Air Operations on the 101th Anniversary of the 1st İnönü War
The Greeks occupied İzmir on May 15, 1919, with the decision taken at the Paris Peace Conference on January 18, 1919, in order to realize their "Greater Greece" ambition. In the face of this occupation, the Turkish nation, seeing that the occupations were not temporary but permanent, took up arms, formed Kuva-yı Milliye units and started a regional struggle. However, although the progress of the Greek army was slowed down by regional struggles, the progress could not be stopped and the entire Gulf of Izmir fell into the hands of the Greeks until 12 June 1919. The Greek army continued its advance and expanded the area of operation and occupied the regions in Western Anatolia.
During this period, Turkish aviation served under the command of the Western Front Command in order to provide air support to the Kuva-yı Milliye units. In this context, on 8 November 1920, the Western Front Command was divided into two, Colonel İsmet İnönü was appointed as the Western Front Command and Colonel Refet Bele was appointed as the Southern Front Command. In the 1st Battle of İnönü, Turkish aviation served in Muttalip Square with 1 fighter and 1 reconnaissance aircraft, 1st Aircraft Squadron with 1 fighter plane, and 2nd Aircraft Squadron in Afyonkarahisar Square under the command of the Western Front Command in Eskişehir.
The 1st Battle of İnönü started with the attack of the Greeks on the Bursa-Uşak line on January 6, 1921, and on the same day, in the Eskişehir-Afyon and Uşak-Bursa direction, the operation that developed up to the İnönü and Dumlupınar positions, Plt.Assb.Vecihi Hürkuş and Behçet, Rasıt Sıtkı He also carried out reconnaissance and bombardment missions. The battles between 6-9 January 1921 took place in the form of cover and security forces operations. The battles in İnönü positions started on January 10, 1921, and lasted until January 11, 1921, when the Greek forces withdrew to the offensive exit lines. In the 1st Aircraft Squadron, Plt.Astsb.Vecihi observed the Greek troops in the east of Söğüt on 8-9 January, attacked the Greek regiment approaching Bozüyük-Karaköy with a machine gun and dropped bombs. On January 9, 1921, Svl.Plt.Behçet and Rasıt Yzb. During the reconnaissance made in the vicinity of Yusuf Kenan, Bilecik-Küplü and Karaköy, and in the Karaköy-Pazarcık region in the afternoon, 50-60 Greek military forces were detected on the ridges to the east of Karaköy. On the same day, at 13.00, Svl.Plt.Behçet and Company Commander Lieutenant Muhsin Alpagot; They determined that the Greek troops entering Bozüyük consisted of 1 infantry regiment and cavalry unit. It is stated that other Greek Forces entered the Karasu valley by following the Mezit strait and advanced towards the Karaağaç Hills. On the same day, at 13.30, it was reported that the Greek forces attacked the southern flank and recaptured the Karaağaç Hills. With the attack of the Turkish troops on the left flank of the İnönü position, the advance of the Greek troops was stopped, and in the morning of 10 January 1921, it was determined that the enemy was protecting their positions the day before.
Plt.Astsb.Vecihi Hürkuş, in his reconnaissance flight in the afternoon, made a machine gun and bomb attack on the enemy trenches with a low flight. Vecihi burned his plane to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy and managed to escape by escaping. Svl.Plt.Behçet and Lieutenant Sıtkı Tanman reported that the Greeks were trying to hold on to the positions they had been in the day before, and that the mutual intense artillery fire continued, but that there was no movement and reserve unit behind the Greek lines. On the morning of January 11, 1921, the activity of the enemy forces was not seen, and the Western Front Command, suspicious of this, launched reconnaissance teams with the thought that the enemy could prepare for an attack. Plt.Behçet and Rasıt Lieutenant Sıtkı Tanman, in the discovery they made at 10:00, it was confirmed that the Greek troops did not carry out any activity in İnönü and Bozüyük, but the Karaköy Station was on fire and the rearguard forces of the enemy had withdrawn from Pazarcık. It was stated that on January 11, 1921, the Greeks began to withdraw, the rebellion movements in Kütahya were suppressed and their positions were seized. While the operation was developing in favor of the Turkish army, on January 12, 1921, Vecihi Hürkuş's 23-year-old sister died when Greek planes bombed Eskişehir.
On January 11, 1921, the Deputy of National Defense Fevzi Çakmak was appointed as the President of the Grand National Assembly; “The enemy attack, starting from Yenişehir and İnegöl direction on January 6, 1921, and extending to our İnönü positions, stopped in the face of the heroic resistance and defense of our troops after the very intense and continuous field battle that took place on the general line of Savcıbey-Akpınar-Karaağaç on January 9 and 10, 1921. On the night of January 10/11, the enemy gave up the attack and started to retreat rapidly.” Upon this development, the President of the Grand National Assembly, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in his congratulatory message to the Commander of the Western Front İsmet İnönü on January 12, 1921, said, “I would like to thank you and all the commanders of our heroic army for the auspicious and decisive victory of the Western Front troops under your superior command in the Battle of İnönü. I extend the deepest congratulations of the Grand National Assembly to its officers and soldiers, and I pray that this victory will be a good start to the final victory that will completely save our holy lands from the invasion of the enemy. I request that these congratulations be conveyed to all the soldiers and officers of the army.” In his words, he expressed his happiness for the victory.
Colonel İsmet İnönü, Commander of the Western Front, in his message to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, said, "With the spiritual and holy inspiration he received from the unconditional loyalty to the Grand National Assembly, which has taken our destiny with full independence, our holy lands have been saved.
I hereby submit and assure you that the army is firmly convinced that it will fulfill its duty.” He gave the answer of determination for victory.
Trikupis: "On the sixth day, I was convinced that it was absolutely necessary, since the situation of the Division was critical, and ordered the regiments to retreat by supporting each other. First of all, I informed the artillery commander to identify the artillery positions that would follow each other to support the infantry's withdrawal. At 17 o'clock, the Turks alone He wanted to turn the back of the III Division by attacking not from the front, but from our right flank, and especially from the north - where we said the X. Division had withdrawn before. I ordered the withdrawal of the whole division to complete the order I gave earlier. At around 23 o'clock at night, the Division began to retreat, opening the distance between us and the Turks." In the afternoon, the Western Front Command is now confident that the Greek troops are withdrawing.
The Western Front Commander İsmet İnönü, who stopped the enemy on the İnönü front and was promoted to the General, requested that the declaration he wrote on January 13, 1921, as the commander of the army that won the war and found morale, be sent to the vicinity of Kütahya by plane. In the declaration; It is stated that the Greek army was defeated thanks to the heroism and sacrifice of the nation; “Do not cause your religion and the honor of your families to surrender to the Greeks by believing in the words and propaganda of Circassian Ethem, who wanted to ally with the Greeks and incite discord among the nation by their order.” The effect of the leaflets thrown from the air was seen in the Greek sources. In particular, Panagiotis Dimitrakis mentioned the declarations of the Military Police Organization calling on the Greek soldiers to quit the war, and 8 Greek soldiers signed one of the declarations fired from Turkish planes. Greek soldiers advised their friends at the front to surrender by showing the white flag to the Turks and taught them how to shout "surrender". In the diaries kept by the Greek soldiers during the war, a great deal of information was found about the Turkish air campaign and the declarations. Greek Artillery Lieutenant Ioannis D.Papadimas stated that Turkish planes sent encouraging notices to the front that it was time for the soldiers to surrender and have a good time.
The reconnaissance flights made in the Battle of İnönü greatly facilitated the task of the command headquarters, and the Commander of the Western Front, Brigadier General İsmet İnönü, wanted the airmen to be rewarded for their successful reconnaissance and attack activities. For this purpose, 5 officers, petty officers, pilots, consisting of Plt. Petty Officer Vecihi and Behçet, Lieutenant Muhsin and Sıtkı, Lieutenant Commander Yusuf Kenan were rewarded with random money. The Commander of the Western Front, Brigadier General İsmet İnönü, joined the Army on 14 March 1921 upon the victory of the battle; “To the agents of the Battle of İnönü Victory; A special greeting and thank you to my airmen.” In the telegram he received from the front, he congratulated and expressed his gratitude by stating how dangerous it was to fly, the bad conditions of the planes and the lack of materials increased this danger. On January 14, 1921, it was announced in the newspaper "Yeni Gün" with the headline "Turkish Victory in the Anatolian Battle of the Battle of Anatolia". In March 1921, it was requested that the aerodromes be close to the front in order to prevent the planes from showing engine failure in long-distance flights and preventing crashes during take-off and landing. The 1st Aircraft Squadron is 2 km from Eskişehir to İnönü town. The area at a distance was corrected and an airport was built, and the transfer began on March 23, 1921. However, the area is small for safe departure and 500 m from the square. It was evaluated that the project was not very healthy due to the mountainous region in the south, and it was returned to Eskişehir-Muttalip Square.
At the end of the war, Franklin Bouillon, the representative of the French Foreign Affairs, came to Ankara due to the peace negotiations between the French Government and the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The representative came to Eskişehir to see the Greek atrocities and to tour the Western Front and visited the Turkish front. While visiting the workshop in Eskişehir with Frontline Intelligence Director Baki Vandemir, he saw a strange-looking Turkish plane in Muttalip Square, where the fuselage of the planes was patched, the engines were broken, the wings were transferred from the plane, the hood was made of potato juice, and the cloth wings were enameled with mashed potatoes; “What insane heroism, of course you win the battle, my dear,” he expressed surprise and admiration. This heroism is not limited to the pilots flying with the planes, but belongs to the Turkish nation, which provides all kinds of support and contribution to them.
Muzaffer Ergüder, the first days of the air campaign; “The first aircraft company commander informed the Front Staff on the phone that his first aircraft had started flight training and that the second one was being prepared. The enemy army advancing from Bursa direction towards Eskişehir would encounter the first regular army of the War of Independence at İnönü positions. Our 2-3 planes, which were riveted and their cloths were smeared with trotters, were cooperating with this army in İnönü, were able to explore and even drop a few bombs on the enemy forces.” He stated that 5 or 10 pilots and mechanics had their names written in Turkish aviation history with the success they achieved by flying a single plane a day. The first disciplined army, which was formed in these poverty and managed with a perfect command and command, stopped the enemy in the middle of Anatolia. The enemy could not stand against this regular army resistance, which he had never expected, and left thousands of his soldiers around İnönü and withdrew. Turkish aviators forced the enemy to retreat with the support of a few aircraft and the Battle of İnönü was won. Plt.Yzb. Fazil and Lt. He participated in the operation with Halil Ziver and made reconnaissance flights in Afyon, Dumlupınar and Uşak regions.
Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the importance of the 1st İnönü War; "The small but national ideal young army of the new Turkish state, with the narrowest calculation, its three times superior enemy İnönü Meydan Muharrem
He defeated his midwife. He applied the most delicate of strategy art with precision. He wrote a brilliant example in the history of war in the use of internal lines”. With the victory of the 1st İnönü War, the prestige of the Turkish Grand National Assembly was increased both inside and outside, and this situation prepared a suitable environment for future wars. It is the first success of the regular army established by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the Western Front. It increased the morale and authority of the GNAT Government. Thus, the state mechanism began to function, and regular collection of taxes and recruitment into the military were regulated. With the first victory of the regular army of the Turkish Grand National Assembly against the Greeks on the Western Front, the differences of opinion between the western states became clear. This victory strengthened the internal situation of the new Turkish state and increased its external reputation. Allied Powers organized the London Conference to discuss the new situation and recognized the political presence of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, which was invited to the conference to be held in London on February 21, 1921, with the initiatives of Italy. Italy and France started to think about withdrawing from Anatolia, and the Moscow Treaty was signed on March 16, 1921, with a positive reflection in Turkish-Soviet relations. Confidence of the Allied Powers in Greece has decreased. A treaty of friendship was signed with Afghanistan. This treaty was the first treaty made by the Turkish Grand National Assembly with a Muslim country. At the end of the war, Teşkilat-ı Esasiye, the first constitution of the new Turkish State, was accepted. This war has had a great importance and place in terms of Turkish aviation history. In the operation, despite the bad weather and lack of fuel, 5 surveillance, reconnaissance and bombardment flights were carried out with 2 active aircraft in 3 days. Turkish aviators; Despite the fact that the aircraft is not yet ready for combat in terms of personnel and materials, and despite the lack of fuel, weather conditions and deficiencies in combat, it has affected the victory of the battle.
REFERENCES;
General Staff ATASE Publications. Turkish War of Independence - II. Volume - Western Front - Part 3.
General Trikupis / My Memories, Translated by Ahmet Angın, Hüsnütabiat Press, 1967, Page:67.
TATAR, Cengiz, “The Future is in the Skies” Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK and Turkish Aviation, Galeati Publishing, 2021, Ankara.
