Battle of Sakarya

Part of the Greco-Turkish War and the Turkish War of Independence

At Duatepe observation hill (in Polatlı): Fevzi Çakmak, Kâzım Özalp, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, İsmet İnönü and Hayrullah Fişek

Date	August 23 – September 13, 1921
Location	On the banks of Sakarya River, Turkey
Result	Tactically inconclusive Greek advance halted Turkish strategic victory

Belligerents

Grand National Assembly

Greece

Commanders and leaders

Mustafa Kemal Pasha

Fevzi Pasha

Anastasios Papoulas

Strength

96,326 soldiers
5,401 officers
54,572 rifles
825 machine guns
196 cannons
1,309 swords
2 aircraft

120,000 soldiers
3,780 officers
57,000 rifles
2,768 machine guns
386 cannons
1,350 swords
600 3-ton trucks
240 1-ton trucks
18 airplanes

Casualties and losses

3,700 dead
18,480 wounded
108 captives
5,639 deserters
8,089 missing
Total: 38,029

From August 23 to September 16:
4,000 dead
19,000 wounded
354 missing
Total: 22,900

The Battle of Sakarya (Turkish: Sakarya Meydan Muharebesi), also known as the Battle of the Sangarios (Greek: Μάχη του Σαγγάριου), was an important engagement in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), the western front of the Turkish War of Independence.

The battle went on for 21 days from August 23 to September 13, 1921, close to the banks of the Sakarya River in the immediate vicinity of Polatlı, which is today a district of the Ankara Province. The battle line stretched over 62 miles (100 km).

It is also known as the "Officers’ Battle" (Subaylar Savaşı) in Turkey because of the unusually high casualty rate (70-80%) among the officers.

The Battle of Sakarya is considered as the turning point of the Turkish War of Independence. A Turkish observer, writer and literary critic İsmail Habip Sevük, later described the importance of the battle with the words, "the retreat that started in Vienna on 13 September 1683 stopped 238 years later".

The Greek offensive under King Constantine as Supreme Commander of the Greek Forces in Asia was committed on July 16. 1921, and was skilfully executed. A feint towards the Turkish right flank at Eskişehir distracted Ismet Pasha just as the major assault fell on the left at Kara Hisar. The Greeks then wheeled their axis to the north and swept towards Eskişehir, rolling up the Turkish defence in a series of frontal assaults combined with flanking movements.

Eskişehir fell on July 17, despite a vigorous counter-attack by Ismet Pasha who was determined to fight to the finish. The saner counsels of Mustafa Kemal prevailed, however, and Ismet disengaged with great losses to reach the comparative safety of the Sakarya River, some 30 miles (48 km) to the north and only 50 miles (80 km) from Ankara.

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Wikipedia