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Battle of the Sakarya
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Battle of the Sakarya
The Battle of the Sakarya (Turkish: Sakarya Meydan Muharebesi, lit. 'Sakarya Field Battle'), also known as the Battle of the Sangarios (Greek: Μάχη του Σαγγαρίου, romanized: Máchi tou Sangaríou), was an important engagement in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).
The battle went on for 21 days from August 23 to September 13, 1921, close to the banks of the Sakarya River in the immediate vicinity of Polatlı, which is today a district of the Ankara Province. The battle line stretched over 62 miles (100 km).
It is also known as the Officers' Battle (Turkish: Subaylar Savaşı) in Turkey because of the unusually high casualty rate (70–80%) among the officers. Later, it was also called Melhâme-i Kübrâ (Islamic equivalent to Armageddon) by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The Battle of the Sakarya is considered to be the turning point of the Turkish War of Independence. The Turkish observer, writer, and literary critic İsmail Habip Sevük later described the importance of the battle with these words:
The retreat that started in Vienna on 13 September 1683 stopped 238 years later.
The Greeks, on July 16, 1921, and skilfully executed. A feint towards the Turkish right flank at Eskişehir distracted Ismet Pasha just as the major assault fell on the left at Kara Hisar. The Greeks then wheeled their axis to the north, swept towards Eskişehir and rolled up the Turkish defence in a series of frontal assaults that was combined with flanking movements.
Eskişehir fell on July 17 despite a vigorous counterattack by Ismet Pasha, who was determined to fight to the finish. The saner counsels of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk prevailed, however, and Ismet Pasha disengaged with great losses to reach the comparative safety of the Sakarya River, some 30 mi (48 km) to the north and only 50 miles (80 km) from Ankara.
The determining feature of the terrain was the river itself, which flows eastward across the plateau, suddenly curves north and then turns back westwards. The great loop described forms a natural barrier. The river banks are awkward and steep, and bridges were few with only two on the frontal section of the loop. East of the loop, the landscape rises before an invader in rocky, barren ridges and hills towards Ankara. It was in those hills, east of the river that the Turks dug in their defensive positions. The front followed the hills east of the Sakarya River from a point near Polatlı southwards to the place at which the Gök River joins the Sakarya, and then swung at right angles eastwards, following the line of the Gök River. The region was excellent defensive ground.
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Battle of the Sakarya
The Battle of the Sakarya (Turkish: Sakarya Meydan Muharebesi, lit. 'Sakarya Field Battle'), also known as the Battle of the Sangarios (Greek: Μάχη του Σαγγαρίου, romanized: Máchi tou Sangaríou), was an important engagement in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).
The battle went on for 21 days from August 23 to September 13, 1921, close to the banks of the Sakarya River in the immediate vicinity of Polatlı, which is today a district of the Ankara Province. The battle line stretched over 62 miles (100 km).
It is also known as the Officers' Battle (Turkish: Subaylar Savaşı) in Turkey because of the unusually high casualty rate (70–80%) among the officers. Later, it was also called Melhâme-i Kübrâ (Islamic equivalent to Armageddon) by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The Battle of the Sakarya is considered to be the turning point of the Turkish War of Independence. The Turkish observer, writer, and literary critic İsmail Habip Sevük later described the importance of the battle with these words:
The retreat that started in Vienna on 13 September 1683 stopped 238 years later.
The Greeks, on July 16, 1921, and skilfully executed. A feint towards the Turkish right flank at Eskişehir distracted Ismet Pasha just as the major assault fell on the left at Kara Hisar. The Greeks then wheeled their axis to the north, swept towards Eskişehir and rolled up the Turkish defence in a series of frontal assaults that was combined with flanking movements.
Eskişehir fell on July 17 despite a vigorous counterattack by Ismet Pasha, who was determined to fight to the finish. The saner counsels of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk prevailed, however, and Ismet Pasha disengaged with great losses to reach the comparative safety of the Sakarya River, some 30 mi (48 km) to the north and only 50 miles (80 km) from Ankara.
The determining feature of the terrain was the river itself, which flows eastward across the plateau, suddenly curves north and then turns back westwards. The great loop described forms a natural barrier. The river banks are awkward and steep, and bridges were few with only two on the frontal section of the loop. East of the loop, the landscape rises before an invader in rocky, barren ridges and hills towards Ankara. It was in those hills, east of the river that the Turks dug in their defensive positions. The front followed the hills east of the Sakarya River from a point near Polatlı southwards to the place at which the Gök River joins the Sakarya, and then swung at right angles eastwards, following the line of the Gök River. The region was excellent defensive ground.
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