Evening star., 1922-09-11


vent the news from leaking out ana
tried to minimize the disaster.
The breakdown of the Greek army
was due mainly to the followns
causes:
/. The Communicated chief, con-
vinced that he would not be able to
defeat the Turks. decided that the
bulk of the army should be transfer
red to Thrace, with view to keep
ing that province at any cost, ana
eventually to Constantinople. In the
course of the last six months the SOL
diers were given to understand that
the evacuation of Asia Minor would
take place and that many Of them
would be able to return to their
homes. Then. when they were asked
to fight, they refused because they
could not see why they should shed
their blood for lost cause.
3 The Greek general staff cherished
the idea that the Turks were incapa-
BILE of serious effort and allowed
their forces to be surprised through
mentary precautions.
3. The Greek commanding and staff
officers We're appointed according to
their political ideas and not because
of their military capacity. The result
was that many inexperienced officers
were given responsible positions and
frequently acts Of cowardice on the
part of such officers were reported. A
typical example was related to me by
an eyewitness. THE colonel COM
Afiun karahissar hid behind pile of
coal in a depot yard, where he was
found by his retreating regiment" Such
cases had a disastrous effect on the
morale of the soldiers.
Except for the two important battles
of Afiun Karahissar and Tumlu Punar
there was no fighting between the
Greeks and Turks and the Greeks were
defeated more by funk than by the
Kemalists. The Turkish victory must
good artillery corps and especially the
splendid cavalry corps, which terrorized
the Greek army by daring raids.
Turk Strategy Wins.
The Turks succeeded in concealing
nine divisions southeast of Afiun in
a mountainous wooded region where
they were hidden from the scouting
planes so well that three days before
the offensive the Geeks were still un-
force.
The Greek stac, through extraor-
dinary lack of foresight, had no re-
serves along the kassaba railway and
the defense of this vital line was in
trusted to the second division alone
The Greek reserves massed south of
Kutaia since last year were still in
the same place.
At Afiun Karahissar the Turks,
after a violent artillery preparation,
attacked the second division, belong
ing to the first army. These Greek
troops put up a brilliant fight. I'm
supported, outnumbered and suffer-
ing heavy casualties from the fire
of the artillery, they gave way after
heroic resistance and fed. Reinforce
ments. consisting of the 4th Division.
brought from the north, were fright
ened by the Turkish artillery and fled
without taking contact with the
enemy. Other divisions belonging to
the I'd Corps arrived too late to save
the situation. In the meantime Turk
caused by the withdrawal of the
divisions of the I'd Corps and severed
the connection between the two
corps. The appearance of Turkish
cavalry in their rear spread panic
among the Hellenic divisions, while
the commanders. unable to communi-
cate with each other and not know
ing the exact positions of the troops,
lost their heads and abandoned hope
of resisting the enemy.
Had reserves been handy the situa-
tion could easily have been restored
as so frequently happened in the
world war. he troops, realizing tht
situation of the commanders, became
panic-stricken and fed. all trying to
reach the Ushak road before the Turk
took to the open country and the I'd
Corps in it's wild flight left in Turkish
hands all its guns, motor trucks and
wireless plants-things for which the
Greek people have been paying
heavily in the last three years. The
1st Army Corps. though demoralized
after the defeat of the I'd Division at
Afiun. tried to put up a fight and
some of its elements tried to save the
honor of the Greek army by opposing
the Turks.
The last battle was fought at Tumlu
Punar on August %. Here the COM
mander of the defeated I'd Division
assembled the remnants of his regi-
ment and elements of the fleeing
I'd army and halted the Turks three
days. until they brought up heavy
artillery and routed these last fight
then the panic-stricken Greeks have
been fleeing continually before the
Turks, who advanced slowly but
steadily The Greeks succeeded in
losing contact with the enemy They
blew up bridges and railway viaducts
and thus delayed but did not prevent
the advance Of the Turks toward
Smyrna.
Several unofficial suggestions have
been made for control Of Constanti-
nople. One is to place Constantinople
and the neutralized straits under the
guardianship of the league Of nations
or a combination of great powers.
Henry Morganthau's recent sugges-
tion is exceptionally interesting and
statesmanlike: The powers should ad-
minister Constantinople in trust until
1t can become the seat of government
of the federated Balkan state Of the
future.
1t is certain that Great Britain will
accept no solution which does not
guarantee ifo a