9 to 11 January 1921
İnönü: the first battle
In early January 1921 a Greek force under General Anastasios Papoulas moves out of Bursa towards Eskişehir. On 9 January it attacks İsmet's troops near the railway station of İnönü, and the fighting lasts until dark. Ankara's new regular army is fighting the Greeks while it puts down the revolt of Çerkes Ethem behind its lines.
Mustafa Kemal at the end of the First Battle of İnönü, January 1921Wikimedia Commons, Tony92 at French Wikipedia, GPL (Mustafa Kemal at the end of the First Battle of İnönü.png)
On 10 January the Greeks advance in several columns. Under cover of fog they push back the 11th Division along the railway and take the dominant hill of Metristepe. On İsmet's advice Fevzi Pasha pulls the line back and moves the headquarters to Çukurhisar. The Greeks dig in, see the 61st Division reinforcing the Turkish line, and on 11 January withdraw from İnönü. İsmet is promoted to general.
Sources
- Andrew Mango, Atatürk (1999).
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