Flags adorned the streets as parades and ceremonies were held across Türkiye on Tuesday on the occasion of Victory Day. Formally known as Victory and Turkish Armed Forces Day, it is the centenary of the resounding defeat of the occupying Greek army at the hands of Turks in the Battle of Dumlupınar in 1922.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other dignitaries started the day with a visit to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Republic of Türkiye who carried the fledgling country to victory as a military commander during the War of Independence after the Ottoman Empire's collapse. Erdoğan paid his respects to Atatürk, before visiting the State Cemetery, where the commanders of the War of Independence are buried. He later hosted an event at the Presidential Complex to mark the day. Erdoğan was also scheduled to attend a graduation ceremony at a military academy and host descendants and relatives of heroes of the War of Independence, from Atatürk to İsmet İnönü, Fevzi Çakmak and Kazım Karabekir.
Elsewhere, the day was observed by a series of events, from concerts to wreath-laying ceremonies at monuments dedicated to Atatürk and fallen soldiers.
Erdoğan wrote in the memorial book of Anıtkabir: "Beloved Atatürk, we remember you, your fellow soldiers, respectable members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and our beloved martyrs in the centenary of the great victory, which is one of the most important turning points of our glorious history. Inspired by our heroic martyrs, we are continuing to empower the Republic of Türkiye, taking it to the goals you set out, to empower it in every field, economy, defense and diplomacy in particular. Our country, which overcame the fallout of the global pandemic crisis, is successfully managing the conflicts in its region and is engaged in diplomatic steps hailed by the whole world for the reestablishment of peace and stability."
"Building a Türkiye which is growing, strengthened and serving as a hope for the oppressed will not be prevented by the plots of invaders or the attacks of terrorist groups with bloody hands."
The Battle of Dumlupınar was a chapter in the Great Offensive, one of the greatest military victories in the history of Türkiye. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) launched the offensive on Aug. 26, 1922, under the leadership of Atatürk, and ended on Sept. 18 that year.
On May 15, 1919, the Greek army landed in the western province of Izmir, triggering what would become a full-fledged uprising and campaign against the rule of occupying forces in the country.
Turks formed the National Forces (Kuvayi Milliye) as a means of armed resistance against the invaders. They knew there were only two possible choices: Surrender to the occupation forces or fight against them.
The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) was established in Ankara in 1920, as the occupiers focused their repressive policies on Atatürk and his colleagues and the Turkish military moved to the western front. The following year, Turkish soldiers would repel Greek forces that advanced within 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) of the new parliament. After roughly one year of preparation, Commander-in-Chief Atatürk launched the Great Offensive on Aug. 26, 1922, to expel the enemy.
Moving further west, he commanded the battle with top commanders Fevzi Çakmak and İsmet İnönü.
At dawn, the offensive began with artillery fire, and Turkish soldiers pushing forward seized Tınaztepe, Belentepe and Kalecik Sivrisi near the town Afyonkarahisar, which the Turkish Army claimed on Aug. 27. On the night of Aug. 29, the commanders made a situation assessment and agreed to act immediately and conclude the attack in a short time. Atatürk ordered the Turkish forces to move on to western Kütahya on Aug. 30 in a decisive blow to the Greek troops in Anatolia. Following the victory, Atatürk, Çakmak and İnönü set to sweep the remaining Greek soldiers out of Anatolia in an offensive on the city of Izmir on the Aegean coast.
"Armies, your first goal is the Mediterranean. Forward!" Atatürk ordered the army, which would move out from western Kütahya on Sept. 1. On Aug. 27, the Turks liberated Afyonkarahisar from the Greeks before taking Kütahya on Aug. 30 and Izmir on Sept. 9.
Victory Day, first celebrated in 1926, is traditionally observed on the last day of August, a month associated with landmark Turkish victories. On Aug. 26, 1071, the Seljuk army, outnumbered by Byzantine soldiers, won the Battle of Manzikert (Malazgirt), paving the way for permanent Turkish rule in present-day Türkiye. On Aug. 11, 1473, the Ottoman army won the Battle of Otlukbeli which pitted them against the Aq Qoyunlu (Akkoyunlu) who ruled Iran back then. The battle fought by two great Turkic powers of the time helped the Ottomans to stave off threats from the east and focus on their campaign in Europe. The Battle of Çaldıran, which was fought some 40 years after Otlukbeli, on Aug. 23, also ended with an Ottoman victory against Safavid forces.
The Ottomans further strengthened their rule in the region with the Battle of Marj Dabiq (Mercidabık) on Aug. 24, 1516. Defeating the Mamluk Sultanate, they took control of Syria and nearby regions.
On Aug. 29, 1526, Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I, better known as Suleiman the Magnificent, brought another victory for the Ottomans at the Battle of Mohacs (Mohaç), which led to the partition of Hungary and boosted the Ottoman Empire's standing in the world as a force to reckon with.
Also in August, Cyprus, the largest island in the Eastern Mediterranean, was conquered by the Ottomans, in 1571.
After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish forces continued their victories, this time paving the way for the future Republic of Türkiye, with the Battle of Sakarya. Starting on Aug. 23, 1921, the four-day battle ended up with Turkish troops clearing the Greek presence from the inner parts of Türkiye.
