Greek landing at Smyrna

Greek landing at Smyrna
Part of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22)
campaign of the Turkish War of Independence

Men of the 1/38 Evzone Regiment at the Smyrna quay
DateMay 15, 1919
Location
Aidin Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
38°25′07″N 27°08′21″E / 38.4186°N 27.1392°E / 38.4186; 27.1392
Result

Greek victory: occupation of Smyrna

Belligerents
Kingdom of Greece Greece
Naval support:[1][2][3][4]
United Kingdom United Kingdom
 France		  Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Nikolaos Zafeiriou¹
Lt. Colonel Dionysios Stavrianopoulos²
Cpt. Elias Mavroudis³
Lt. Colonel Haralambos Tseroulis⁴
Lt. Colonel Alexandros Schinas⁵
Lt. Colonel Konstantinos Tsakalos6		 Nureddin Pasha7
Ali Nadir Pasha8
Hürrem Bey9
Ali Bey10
Kâzım Bey11
Strength
Up to 15,000 soldiers[5] 3,000 soldiers[6]
Casualties and losses
2 killed
6–20 wounded[7][8]		 30–40 killed (killed in captivity or during surrender)[9][10][11]
40–60 wounded[10][11]
100 Greek civilians killed or wounded
300-400 Turkish civilians killed or wounded (minimum)
1: Commander of the Greek 1st Division,
2: Commander of the 1/38 National Guard Command,
3: Captain of the Leon Destroyer,
4: Commander of the Division Regiment,
5: Commander of the 4th Infantry Regiment,
6: Commander of the 5th Infantry Regiment,
7: Commander of the Ottoman XVII Corps,
8: Commander of the Ottoman 56th Division,
9: Commander of the 172nd Infantry Regiment (Ayvalık),
10: Commander of the 173rd Infantry Regiment (Urla)

The Greek landing at Smyrna (Greek: Ελληνική απόβαση στη Σμύρνη; Turkish: İzmir'in İşgali, Occupation of İzmir) was a military operation by Greek forces starting on May 15, 1919 which involved landing troops in the city of Smyrna and surrounding areas. The Allied powers sanctioned and oversaw the planning of the operation and assisted by directing their forces to take over some key locations and moving warships to the Smyrna harbor. During the landing, a shot was fired on the Greek 1/38 Evzone Regiment and significant violence ensued with Greek troops and Greek citizens of Smyrna participating. The event became important for creating the three-year-long Greek Occupation of Smyrna and was a major spark for the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922).

  1. ^ Smyrna is taken away from Turkey, New York Times, 17 May 1919.
  2. ^ George F. Nafziger, Mark W. Walton: Islam at war: a history, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003, ISBN 0275981010, page 131.
  3. ^ Gerald E. Wheeler, Naval Historical Center (U.S.), Kinkaid of the Seventh Fleet: a biography of Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, U.S. Navy, Naval Historical Center, Dept. of the Navy, 1995, ISBN 0945274262, page 25.
  4. ^ H. P. Willmott: The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 1: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894–1922, Indiana University Press, 2009, ISBN 0253003563, page 332
  5. ^ Eleftheria, Daleziou (2002). "Britain and the Greek-Turkish War and Settlement of 1919-1923: the Pursuit of Security by "Proxy" in Western Asia Minor". University of Glasgow. p. 108. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  6. ^ Solomonidis, Victoria (1984). "Greece in Asia Minor: The Greek Administration in the Vilayet of Aydin" (PDF). University of London, King's College. p. 54. Retrieved June 5, 2014. the Turkish troops comprising about 3,000 men were to remain confined to their barracks behind the Konak.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference IACI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference stavros was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ See: Michael Llewellyn Smith, 1999, page 90.
  10. ^ a b Tuncer Baykara: Son Yüzyıllarda İzmir ve Batı Anadolu Uluslararası Sempozyumu tebliğleri, Akademi Kitabevi, 1994, page 98 (in Turkish)
  11. ^ a b Enver Behnan Şapolyo: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti tarihi, A. H. Yaşaroğlu, 1960, page 12 (in Turkish)