Victory Day on August 30: a heroic page in the history of the Turkish people

Today, August 30, Turkey proudly celebrates Victory Day - one of the greatest pages of heroism that the Turkish people inscribed in history with their blood.

After the victorious Battle of Sakarya, the strategic importance of launching an offensive became more evident with each passing day.

In June 1922, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk made the decision to begin the offensive. The Great Offensive, with its historical significance and strategic context, became the culminating point of Turkey's war for independence.

Looking at the military conditions of that period, we see that in Western Anatolia, the Turkish army faced a Greek army that had been strengthening its positions and increasing the size of its units for a year.

According to the operational plan developed under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's leadership, the 1st Army forces were ordered to advance from southwest Afyon to the north, while the 2nd Army forces in the north were to contain enemy units in the Döğer area, diverting their attention. Additionally, the Cavalry Corps was tasked with crossing the Ahır mountains and completely cutting off the enemy's connection with Izmir.

After comprehensive preparations, Atatürk departed from Ankara to Akşehir on August 19, 1922, and on August 26 gave the order to attack the enemy.

Following the successful offensive, on the night of August 29, a final assessment of the situation was conducted, and a decision was made to quickly conclude the battle. The offensive operation, carried out with faith in hearts and endless love for the Homeland, ended with a decisive victory for the heroic Turkish army thanks to the flawless execution of the pre-prepared plan.

On August 30, in the battle personally led by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk from the height of Zafertepe, the enemy army was completely defeated, and its remnants were forced to retreat in three groups. Seeing this, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk gave the order: "Armies, your first goal is the Mediterranean Sea. Forward!"

As a result of the Great Offensive, the enemy army was forced to withdraw from Western Anatolia, and with the signing of the Mudanya Armistice on October 11, 1922, Anatolia forever became Turkish land.