The Great Offensive: Mustafa Kemal Pasha's Victory Plan and the Liberation of Izmir

The history of the Great Offensive is dizzying! Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who assumed the authority of the commander-in-chief, which was given step by step (three months) by the Turkish Grand National Assembly, for the last time and indefinitely on July 20, is in a tactical rush to mislead the enemy between Ankara, Western Front Headquarters, Akşehir and Konya.

After the victory of Sakarya; Approximately 11 months of tense and necessary preparations, including the preparation of the military, the elimination of vital logistical deficiencies, and success-oriented strategic planning, have been left behind. At the meeting with the commanders on 27/28 July 1922, which was curtained by a football match in Akşehir, the final preparations for the attack plan were reviewed. Gazi Mustafa Kemal detailed the attack with Western Front Commander İsmet Pasha and Chief of General Staff Fevzi Pasha on July 30, and returned to Ankara on August 6 to get the approval of the cabinet.

Having received this approval in mid-August, Pasha meets with a few of his friends for dinner on the evening of the day he leaves Ankara. To them as they were leaving: "I'm going to the right front now to start the attack," he says. One of the people at the table said, "Pasha, what if you fail?" Pasha said, "What do you mean? 14 days after the start of the attack, I will have driven the Greeks into the sea!" answers. Because now, in order to consolidate the internal front, he suppressed the internal rebellions in different parts of the country, instilled hope in the discouraged people, and convinced some pessimistic deputies who thought of staying on the defensive, thus locking the "nation, parliament and army" trio to success.

'ARMS, YOUR FIRST TARGET IS THE MEDITERRANEAN'

Mustafa Kemal, who left Ankara on 17 August and went to Konya, moved unseen to Akşehir, where the front headquarters was located, on 18/19 August. On August 24, he moved to Şuhut behind the front, and a day later to the tented camp where the war was conducted. On the same day, all communication with the outside world is cut off. On the morning of August 26, before dawn, at 05.30, when the first redness of the sun began to rise, he started the Great Offensive with intense artillery fire. Within a few hours, all targets were captured, except Çiğiltepe. The basic elements of the invading Greek army were destroyed in the Commander-in-Chief Square Battle, which started in Kocatepe in the morning of August 26 and took place in Dumlupınar on August 30.

It's time for the sweeping operation. The troops that survived the five-day general attack were chased without allowing them to hold on. Afyonkarahisar on 27 August 1922; On August 30, Kütahya was liberated. On September 1, he told all continents: "Armies, your first target is the Mediterranean, forward!" gives the order. Then Uşak, Balıkesir, Aydın, Manisa and finally İzmir were liberated on September 9. Accordingly, Gazi Mustafa Kemal achieved victory on the 15th day. When he returned to Ankara, he said, "I'm sorry, sometimes people can make mistakes in their calculations. I'm wrong in my prediction for a day!" says.

FREEDOM FROM OCCUPATION

However, the Greeks who fled to reach the Gulf of Izmir set fire to the settlements in their escape route; He killed everyone, men, women and children! The "Atrocities Investigation Committee" was established to document the destruction left behind by the Greek army. Adıvar, in his work "Turk's Test with Fire", describes the atrocities, pain and tears in Western Anatolia based on his direct observations.

The dimensions of this massacre, which should embarrass the human being, are also shockingly featured in Yakup Kadri's novel "Yaban" and in the book of stories and articles titled "From Izmir to Bursa", a joint work of the members of the committee in question. In his own words, “what did he get rid of!” It is understood that the minister, who is hesitant about the subject, responsible for the destruction of national education in accordance with the understanding of sheikh-shih and mele, and whose actions and discourses prove that he is not at all "uncanny", cannot get enough of these valuable works - even if he has read them!

However, blending the epic "August 30 spirit" and the path from the front to the Republic with the goals of contemporary civilization and transferring it to future generations is the gift of the indiscriminate Turkish nation, which rose up under the leadership of Ataturk 104 years ago, and is a prerequisite for taking care of these lands.