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The victory of Aug. 30, 1922, symbolizes the successful conclusion of the military phase of the War of Independence that led to the establishment of the modern Republic of Türkiye. With this victory, the Greek occupation of Anatolia and Thrace came to an end. The Turkish nation’s determination to live freely and independently was affirmed, paving the way for peace negotiations with the government of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) on equal footing as a sovereign state.
Events leading to National Struggle
World War I ended after four years of struggle with the defeat of the Central Powers, of which the Ottoman Empire was a member. The Ottoman Empire withdrew from the war with the signing of the Armistice of Mudros on Oct. 30, 1918. The Paris Peace Conference began in early 1919 and continued for an extended period. At this conference, the treaties ending the war with Germany, Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria were decided and signed without negotiation.
The terms of the treaty proposed to the Ottoman Empire were unacceptable and met with strong resistance. The Ottoman Empire was the only state to reject the treaty imposed upon it at the end of World War I. This, of course, triggered new political and military developments.
Even before a peace treaty was finalized, the Allied Powers deployed both their own troops and the Greek army for occupation. They seized territories they had been unable to take by force during the war. Their approach was far from conciliatory; instead, they adopted a political stance and behavior that ignored and belittled both the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish nation.
Most difficult time in Turkish history
For the first time since the Crusades, Anatolia was facing occupying armies. On the one hand, there was a lost war and, ultimately, a signed armistice. The state was obliged to comply with the agreement and was trying to do so with sensitivity. On the other hand, it was necessary to stop the Entente powers and their collaborators who were acting in violation of the armistice. This difficult situation could only be overcome through the unity of the state and the nation.
Indeed, national organizations, defense of rights associations and congresses were established in Anatolia and Thrace, demonstrating the determination to rescue the occupied capital, Istanbul and the Sultan. The nation stepped in and civil resistance organizations were formed. A “total war” was waged, with the nation putting everything on the line. This is why this process is defined as the “National Struggle.”
The Ottoman General Staff assigned many patriotic generals and officers, including Mustafa Kemal Pasha, to Anatolia and Thrace. Eventually, with his leadership skills, Mustafa Kemal Pasha came to the forefront and took charge of the national struggle movement that began in Anatolia. He received support from the governments established in Istanbul, except for the Damat Ferit administration. Under his leadership, the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) was convened in Ankara, directing the struggle for independence from Anatolian heartlands.
Aug. 26-Sept.18: Great Offensive
The battles of Inönü, Eskişehir-Kütahya, and Sakarya, fought during the National Struggle managed by the TBMM, were all defensive wars against Greek attacks. On Aug. 26, 1922, the Turkish army launched an offensive for the first time to drive the enemy out of the occupied homeland. A series of intertwined battles ensued. In these battles, Turkish forces had reached a numerical parity with Greek troops for the first time, exceeding 200,000. Between Aug. 26 and 30, along a 650-kilometer (403.8-mile) front line stretching from the Sea of Marmara to the Menderes River in Western Anatolia, more than 400,000 soldiers from both armies fought a battle of life and death.
In the first two days of the Great Offensive, which concluded the military phase of the National Struggle, half of the Greek army’s forces were put out of action, and the army was surrounded at Dumlupınar. The Battle of Dumlupınar, also known as the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief, was led by Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Pasha himself and concluded on Aug. 30. However, to prevent the fleeing enemy from regrouping, Turkish troops initiated a pursuit, denying the enemy the opportunity to stop and regroup.
Responding on Sept. 5 to Greece’s armistice offer made on Sept. 2 through its allies, Mustafa Kemal Pasha stated that the armistice could only apply to Thrace and not to Anatolia. On the same day, the Greek deputy commander-in-chief Trikopis and his 5,000-strong division were forced to surrender to Turkish forces. Greek troops and local Greek gangs fleeing with them were looting and burning settlements. In doing so, they aimed to leave Anatolia – now returned to Turkish hands – in ruins, inflicting severe harm on the Turkish civilian population and creating major obstacles to Türkiye’s economic recovery.
The Turkish army recaptured Afyonkarahisar on Aug. 27, Kütahya on Aug. 30, Uşak and Gediz on Sept. 1, Eskişehir on Sept. 2, Balıkesir and Bilecik on Sept. 6, Aydın on Sept. 7, and Manisa on Sept. 8. On Sept. 9, troops under the command of 1st Army Commander Sakallı Nûreddin Pasha entered Izmir, lowered the Greek flag at the government building, and raised the Turkish flag in its place. After Izmir, Greek forces were expelled from Çeşme on Sept. 16, Bandırma on Sept. 17, and Erdek on Sept. 18.
The Turkish army pursued the fleeing Greek forces for 450 kilometers after the battles that ended with the Great Offensive, which began on Aug. 26 in Afyon Kocatepe, liberating an area of 150,000 square kilometers from the enemy in a short period of time, thus completing the military front of the National Struggle. After this, the diplomatic struggle continued in Mudanya and Lausanne.
Anatolia, land of the Turks
On Aug. 26, 1071, Sultan Alparslan defeated the Eastern Roman armies in the Battle of Malazgirt, opening the doors of Anatolia to the Turks. With the Great Offensive that began on Aug. 26, 1922, the invading Greek armies were defeated, proving to the world that Anatolia would remain a Turkish land forever.
The date of Aug. 30, when the Battle of Dumlupınar was won, symbolically represents the day the country’s territories were regained. First celebrated in Afyon in 1924 as Commander-in-Chief Victory Day, Aug. 30 has been celebrated as Victory Day in Türkiye since 1926. For many years, the General Staff hosted the Victory celebrations and state officials conveyed their congratulations to the Chief of the General Staff. Within the framework of Türkiye’s transition to civilian rule, the regulation on the celebration of official holidays was amended in 2010 and since 2011, the president has hosted the celebrations, which are more in line with the spirit of the National Struggle.
