The strategic genius, meticulous preparation, and unparalleled sacrifices behind the Great Offensive, the decisive moment of the Turkish National Struggle, come to light once again.
Noting that the Great Offensive was the turning point of the Turkish National Struggle, which had been waged with countless hardships and deprivations since 1919, Historian Prof. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı said: “This turning point in the struggle for the nation to continue its life independently was personally planned by the savior leader Mustafa Kemal Pasha with an extremely meticulous, patient, and realistic perspective, starting about a year earlier, right after the Battle of Sakarya.”
Prof. Odabaşı emphasized that one of the most touching moments of the victory took place on the night of August 25 leading into August 26: “In the biting cold and pitch darkness of the night, the artillery set out from Şuhut with the help of our villagers, such as men, women, and children, using mules and ox carts. To avoid making noise, cloths were wrapped around both the wheels and the animals’ hooves. The Şuhut–Kocatepe march, which lasted about 8–10 hours, would become a symbol of the sacrifices the Turkish nation was willing to make for independence.”
Prof. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı, Chair of the Department of History at Üsküdar University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, recounted the process leading to the Great Offensive on the occasion of the August 30 Victory Day.
The Great Offensive: The Decisive Moment of the National Struggle
Noting that the Great Offensive was the decisive moment of the Turkish National Struggle, which had been carried out with countless hardships and deprivations since 1919, Prof. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı said: “This turning point in the struggle for the nation to sustain its life independently was personally planned by the savior leader Mustafa Kemal Pasha with an extremely meticulous, patient, and realistic perspective, beginning about a year earlier, immediately after the Battle of Sakarya. Indeed, after the victory at Sakarya, he strongly opposed the demands in the Grand National Assembly to continue the offensive.”
One year of preparation after Sakarya
Explaining that on July 20, 1922, Mustafa Kemal Pasha once again received the powers of Commander-in-Chief from the Assembly, Prof. Odabaşı said: “For nearly a year, Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the Turkish army conducted a highly comprehensive and secretive preparation period for the Great Offensive. After the last battle of 1921, Sakarya, our soldiers both rested and addressed deficiencies. Regiments and divisions were reinforced, and artillery and cavalry units were strengthened. While weapons arriving from the Soviets were stockpiled, attack maneuvers were practiced through covert exercises. Ammunition, food supplies, and medical materials provided by our villagers were secretly stockpiled behind the front.”
Secrecy and misdirection
Prof. Odabaşı added: “While frequent visits by the Commander-in-Chief and commanders to the front boosted soldier morale, propaganda activities strengthened the belief among the Turkish people that the homeland would be definitively liberated with the final offensive. In line with the Commander-in-Chief’s secrecy strategy, the offensive plan was shared only with high-ranking commanders such as Chief of the General Staff Fevzi (Çakmak) Pasha, Western Front Commander İsmet (İnönü) Pasha, 1st Army Commander Nurettin (Sakallı) Pasha, 2nd Army Commander Yakup Şevki Pasha, Kocaeli Group Commander Kazım (Özalp) Pasha, and Cavalry Corps Commander Fahrettin (Altay) Pasha. Troop deployments and stockpiling were carried out at night, not during the day. Another strategy employed was deception. For example, on August 25, while Mustafa Kemal Pasha was at the headquarters in Şuhut, newspapers reported that ‘Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Pasha will host a tea reception in Ankara tomorrow (August 26).’ The most striking deception, however, was that while the Greek army expected an offensive from Eskişehir and Ankara, the Turkish army launched the Great Offensive from the south, through Afyon.”
The Silent March from Şuhut to Kocatepe
Highlighting the importance of the night of August 25 leading into August 26 for preparations to begin at 5:00 a.m., Prof. Odabaşı explained: “The artillery batteries had to be transported from Şuhut, where the Commander-in-Chief’s headquarters was located, to Kocatepe in absolute secrecy without the Greeks noticing. On the night of August 25, around 9:00 p.m., the Commander-in-Chief and army commanders set out for Kocatepe, at an altitude of 1,874 meters, which would serve as the main command center of the Great Offensive. The artillery also departed from Şuhut that night in the biting cold and pitch darkness, with the help of villagers, such as men, women, and children, using mules and ox carts. Cloths were wrapped around both the wheels and the animals’ hooves to ensure silence. The Şuhut–Kocatepe march, lasting 8–10 hours, became a symbol of the sacrifices the Turkish nation was capable of making for independence. The heroism and sacrifices of our women, immortalized in Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca’s poem Mustafa Kemal’s Ox Cart, became embodied in the figure of Elif. When her ox, Kocabaş, died while she was transporting ammunition to the front, Elif unhesitatingly harnessed herself to the cart.”
Shock attack from Kocatepe
Concluding her remarks, Prof. Odabaşı said: “At 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 26, the first cannon fire was launched from Kocatepe. This unexpected initial attack caused massive destruction among Greek forces, but its greatest effect was psychological shock. Stunned by the unexpected Turkish offensive, the Greek troops faltered, while Turkish cavalry infiltrated enemy lines to begin encirclement and annihilation operations. On the morning of Wednesday, August 30, 1922, with the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief, the day of decisive victory in the Turkish War of Independence was declared. The Şuhut–Kocatepe road traversed by our soldiers and people on the night of August 25/26 was inscribed in history as one of the moments of determination, resolve, and destiny for our nation.”