Turkish Air Operation on the 102nd Anniversary of the Great Offensive and the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief and the Road to Victory (Part-1)

With the‘Great Offensive and the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief’, the‘ Great Victory’ was won by the Turkish Nation against imperialism and its local collaborators by putting its life, property, honour, wealth and all its strength on the line with the ‘Kuvayi Milli Spirit’ by removing the enemy forces from the country and liberating its homeland. Turkish aviation carried out successful reconnaissance, attack and hunting interception activities and flights of strategic importance by heroes in very few numbers and under very difficult conditions in the face of financial impossibilities. It neutralised enemy elements and was instrumental in the achievement of the Great Victory by providing important support and contribution, and displayed exemplary and courageous behaviour throughout the entire operation. The Turkish nation celebrates and will celebrate the 30 August Victory Day, which was achieved as a result ofthe Great Victory, with great honour, pride, happiness, respect and love, enthusiasm, without compromising the existence, unity and complete independence of the Turkish nation, without any obstacles, by experiencing and feeling the meaning and importance of that period.

Happy ‘30 August Victory Day’, the day when our struggle for independence and liberation was crowned with victory, the foundations of our republic were built, the resistance and resurrection of a nation that was wanted to be erased from history rose, and the day that was a source of morale and excitement for all oppressed nations. I commemorate with mercy, gratitude, respect and gratitude our heroic martyrs of the War of Independence, especially the Eternal Commander-in-Chief Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic, who brought this victory to the Turkish Nation, who made these lands a homeland with their blood and lives and who sacrificed their lives willingly for the indivisible integrity of our country with its nation.

With the victory won in the Battle of Sakarya, it was thought that the Turkish army should be strengthened in line with its goals in order to completely expel the Greeks from Anatolia, and in this context, it was aimed to mobilise all the resources of the country for a decisive victory. Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's goal was to go on the offensive with an army whose deficiencies had been eliminated and which at least approached the capabilities and strength of the enemy. In the period of approximately one year after the Battle of Sakarya, great importance was attached to the efforts to strengthen the combat power of aviation in order to lead the Turkish army to victory despite the shortcomings. In this process, it was aimed to increase the combat power by reinforcing the air units in order to reduce personnel casualties and to eliminate the deficiencies in terms of weapons, vehicles, equipment and materials.

The Turkish air force before the Great Offensive, on 1 January 1922, the 1st and 2nd Aircraft Squadrons in Akşehir had 4 aircraft and 4 pilots. On 7 February 1922, 21 Spad-XIII model fighter planes, which were purchased from Italian merchants in Antalya for one thousand liras each, were brought to the port of Mersin by the ferry named Sicily and to Konya Airfield by railway in accordance with the agreement made with the Italian company named Rosini Company. On 7 March 1922, there were 13 aircraft ready for flight, and the aircraft that were broken down before the operation were repaired at the railway repair workshop in Eskişehir and made usable. From the 10 aircraft of the Front Division, a reconnaissance unit with two aircraft each was given to the 1st and 2nd Army Commands, and the 1st Army Reconnaissance Unit was brought to Çay in early June.

Within the scope of the Ankara Treaty dated 20 October 1921, 10 Brege (Breguet) 2-person reconnaissance aircraft in Adana were left by the French to the TGNA Government. The 1st Tayyare Squadron was formed with four aircraft prepared for flight from the aircraft taken from the French and brought to Konya, and it was brought to Akşehir on 21 May 1922. Thus, in addition to the 2nd Aeroplane Company, the 1st Aeroplane Company with 4 aircraft was put into operation under the command of the Western Front Command. Before the Great Offensive, the reconnaissance reports of the 1st Aeroplane Squadron, as stated in the Front Ceride Notebook (Operation Diary), played a major role in the road to victory.

At the end of 22 July, Amasra Airfield was connected to the Air Force Inspectorate, and on 18 November 1922, 4 seaplanes were assembled in Izmit, 2 from Amasra and 2 from Istanbul, but these planes could not carry out active air operations. In addition to these developments, a delegation headed by Saffet Arıkan was sent to Germany and 29 aircraft were purchased. The hunting and reconnaissance aircraft secretly purchased from Germany, as well as their materials and equipment, were transported to the Baltic Port of Russia and taken to the Novorosky Port by train. Since Samsun and its surroundings were under British blockade from the sea, the planes were first brought to Trabzon by the ferry Şahin and then to Samsun by land. Since most of these planes were dilapidated and unusable, only two of them were repaired and sent to the front. Since the aircraft purchased from France and Italy came with their weapons dismantled in accordance with international rules, machine guns from German aircraft were mounted on the aircraft during World War I in order to overcome this deficiency. Again, in this period, in order to strengthen the Air Force, the 174th Regiment collected money among its officers and bought an aircraft, and the aircraft was named 174th Regiment.

In August 1922, the number of aircraft of the companies increased to 10, 7 for reconnaissance and 3 for hunting, but since they could not be maintained due to the lack of equipment, the aircraft were collected at the Akşehir Company Centre. The Front Aircraft Squadron in Akşehir was transferred to the square prepared in Çay with 4 reconnaissance aircraft on 20 August 1922. Four hunting aircraft from Konya were stationed at Çay square, while two reconnaissance aircraft were kept ready in Akşehir. The aeroplanes continued their reconnaissance missions despite the anti-aircraft fire of the Greek troops and the intervention of fighter planes, and from this date onwards, while the reconnaissance aeroplanes made successful flights, the fighter planes started patrol flights behind our lines.

The main task assigned to fighter aircraft was to prevent enemy reconnaissance flights from passing behind our lines by flying patrol flights along the front and to prevent the enemy from receiving information about preparations. The duration of the flight duty for the pilots was approximately 1.5 hours, starting at dawn and continuing until dusk, and the missions of the aircraft were organised in such a way that one of them would start before the other one finished. On 20 August 1922, Commander-in-Chief Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visited Akşehir Base, where the Western Front Headquarters was located, and the Front Aircraft Squadron, and ordered the pilots:‘I ask you not to let enemy planes pass behind our front for reconnaissance’. On 21 August 1922 at 18.30, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Chief of General Staff Fevzi Çakmak and Front Commander İsmet İnönü inspected the aircraft company in Çay.

On 23 August 1922, the Chief of Staff of the Western Front Command sent a letter to the Front Aircraft Squadron Command stating that ‘Our war planes should protect our reconnaissance planes and enemy planes should be prevented from flying within our area’.

On 23 August, Muzaffer Ergüder, Inspector of Air Forces, arrived in Akşehir; "I received the orders of the Front Commander and arrived at the square where the Front Aircraft Squadron was located. I saw the hangar tents set up on a flat and clean area, the section that served as a small repair shop, and the place where the fliers stayed, and was informed that 9 of the 22 aircraft available were ready for flight. The types and deficiencies of those that were not ready for flight were determined. It was decided to make use of the engine parts, propellers, wheels, wheels and cables of 4 aircraft of the same type that were difficult to fly, and to make the other aircraft that could be completed flyable, and work was started immediately. On the morning of 26 August, at the beginning of the Great Offensive, it was determined that 18 aircraft could be ready for flight. There were not 18 pilots available, and each pilot flew several times a day, and extraordinary efforts were taken for one flier. Even if the aeroplane of a pilot who came back from a flight and landed in the square did not fly again, there would be another aeroplane ready to fly. The pilots, observers and mechanics would take off their jackets, cover themselves with petrol and oil and work for this preparation. In a deep silence, the aeroplanes were being worked on, the success of a repair, which appeared at any moment, aroused serious smiles on the faces, and everyone was dominated by one thing, the determination of victory."

He observed the latest situation of Turkish aviators in the run-up to the Great Offensive. Before the Great Offensive, the Front Aircraft Squadron consisted of 12 active aircraft, including fighter/bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, and 22 aircraft were tried to be prepared for flight in Konya Repair Shop. On 25 August, 4 flights were made to reconnoitre the front and behind the front, and reported to the Front Command that there was no change in the situation in the region. In the reconnaissance flights made before the offensive, it was determined that a total of 11 Greek divisions were deployed, the Greek army had one aircraft unit each in Eskişehir-Afyon-Garipçe and Uşak, and it was reported that each of these units had 4 or 5 fighter-bomber type aircraft.

İsmet İnönü, the Commander of the Western Front, informed the Akşehir Front Aircraft Squadron at 21.00 on 25 August that: ‘As of 26 August 1922, the armies will start the general offensive and the situation of the enemy reserve group and the enemy troops in the south-western region of Afyonkarahisar will be discovered between 06.00-08.00 on 26 August. Fighter planes to fly especially in the south and west of Afyonkarahisar to prevent the enemy's reconnaissance and activities, and to repeat the same reconnaissance missions at 10.00 am. Aerial reconnaissance of the Seyitgazi area and the road in the direction of Seyitgazi-Döger. The afternoon mission will be reported separately.’ gave the final attack order.

Muzaffer Ergüder, the Inspector of the Air Forces, said: ‘After 21.00 on the evening of 25 August 1922, the aircraft force, that is, the type and number of aircraft ready for combat, was determined, and 17 aircraft were ready for combat, one less than previously estimated. But there were not that many pilots available. However, if necessary, a pilot would have to fly several sorties and would have to fly in different aeroplanes. The situation was submitted to the Front Command. That night, the Turkish flag was drawn in the sky over a clear sky. A bright star was placed in the centre of a bright crescent moon. For hours, this shape turned all of our eyes to the air. There was no distinction between fighter, reconnaissance and bomber pilots. Fliers were obliged to fly with existing aircraft. Pilots were given a flight suit, a helmet and goggles. However, since these could not be provided to every pilot, pilots were given a woollen knitted cap and a woollen jumper, and pilots flew with these. On 26 August 1922, it is dark in the morning, everything and everyone is ready. The day is dawning. A mechanic and three or four privates are waiting for each aircraft. Each aircraft is inspected one last time. With great labour and effort, 17 aircraft were activated on the morning of 26 August 1922. The sounds of the Turkish artillery buzzing at the front are mixed with the engine noise of the planes starting to operate in the modest square, and the Turkish Aviators start their duty with the take-off of the planes one by one."

At 04.30 in the morning of 26 August 1922, with the order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the‘Great Offensive’ started with the principle of raiding the Greek troops with the arrangement firing of Turkish artillery on the whole front and the destructive fire of Turkish artillery after 05.30. Although the weather on the first day of the operation was overcast and very windy and not suitable for reconnaissance, hunting and reconnaissance aircraft started their missions at dawn.

Between 06.00 and 07.30 in the morning, pilots Fazıl, Yahya, İhya, Mükerrem, Basri and Abdülhalim made 6 flights with 3 hunting and 3 reconnaissance aircraft and returned at 10.00. During their patrol flights throughout the day, Turkish fighter planes engaged in 4 air battles with Greek aircraft, forcing 3 Greek aircraft to flee to their own lines. At 07.45 hours with one of these Greek aircraft, Lieutenant Colonel Fazıl, the Company Commander, forced the aircraft to land in a battle near Hasanbeli-Garipçe village in the Afyon region and it was captured by landing on Turkish lines. The pilot was wounded, the aircraft was extinguished without giving him a chance to burn it, and it was captured as a trophy. This incident was a first in our aviation history and the aircraft was named ‘Garipçe’ in memory of the place where it was shot down. Although the weather was cloudy, the aircraft made 12 flights until the evening, observing the enemy's situation, determining the status of the enemy reserve groups, bombing the important targets seen and selected, and successfully fulfilling all the desired missions.

At 12.00 on 26 August, İsmet İnönü, the Commander of the Western Front, ordered reconnaissance for information about the Greek reserve forces and to prevent the enemy's reconnaissance. He wanted to monitor the train transport between Döger-Afyon, the activities on the highways in the Gazlıgöl-Afyon-Altıntaş-Dumlupınar region, the situation of our cavalry corps entering the north of Ahırdağ and the activities in the Tazılar-Çobanözü-Tokuşlar region. For this purpose, four aeroplanes were assigned between 14.30 and 15.00 hours and at 18.00 hours, the reconnaissance report stated that there was no change in the situation of the Greek camp and its reserves in the Döger-Altıntaş area, that the enemy troops did not attempt any concentration operation in the south and southeast of Afyon, and that intensive transport movement was detected on the railway.

On the very next day of the Great Offensive, two planes on their way to the front from Samsun made a long flight over Ankara, and in the declaration addressed to the members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, prepared by the Samsun Mudafaa-i Hukuk Committee on 25 August, it was stated: "We are showering you with salutations, praise and requests from above. You, too, will prepare the means to shower the enemy with cannons, cannonballs, bullets and all the rain of hatred and hatred. At the end of the Haymana Plain, in the mara of the green Bursa Mountains, there is a cry of help and request emanating from the lungs of brothers. Do you hear it? When will we enter beautiful Izmir? Do you know that? We have sent you aeroplanes filled with the pleas of orphans today. When will you give us the news of the liberation of Izmir and Bursa?" In the 2 messages given in the declaration, firstly, the people were asked to fight against the Greeks until the end, and secondly, the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other official institutions were asked to remove the Greeks from the homeland. In addition to the declarations that were dropped to give moral motivation to the Turkish nation, Greek leaflets were dropped to demoralise the Greek army. Turkish aircraft continued to drop declarations to Greek soldiers, Muslim and Christian elements behind the front lines throughout the war. The declarations were effective in the surrender of Greek soldiers, and a Greek prisoner named Dimitri Ispiro from Lesbos said: "We were reading the declarations dropped by your aeroplanes like snatching them. Those who found the opportunity escaped. There are even those among us who surrendered to your army without firing a rifle. Most of us broke our rifles and fled to the mountains."

(To be continued)