There, he finds civilian populations suffering as a result of the offensive and is eventually forced to be evacuated as Soviet forces continue their attack.

This experience profoundly transforms Stavros. Already hostile towards Stalin, he becomes far more embittered and driven by a genuine desire for revenge.

Commander of the Allied Forces

Despite this personal hatred, Stavros remains an experienced and competent Officer. He assisted von Esling in the conduct of the war and regularly provided the Allied Commander with intelligence and strategic advice.

As the Allies regained the initiative and pushed the Red Army back towards the Soviet Union, Stavros gradually regained a greater sense of control.

The war finally ends with a direct offensive against Moscow.

Stalin’s Death

After the destruction of the Soviet headquarters, Allied soldiers discover Joseph Stalin alive beneath the rubble and prepare to capture him.

Stavros arrives on the scene and orders the Soldiers to leave.

Left alone with the dictator, he gags him and then piles the rubble back on top of him, condemning him to die buried alive. He then leaves the scene without revealing what he has just done.

This murder marks the culmination of his evolution during the war: Stavros no longer sees Stalin merely as the enemy leader, but as the man responsible for the destruction of his country and the deaths of many Greeks.

An alternative ending

In the Soviet scenario, Stavros meets a different fate.

He finds himself holed up in a chrono-pillbox in Ukraine. Soviet forces are then tasked with tracking down the Greek General and eliminating him.

However, this outcome is specific to the Soviet branch. The continuity leading to subsequent events depends on an Allied victory and therefore on Stavros’s survival after the fall of Moscow.

Personality

Stavros is portrayed as a patriotic, competent and loyal officer, very close to von Esling. He is generally able to keep his cool and advise his subordinates effectively.

The invasion of Greece, however, reveals a much darker side to his personality. Faced with the destruction wrought by the Red Army, his patriotism turns into a personal hatred of Stalin.

His clandestine execution of the Soviet leader thus constitutes one of the most morally ambiguous acts carried out by an Allied official during the war.