Pattakos was one of the principals of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 that overthrew the government of Panagiotis Kanellopoulos in a coup d'état on 21 April 1967.

[1][2] Pattakos was born on 8 November 1912,[3][4] in the village of Agia Paraskevi in Rethymno Prefecture,[5][6][7] Crete,[3] and studied at the Hellenic Military Academy.

[11] Pattakos eventually rose to the rank of Brigadier and was assigned to the tank training centre at Goudi in Athens.

[24] The newly restored democratic government of Constantine Karamanlis put the junta officials on trial with charges of high treason and insurrection against Georgios Papadopoulos and other co-conspirators.

[25] Pattakos, along with the other leaders of the 1967 coup, Papadopoulos and Makarezos,[26] were sentenced to death for high treason, following the trial.

[30] He was released from prison on 28 September 1990 by the government of Konstantinos Mitsotakis allegedly for health reasons and was put under house arrest.

[32] In addition, he denied that people were tortured during the dictatorship, except Alekos Panagoulis and Spiros Moustaklis, who "had it coming".