ARMENIAN - Erevangala500

Later, the leader o f the Turkish delegation brought up
these incidents expressly at the Lausanne Peace Conference
- and no one contradicted him. The surprise Greek
attack against the Turks began on May 15, 1919 with the
ambitious invasion o f western Anatolia. At last, the
"Great Greek Empire" would rise again - after two thousand
years! - on the soil o f Anatolia, which had long since
become Turkish. The Allies had given their advance
"blessing" to the adventurous Greek operation. That did
not mean, however, that they would stand by the victims
o f this megalomania when it foundered. This was soon
made vividly clear by the fate o f the Greek and Annenian
refugees.
The Greek aggression was carried out using the most
modern weapons and tremendous capital outlay, with the
result being that the expeditionary forces soon reached
Haymana - i.e., the city limits o f Ankara, the new capital.
At this point, the aggression became life-threatening for
Turkish Anatolia. The sound o f canon on the battlefield
could be heard constantly in Ankara. The government did
not consider surrendering, but rather moving - or fleeing
- to Sivas. The Greeks had, however, overstretched their
expansionist capacity. Starting from the gates o f Ankara,
the Turks gradually won back territory. After eleven days
o f fighting (from August 21 to September 2, 1921), they
broke the spearhead o f the Greek attack outside Ankara.
The defenders drove the aggressors back to the west.
Old Smyrna - Izmir: A shelter for all religions, races: a perfect
harbour for all.
These were the happy and prosperous days o f Ottoman
Smyrna, where Turks, Armenians, Jew s and inmummerabe foreign
businessmen enjoyed a happy and rosperous life.
During the turmoils o f spring 1915 nobody was deported
from Smyrna, the Ottoman authorities believed in the loyalty o f
their subjects, all together around 200 000 people, approximately
h alf o f them o f Greek or Armenian origin.
The Turks may have been barefoot and miserably
equipped, but they were victorious nonetheless.
France realized very quickly that the tide was turning and
hurried to establish good relations with Ankara. Foreign
120
May 15 1919: The Greeks invade Anatolia. On this day the first
troops with excellent equipment landed in Smyrna/Izmir in
order to conquer the western part o f Anatolia, as far as Ankara,
to make their dream namend "megali idea" - the idea o f a great
Greek kingdon - true.
May 1920 they occupied Bursa, July 1920 Edime.
Indeed, with all their help from Britain and France, they
reached the outskirts o f Ankara but were defeated finally by
Ismet Inonu and his brave soldiers.
Septemer 9, 1922, the Turkish forces re-conquered Izmir. Just
one day before the Armenians set fire. The Turks should not
enter a still blossom ing ancient town and perfect modem har­
bour, but ashes. (W hen the Germans retreated from Russian
soil 1944/45 they also left behind "verbrannte Erde"...
scorched earth). This is the simple truth, an answer to the old
question: С U I BONO?
Whose benefit? (Cicero/ Lucius Cassius).