15 to 19 May 1919
Occupation, and the landing at Samsun
Six months after the Armistice of Mudros, Allied troops hold İstanbul and the Straits. British troops hold Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa (then Antep, Maraş and Urfa), French troops hold Cilicia, and Italian troops have landed at Antalya. On 15 May 1919 a Greek army lands at İzmir under the cover of Allied warships.
Greek evzones in İzmir, welcomed by the Greek population, 15 May 1919Wikimedia Commons, Unknown author, Public domain (Izmir15Mayis1919.jpg)
Four days later, on 19 May, Mustafa Kemal Pasha lands at Samsun as Inspector of the Ninth Army. His orders are to restore order in the region and to supervise what remains of the Ottoman army there. He uses the post to organise resistance to the occupation.
The steamer Bandırma, which carried Mustafa Kemal to SamsunWikimedia Commons, Public domain (Bandırma Vapuru.png)
The War Ministry’s letter appointing Mustafa Kemal Inspector of the Ninth Army, 1919Wikimedia Commons, Harbiye Nezareti, Public domain (Mustafa Kemal'in 9. Ordu Müfettişliği'ne tayin yazısı.JPG)
Sources
- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Nutuk (1927), opening chapter.
- Andrew Mango, Atatürk (1999), ch. 10.
- Erik J. Zürcher, Turkey: A Modern History (1993), ch. 9.
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