Quelltext der Seite Benutzer:Kurator71/Second Battle of İnönü

{{Importartikel}} 
{{Other uses|Battle of İnönü (disambiguation)|İnönü (disambiguation)}}
{{Refimprove|date=February 2010}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict    = Second Battle of İnönü
|partof      = the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–22)]]
|image       = <!--Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Turkish Independence war-greek army advances toward the turkish lines.jpg|200px]]-->
|caption     = Greek advance towards Turkish line.{{unverifiedimage}}
|date        = March 23–April 1, 1921
|place       = near [[İnönü, Eskişehir|İnönü]], [[Turkey]]
|result      = Turkish victory
|combatant1  = {{flagicon image|Ottoman_flag_alternative_2.svg}} [[Government of the Grand National Assembly|Grand National Assembly]]
|combatant2  = {{flagicon|Kingdom of Greece}} [[Kingdom of Greece|Greece]]
|commander1  = {{flagicon image|Ottoman_flag_alternative_2.svg}} [[İsmet İnönü|İsmet Pasha]]
|commander2  = {{flagicon|Kingdom of Greece}} [[Anastasios Papoulas]]<br> {{flagicon|Kingdom of Greece}} [[Ptolemaios Sarigiannis]]<br>{{flagicon|Kingdom of Greece}} [[Konstantinos Pallis]]
|strength1   = 15,000<ref name="belgenet">[http://www.belgenet.com/arsiv/lozan80.html ''İnönü’nün Lozan’ın 50. Yılında Yaptığı Konuşma'']</ref>
|strength2   = 30,000<ref name="belgenet"/>
|casualties1 = (incomplete list) <br />681 killed<br /> 1822 wounded<br /> 1369 missing and prisoner<br />3 executed<ref name="staff">[http://www.tsk.tr/8_TARIHTEN_KESITLER/8_8_Turk_Tarihinde_Onemli_Gunler/Ikinci_Inonu/Ikinci_Inonu_Muharebesi.html ''Second Battle of İnönü''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804001507/http://www.tsk.tr/8_TARIHTEN_KESITLER/8_8_Turk_Tarihinde_Onemli_Gunler/Ikinci_Inonu/Ikinci_Inonu_Muharebesi.html |date=2009-08-04 }}, Turkish General Staff</ref><ref name="eni">Επίτομος Ιστορία Εκστρατείας Μικράς Ασίας 1919-1922 (One Volume History of the Campaign in Asia Minor 1919-1922), History Department of Army, Athens 1967, page 116</ref>
|casualties2 = 707 killed <br /> 3075 wounded <br /> 503 missing <ref name="eni"/>
}}
{{Campaignbox Greco-Turkish War}}

The '''Second Battle of İnönü''' ({{lang-tr|İkinci İnönü Muharebesi}}) was a battle fought between March 23 and April 1, 1921 near [[İnönü, Eskişehir|İnönü]] in present-day [[Eskişehir Province]], [[Turkey]] during the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–22)]], also known as the western front of the larger [[Turkish War of Independence]]. It marked a turning point{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}} in the Greco-Turkish War and the [[Turkish War of Independence]] of which it was a part, as Greek forces had previously been victorious over mostly irregular Turkish forces and suffered their first major defeat in Asia minor.

== Background ==
[[File:Kalogeropulos, Kaftantzoglou, Sarigiannis, Bouboulis.jpg|thumb|200px|Sarigiannis (2nd from left) with PM Kalogeropoulos (seated) and other members of the Greek delegation in London, February 1921]]

After the [[First Battle of İnönü]], where Miralay ([[Colonel]]) [[İsmet İnönü|İsmet Bey]] fought against a Greek detachment out of occupied [[Bursa]], the Greeks prepared for another attack aiming the towns of Eskisehir and Afyonkarahisar with their inter-connecting rail-lines. Ptolemaios Sarigiannis, staff officer in the Army of Asia Minor, made the offensive plan.

Meanwhile, the [[Conference of London of 1921–22|London Conference]] was held between February 21 and March 11, 1921. The Turkish side was not able to extract the concessions it demanded and thus the hostilities resumed again in March.<ref name="staff"/>

== Battle ==

The Greeks were determined to make up for the setback they suffered in January and prepared a much larger force, outnumbering [[Mirliva]] İsmet's (a [[Pasha]] now) troops.  

The Greeks had grouped their forces in [[Bursa]], [[Uşak]], [[İzmit]] and [[Gebze]]. Against them, the Turks had grouped their forces at northwest of [[Eskişehir]], east of [[Dumlupınar, Kütahya|Dumlupınar]] and [[İzmit|Kocaeli]]. 

Participating in this battle were Turkish [[Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|Western]] and [[Franco-Turkish War|Southern]] Fronts, Kocaeli Group and Kastamonu Command. Greek forces were from their [[Army of Asia Minor]], [[I Army Corps (Greece)|I]] and [[III Army Corps (Greece)|III]] Army Corps.

Sarigiannis was in the Conference of London when the Greek attack began, with General Konstantinos Pallis, Chief of Staff of the Army of Asia Minor, to have made some changes in the initial offensive plan.

The battle began with a Greek assault on the positions of İsmet's troops on March 23, 1921. It took them four days to reach İnönü due to delaying action of the Turkish front. The better-equipped Greeks pushed back the Turks and took the dominant hill called Metristepe on the 27th. A night counter-attack by the Turks failed to recapture it. Meanwhile, on March 24, Greek I Army Corps took Kara Hisâr-ı Sâhib (present-day [[Afyonkarahisar]]) after running over Dumlupınar positions. On 31 March İsmet attacked again after receiving reinforcements, and recaptured Metristepe. In a continuation battle in April, [[Refet Bele|Refet Pasha]] retook the town of Kara Hisâr. The Greek III Army Corps retreated.

== Aftermath ==

While the battle marked a turning point in the war, following the battles of İnönü there was a [[stalemate]], as the Turks had missed their chance to encircle and destroy the Greek army, which retreated in good order. There were casualties on both sides, and neither side was in a position or state of mind to make more advances.

Most significantly, this was the first time the newly formed Turkish [[standing army]] faced their enemy and proved themselves to be a serious and well led force, not just a collection of rebels. This was a very much needed victory for [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Mustafa Kemal Pasha]], as his opponents in [[Grand National Assembly of Turkey#History|Ankara]] were questioning his delay and failure in countering the rapid Greek advances in [[Anatolia]].  This battle forced the Allied capitals to take note of the Ankara Government and eventually within the same month they ended up sending their representatives there for talks. France and Italy changed their positions and became supportive of Ankara government in short order.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

The Greeks were determined to defeat the Turkish nationalists and end their resistance though and prepared for even a bigger showdown at the battles of [[Battle of Kütahya–Eskişehir|Kütahya–Eskişehir]] and [[Battle of Sakarya|Sakarya]].

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Turkish War of Independence}}
{{coord missing|Turkey}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Second Battle of Inonu}}

<nowiki>[[Category:Conflicts in 1921]]
[[Category:Battles of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)|Inonu 2]]
[[Category:1921 in the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:1921 in Greece]]
[[Category:İsmet İnönü|Battle of Inonu, Second]]
[[Category:Hüdavendigâr Vilayet]]
[[Category:History of Eskişehir Province]]
[[Category:March 1921 events]]</nowiki>