Atatürk: "I ask you to prevent enemy planes from crossing behind our front."

After the Treaty of Armistice of Mudros, the planes belonging to the Ottoman Army, whose army was demobilized and whose weapons were confiscated, had to be abandoned to the mercy of the occupation states. As a matter of fact, in June 1920, the Occupation Forces had destroyed 45 airplanes at a helicopter station in Maltepe, Istanbul by burning them. In the creation of the air force needed by the National Struggle, which started in Anatolia under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, efforts were made to purchase airplanes from abroad to the extent possible and within certain limitations, in addition to the repair and use of old airplanes in the country in a broken-down condition. In this context, the steps taken to build the air force before the Great Offensive launched on the morning of August 26, 1922 enabled the creation of the aerial reconnaissance and attack capabilities needed in this great war.

Attempts to Purchase Aircraft Abroad

During the one-year period between the Battle of Sakarya and the Great Offensive, efforts were also made to strengthen the Air Force. A delegation headed by Saffet ARIKAN was sent to Germany and 29 military aircraft were purchased from this country. Due to the conditions of the period, the planes were brought to Samsun for assembly by rail and then by sea. However, it turned out that most of these airplanes were unable to fly. Despite the efforts of aviation craftsmen, only 2 of these 29 planes could be repaired and sent to the front.

With the improvement in relations after the Ankara Treaty with France, an attempt was made to purchase 35 combat and reconnaissance aircraft from this country. Although the Turkish Grand National Assembly approved the purchase of these aircraft on March 12, 1922, the purchases did not materialize. However, 10 airplanes belonging to a company owned by two French citizens were received along with their spare engines and equipment. Although these aircraft were cadastral planes, they were utilized for reconnaissance missions as much as possible.

During this period, 20 Spad-type hunting planes were purchased from Italy on September 10, 1921, upon the positive outcome of the negotiations with this country. These planes were transferred from Italy to Mersin port by ship and from there to Konya air station.

There were two exemplary attempts to meet the airplane needs of the National Struggle. First, the officers of the 174th Regiment collected money among themselves, bought an airplane for the defense of the country with the money they voluntarily deducted from their salaries and presented it to the army. Along with this airplane, three other airplanes purchased by Mr. Nazif, a businessman from Erzurum, were an important support in meeting the airplane needs of the army. These planes were Italian-made, FIAT R-II type, two-seater, weapon reconnaissance planes.

During the preparation phase of the Great Offensive, the procurement of the aircraft materials needed by the Turkish army's aviation units was also important. Efforts were also made to procure aircraft materials from abroad, and with the materials brought into the country through various means, efforts were made to repair the broken-down aircraft in order to make them flyable. In the meantime, the problem of aviation fuel was solved in two ways, through purchases from Russia and Italy. In addition, since aircraft bombs could not be procured from abroad, 7.5 kg artillery shells were used to make aircraft bombs and the enemy had to be fought under primitive conditions.

Four of the 10 Breg-type two-seater reconnaissance planes, which were later purchased from the French and brought to Konya, were prepared in Akşehir as of May 21, 1922 and started reconnaissance flights under the command of the Western Front Command. 

Providing Machine Gun and Bomb Throwing Capabilities to the Aircraft Purchased

The aircraft purchased from France and Italy were not equipped with machine guns. Due to the conditions of the period, these countries had to dismantle the machine guns in the airplanes they sold and then deliver them to the Ankara Government. In order to overcome this deficiency, the machine guns dismantled from the German aircraft from the First World War in the warehouse of Konya Air Station were mounted on the newly purchased French and Italian aircraft. Thus, it was aimed to provide the aircraft with firepower, albeit limited. However, during the firing of these machine guns, due to the incompatibility between the propeller rotation and the firing frequency of the rifles, the engine propellers of many aircraft were damaged.

Flights before the Great Offensive

With its order dated 5 July 1922 and numbered 13493, the Ministry of National Defense gathered all air elements under the Kuva-yı Havaiye Inspectorate, which was reorganized in Konya, and raised aviation activities to the level of an inspectorate.

Before the Great Offensive, a total of 112 reconnaissance activities were carried out and the results were transmitted to the Front Command. With these reconnaissance flights, every movement of the enemy was instantly tracked and enemy aircraft were prevented from flying on the Turkish side. The findings of the reconnaissance flights were immediately reported to the Front Command and active support was provided to the Turkish Command Committee in taking the order of battle by using this information. As a matter of fact, the Greek Commander-in-Chief Hacı Anesti, who was referred to the Court of War after the defeat, said in his defense, "Our planes could not see the Turkish massing and attack preparations because of the 50 latest system tracking planes that the Turks had recently procured from foreign governments." 

On August 13, 1922, Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Pasha visited the aviators in Akşehir with his command delegation. He ordered the fliers, "I ask you to prevent enemy planes from crossing behind our front for reconnaissance."