Great Offensive

For the World War I offensive, see Grand Offensive.

The Great Offensive (Turkish: Büyük Taarruz) was the largest and final military operation of the Turkish War of Independence, fought between the Turkish Armed Forces loyal to the government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the Kingdom of Greece, ending the Greco-Turkish War. The offensive began on 26 August 1922 with the Battle of Dumlupınar. The Turks amassed around 98,000 men, the largest number since the beginning of the war, to begin the offensive against the Greek army of approximately 130,000 men.^[10][11] From 31 August to 9 September, the front moved a distance of 300 km (190 mi) as the Greek troops retreated.^[12] The Turkish army lacked motorized vehicles; its forces consisted of infantry and cavalry units, and logistical support was provided by a supply system based on ox carts.^[13]

Great Offensive
Part of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22) of the Turkish War of Independence
From the top left: Turkish artillery units, the forward operation of a Turkish cavalry unit during the Battle of Dumlupınar, the last Turkish soldiers to join the attack being sent off from Ulus Square with ceremonies and prayers, Turkish infantry units wait in the trenches for the attack, Greek soldiers on backward way.
Date 26 August – 18 September 1922 Location Western Anatolia (Afyon, Kütahya, Uşak, İzmir) Result Turkish victory Armistice of Mudanya End of the Turkish War of Independence Territorial changes Turkish capture of Smyrna Greek Army withdrawal from Western Anatolia
Belligerents
Ankara Government	Greece
Commanders and leaders
Mustafa Kemal Pasha Fevzi Pasha İsmet Pasha	Georgios Hatzianestis Nikolaos Trikoupis (POW) Kimon Digenis (POW)
Strength
98,670–103,000 infantry 5,286 cavalry 323 artillery[1][2][3][4]	130,000 infantry 1,300 cavalry 348 artillery[1][2][3][4]
Casualties and losses
2,318 killed, 9,360 wounded, 1,697 missing and 101 prisoners Total: 13,476[5]	By 7 September: 35,000 killed and wounded, 15,000 prisoners Total: 50,000[6][7][8][9]

The Turkish troops reached the sea on 9 September with the capture of İzmir. The operation ended on 18 September 1922 with the capture of Erdek and Biga. The staggering defeat caused great dissent within the Greek army and a general loss of morale, which led to unwillingness to continue fighting. On top of this, numerous Greek divisions had been encircled and destroyed as effective fighting units, which meant that the Greek army had lost its offensive capabilities and was unable to organize a controlled retreat, leading to numerous Greek POWs.

Advance

The offensive started with the Battle of Dumlupınar, where the Turkish army defeated the Greek army within four days, paving the way for a rapid offensive. After Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's order issued in the Forces of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the main part of the Turkish Army began moving toward İzmir and a secondary force began moving from Eskişehir toward Bursa.^[14] The commander-in-chief of the Greek forces in Asia Minor, Nikolaos Trikoupis, surrendered on 29 August.^[15][16] On 7 September, Aydın, Germencik and Kuşadası fell under Turkish control. On 16 September, the last Greek troops left Çeşme, and two days later the Greek III Corps left Erdek. The British Chief of Staff expressed his admiration for the Turkish military operation.^[17]

Gallery

• 
  Turkish cavalry during a mopping-up operation
• 
  Turkish infantry in a trench
• 
  Fahrettin Altay and V Cavalry Corps officers
• 
  Greek soldiers retreating
• 
  A Turkish village burnt by retreating Greek troops
• 
  Inspection of the burned town of Turgutlu by a group of dignitaries and journalists
• 
  Greek POW officers in Ankara
• 
  Mustafa Kemal Pasha at Kocatepe hill, Afyonkarahisar

See also

• List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of Independence
• Occupation of Smyrna
• Great Fire of Smyrna
• Great Thessaloniki Fire