Second Battle of İnönü | |||||||
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Part of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Grand National Assembly | Greece | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
İsmet Pasha | Anastasios Papoulas | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
15,000 | 30,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
(incomplete list) 681 killed 1822 wounded 1369 missing and prisoner 3 executed |
707 killed 3075 wounded 503 missing |
The Second Battle of İnönü (Turkish: İkinci İnönü Muharebesi) was fought between 26 and 31 March 1921 near İnönü in present-day Eskişehir Province, Turkey during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22), also known as the western front of the larger Turkish War of Independence. It marked a turning point in the Greco-Turkish War and the Turkish War of Independence of which it was a part, as Greek forces had previously been victorious over mostly irregular Turkish forces.
After the First Battle of İnönü, where Miralay (Colonel) İsmet Bey fought against a Greek detachment out of occupied Bursa, the London Conference was held between February 21 and March 11, 1921. The Turkish side was not able to extract the concessions it demanded and thus the hostilities resumed again in March.
The Greeks were determined to make up for the setback they suffered in January and prepared a much larger force, outnumbering Mirliva İsmet's (a Pasha now) troops.
The Greeks had grouped their forces in Bursa, Uşak, İzmit and Gebze. Against them, the Turks had grouped their forces at northwest of Eskişehir, east of Dumlupınar and Kocaeli.
Participating in this battle were Turkish Western and Southern Fronts, Kocaeli Group and Kastamonu Command. Greek forces were from their Asia Minor Army, I and III Army Corps.