The Turkish capture of Smyrna ended the Greco-Turkish War and concluded the Turkish War of Independence, terminating three years of Greek occupation of western Anatolia.
Key Facts
- Date of capture
- 9 September 1922
- Turkish unit
- 5th Cavalry Corps
- Turkish commander
- Major-General Fahrettin Altay
- Supreme commander
- Mustafa Kemal Pasha
- Duration of Greek occupation
- Approximately 3 years (1919–1922)
- Preceding battle
- Battle of Dumlupınar
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Greek army suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Dumlupınar, triggering a rapid and disorganized retreat from western Anatolia. This collapse of Greek military resistance left Smyrna undefended and opened the path for Turkish forces to advance on the city.
On 9 September 1922, the Turkish 5th Cavalry Corps, commanded by Major-General Fahrettin Altay under the overall command of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, marched into Smyrna. The entry marked the end of Greek military and administrative control over the city, which had been under Greek occupation since 1919.
The capture of Smyrna brought the 1919–1922 Greco-Turkish War to an end and represented the culmination of the broader Turkish War of Independence. It effectively ended Greek ambitions in Anatolia and set the stage for the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne, which redrawn borders and formalized population exchanges between Greece and Turkey.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Mustafa Kemal Pasha, Major-General Fahrettin Altay.
Side B
1 belligerent