Turkish capture of Smyrna

Overview

The Turkish capture of Smyrna or the Liberation of İzmir marked the end of the 1919–1922 Greco-Turkish War, and the culmination of the Turkish War of Independence. On 9 September 1922, following the headlong retreat of the Greek army after its defeat at the Battle of Dumlupınar and its evacuation from western Anatolia, the Turkish 5th Cavalry Corps under the command of Major-General Fahrettin Altay within Turkish Army under the command of Mustafa Kemal Pasha marched into the city of Smyrna, bringing three years of Greek occupation to an end.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Turkish capture of Smyrna on 9 September 1922 marked the end of the Greco-Turkish War and the culmination of the Turkish War of Independence. It followed the headlong retreat of Greek forces after their defeat at the Battle of Dumlupınar and their evacuation from western Anatolia, effectively closing three years of Greek occupation of the city. The entry of the Turkish 5th Cavalry Corps into Smyrna translated the battlefield victory at Dumlupınar into a definitive political and territorial outcome, extinguishing Greek military presence in Anatolia and setting the conditions for the subsequent peace settlement that would redraw the boundaries between Greece and the emerging Turkish state.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (6)