The strategic genius, meticulous preparation, and unparalleled sacrifices behind the Great Offensive, a pivotal moment in the Turkish National Struggle, are once again brought to light.
Historian Prof. Dr. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı noted that the Great Offensive was a turning point in the Turkish National Struggle, which had been fought with immense difficulties and scarcities since 1919, and stated, “This turning point in the struggle for the nation to live independently began to be planned by the savior leader Mustafa Kemal Pasha himself with an extremely meticulous, patient, and realistic perspective, approximately a year earlier, right after the Battle of Sakarya.”
Prof. Dr. Odabaşı stated that one of the most poignant moments of the victory occurred on the night connecting August 25th to August 26th, and said, “The cannons also set off from Şuhut with the help of our villagers—men, women, and children—on mules and ox carts, in the bitter cold and pitch darkness of the night. Cloths were wrapped around both the wheels and the animals’ feet to prevent noise. The approximately 8-10 hour Şuhut-Kocatepe march would become a symbol of the sacrifices the Turkish nation was willing to make for its independence.”
Prof. Dr. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı, Head of the History Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, explained the process leading up to the Great Offensive, on the occasion of August 30th Victory Day.
The Great Offensive: A Pivotal Moment in the National Struggle
Prof. Dr. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı noted that the Great Offensive was a pivotal moment in the Turkish National Struggle, which had been fought with immense difficulties and scarcities since 1919, and stated, “This turning point in the struggle for the nation to live independently began to be planned by the savior leader Mustafa Kemal Pasha himself with an extremely meticulous, patient, and realistic perspective, approximately a year earlier, right after the Battle of Sakarya. Indeed, after the victory at Sakarya, he firmly opposed calls in the Turkish Grand National Assembly for the offensive to continue.”
Deficiencies Addressed for Approximately One Year After Sakarya
Prof. Dr. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı explained that Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the Turkish army, who regained their Commander-in-Chief powers from the Parliament on July 20, 1922, underwent a comprehensive and secret preparation period of approximately one year for the Great Offensive. She stated, “After Sakarya, the last battle of 1921, our soldiers both rested and had their deficiencies addressed for about a year. Regiments and divisions were reinforced, while artillery and cavalry units were strengthened. While weapons from the Soviets were being stored, offensive maneuvers were practiced with secret drills. Ammunition, provisions, and medical supplies provided by our villagers were secretly amassed behind the front lines.”
Operations Conducted in Secrecy
Prof. Dr. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı stated that while the Commander-in-Chief and commanders boosted the morale of the soldiers with frequent front-line visits, the Turkish people’s belief that the homeland would be definitively liberated with the final offensive was strengthened through various propaganda activities, and continued:
“In line with the Commander-in-Chief’s strategy of secrecy, the offensive plan was shared only with high-ranking commanders such as Chief of 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. With the same secrecy, the army’s unit movements and accumulations were carried out at night, not during the day. Another strategy employed was deceptive maneuvers. For example, on August 25th, one day before the offensive, while Mustafa Kemal Pasha was at the headquarters in Şuhut, newspapers published news that Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Pasha would host a tea party in Ankara tomorrow (August 26th). The most striking deceptive maneuver would be the Turkish army launching the Great Offensive from the south, via Afyon, while the Greek army expected an attack from the direction of Eskişehir and Ankara.”
The Silent March from Şuhut to Kocatepe
Prof. Dr. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı also stated that the night connecting August 25th to August 26th was of great importance for the preparations for the offensive set to begin at 5 AM. She said, “The artillery batteries had to be secretly transported from Şuhut, Afyon, where the Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters was located, to Kocatepe, without being noticed by the Greeks. Around 9 PM on the night of August 25th, the Commander-in-Chief and army commanders set off towards Kocatepe, which is 1874 meters high and was the main command center of the Great Offensive. The cannons also set off from Şuhut with the help of our villagers—men, women, and children—on mules and ox carts, in the bitter cold and pitch darkness of the night. Cloths were wrapped around both the wheels and the animals’ feet to prevent noise. The approximately 8-10 hour Şuhut-Kocatepe march would become a symbol of the sacrifices the Turkish nation was willing to make for its independence. The heroism and sacrifices of our women, immortalized by Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca’s poem ‘Mustafa Kemal’s Ox Cart,’ became synonymous with the woman named Elif. Elif, when her ox Kocabaş died while carrying ammunition to the front, unhesitatingly harnessed herself to her ox cart.”
Attack from Kocatepe Shocked
Prof. Dr. Hadiye Yılmaz Odabaşı concluded her words by explaining that the first cannon shots were fired from Kocatepe at 05:30 on the morning of Saturday, August 26th:
“While this unexpected initial attack caused great destruction among the Greek forces, its main effect was a psychological shock. As the Greek forces were bewildered by the Turkish attack they had not anticipated, Turkish cavalry units infiltrated behind enemy lines and began encirclement and annihilation operations. In the early hours of Wednesday, August 30, 1922, with the Commander-in-Chief’s Battle, the definitive victory day of the Turkish War of Independence was declared. The Şuhut-Kocatepe road, which our nation and its children, the soldiers, covered on the night of August 25/26, was recorded in our history as one of the moments of our people’s determination, resolve, and destiny.”