Battle of the Gediz

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Battle of Gediz
Part of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22)
Date24 October – 12 November 1920
Location
Result

Turkish victory

  • Greek advance towards Ankara temporarily stopped
  • Turkish irregulars unable to compete with the Greek army
  • Turkish formation of a regular army
Belligerents
Kingdom of Greece Greece

Ottoman Empire Ankara Government

Commanders and leaders
Konstantinos Manetas[1] Ali Fuat Pasha
Çerkes Ethem
Units involved
13th Infantry Division[2] 61st Division
11th Division
Kuva-yi Seyyare[2]
Strength
Initially 1 Division[3] (12,000–15,000 men) 8,000 men
Casualties and losses
42 killed
123 wounded
181 killed
135 wounded[4]

The Battle of the Gediz was fought between the Turkish Kuva-yi Milliye forces and the Greek forces near the Gediz River in the city of Gediz. The Turkish forces attacked Gediz in order to find out if a force composed mainly of irregular forces could compete with the Greek army in a larger battle. The battle also showed that the irregular forces lacked discipline and experience; they had little chance in open field battles against the Greeks. The experiences gained in this battle led the Turkish provisional Government of the Grand National Assembly to the conclusion that it would be necessary hence forward to establish and fight with a regular army against the Greek army instead of irregular forces.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ιστορια Των Ελληνικων Ενοπλων Δυναμεων".
  2. ^ a b Ayfer Özçelik :Gediz Taarruzu, Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi Dergisi (Number 21, Volume: VII, July 1991) (in Turkish)
  3. ^ Uluğ İğdemir: Atatürk, Turkish National Commission for Unesco, 1963, page 79.
  4. ^ Sabahattin Selek: Anadolu ihtilâli (Volume 1), Kastaş 1912-1922 Türk savaşları belgeseli , Kastaş A.Ş. Yayınları, 1987, page 114. (in Turkish)