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The report below almost
certainly was presented by the Turkish nationalist forces, even though it was
published in Istanbul, home of the Allied-occupied Ottoman puppet government.
By 1922, there was not much of this government left, once many of the
officials had switched sides and made their way to Ankara, following the death
blow of the Sèvres Treaty. Another clue, of course, is that "the General
Staff of the Western Front" claims the publishing credit, and the only
ones in charge of opposing the Greek invaders were Mustafa Kemal's
nationalists.
There was a time in the evolution of the TAT site that I would not have
emphasized such a report, given its Turkish origin. The TAT site made a point
of concentrating on Western and Armenian sources, that is, those who would
have had no reason to defend the Turks. As far as the report below, we all
know what the racist genocide forces are going to say, in their famous
attempts to try and discredit evidence not in support of their hateful
agendas: Why, those Turks were all criminals and liars. (One reason, I have
come to realize, why it is important to emphasize these Turkish reports; by
excluding them, in a way, I would be agreeing with this racist conclusion.)
It is time that Turkish history is written with the use of Turkish sources.
Whomever heard of writing valid history of a nation by relying only upon what
the enemies of that nation had to say? That is exactly what the genocide
forces do, with their fraudulent "genocide scholarship," at least in
the case of the Armenians.
In this case, the following cannot be discredited, because when the Greeks
invaded in 1919 and committed their dastardly crimes for the next few years,
they did so under the noses of Western observers. It was their criminal
behavior that finally compelled the Greeks' British masters to abandon the
Greeks. In other words, much of what is below conforms precisely with how
on-the-spot Western observers (at
least the honorable or reasonable ones) presented
the topic.
When the Armenians conducted a similar pattern of the most outrageous
atrocities and systematic ethnic cleansing in the East (note how a Greek
soldier below, Sergeant Avanguelikos, more or less confirms that the Greek
atrocities were conducted with the knowledge of the Greek high command),
Western observers were not present, aside from the Armenians' allies, the
missionaries (and in the post WWI period, relief workers). The supreme irony
in both cases is that if there was a "genocide," as defined by
targeting an entirely innocent people (defenseless villagers) solely for who
they were (i.e., their ethnic identity in this case), it was the Armenians and
the Greeks who committed the "genocide."
Furthermore, when the Russians, French and British (and in the case of the
Greeks, the Americans), allowed the Greeks and Armenians to be unleashed upon
the defenseless Ottoman public, these imperialist powers bore a great
responsibility for the "genocides" perpetrated by their Orthodox
pawns. It should not have taken much guesswork to predict exactly in what
fashion the Armenians and Greeks would have conducted themselves, given the
bloodthirsty ways in which they had historically acted in the past, whenever
they had the upper hand. (In the case of Greece, for example, they had engaged
in the same "kill every Turk" strategy during their independence
circa 1821, as well as in Thrace, Macedonia, Crete, and the Balkan Wars.) Yet
both France and Russia have had the audacity to pass genocide resolutions
against Turkey, and the U.S. Congress has been preoccupied for years to do the
same. Such dishonesty and hypocrisy..!
A quick historical backdrop on what is below:
The Allies allowed the Greeks to occupy Izmir at the Paris Peace Conference,
in direct violation of the Mudros Armistice, particularly when it came to an
entire region. ("Strategic points" were allowed to be occupied in
Eastern Anatolia's "Armenian vilayets.") As Justin McCarthy put it
in "Death and Exile," "In fact, the occupation of
Izmir was a military invasion by a hostile power, supported by the most
powerful nations on earth." Both Lloyd George and Woodrow Wilson
"were fervently pro-Greek and anti-Turkish."
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Premier
Eleftherios Venizelos |
Italy had
previously been awarded ownership of regions of eastern Turkey, but once Italy
began to be perceived as a threat to Allied interests, the opportunity was
given to Greece — but only on condition that the occupation would be
temporary, as the doling out of Turkish territory still needed to be worked
out. Greece, however, sneered on their assigned role as peacekeepers (Venizelos
had fed Llloyd George with massacre stories, contradicted by the reports of
the British themselves, and the idea was to protect Christians from the
Terrible Turk); their plan was to expand Greek territory, which translated
roughly to "Turken Raus," preferably in the form of corpses.
Possession of such territories, as with the case of the Armenians in the east,
could be better justified, after all, if a Greek or Armenian majority could be
claimed.
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Archbishop
Chrysostomos |
As soon as Greek troops landed in Izmir
on May 15, 1919, and blessed by the traitorous Ottoman-Greek Chrysosthomos,
the Greeks began their acts of butchery, in plain sight of numerous European
and other witnesses, many of whom reported the evil acts. For example, the
Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Arizona wrote: "Old men, unarmed, and
other unoffending civilian Turks were knocked down by the Greeks, killed by
stabbing with knives and bayonets, and then afterwards, having their valuables
and clothing stripped off their bodies, were thrown into the sea. In one
instance, the man was again shot after being thrown into the sea, this by
Greek soldiers." [F.O. 371-4218, no. 91491; footnote 26, "Death
and Exile."] Mobs os local Ottoman-Greeks joined in the fray,
throughout the city's neighborhoods, helped by Greek soldiers. Many hundreds
of Turks were killed while their stores were being pillaged. In one case, a
town was told by the Greeks that it would be spared upon payment of 500 gold
liras; once paid, the town was sacked.
The Allied Commission of Inquiry (July, 1919), consisting of French, Italian,
English and American delegates indicted the Greeks, but their report (as with
the report of Niles and
Sutherland in 1919, indicting the Armenians) was suppressed, as the
British knew their plans for splicing up Turkish territory would be
endangered, and would further show them in a poor light. ["I do not
think it would be advisable to issue any important part of this dispatch as a
White Paper at present. The Greeks come out so badly that the less we publish
the better." Phipps, a Foreign Ministry official, F.O. 371-4222, no.
146629; fn 37, p. 312, Death and Exile.)
As the Greek army fanned out from Izmir into the heartland, the pattern
remained the same; Turkish police, soldiers and villagers were compelled to
surrender their arms, which were then distributed to local Christians, Greeks
and Armenians, allowing the mayhem and terror to continue. The Inter-Allied
Commission was quoted by Arnold Toynbee (The Western Question in Greece and Turkey, 1922, p. 284):
A distinct and regular method seems to
have been followed in the destruction of {Turkish} villages, group by group,
for the last two months, which destruction has even reached the neighborhood
of the Greek headquarters.
The members of the [Inter-Allied] Commission consider that, in the part of the
kazas of Yalova and Guemlek occupied by the Greek army, there is a systematic
plan of destruction of Turkish villages and extinction of the Moslem
population. The plan is being carried out by Greek and Armenian bands, which
appear to operate under Greek instructions and sometimes even with the assistance of detachments of regular
troops.
As with the Armenians in the east, the victims of this "systematic plan
of destruction" included Jews. McCarthy tells us (p. 284, Death and
Exile), "More than half the Jews in the zone of war in western
Anatolia either left Anatolia or died."
As Greece's fortunes reversed and their army was in retreat, they carried out
their well-known scorched earth policy, culminating in the fire of Izmir that the Turks illogically still get the
blame for. "Terrible as it was, the destruction of houses and
buildings did not have the long lasting effect of the plunder and destruction
of livestock." (P. 294, Death and Exile.)
As in the Armenians of the east who had lost the upper hand, most Greeks who
were murdered were victimized by Muslim villagers who were out for revenge,
and not by regular troops, who were — to their credit, given the awful
inhumanity exhibited by the Orthodox peoples— often well-disciplined. It is
estimated a total of 300,000 Ottoman-Greeks lost their lives from all causes
combined, mainly famine and disease. (Greek refugees from Turkey totaled
1,104,216; source: 1926 Greek census.)
The Muslim mortality for western Anatolia alone was 1,246,068.
(1912-1922), and of this figure, 640,000
died as a result of the Greco-Turkish War. (P. 331, fn 195, Death
and Exile.)
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Published by the Second Section of
the General Staff of the Western Front
GREEK ATROCITIES
IN
ASIA MINOR
FIRST PART
PRINTING-HOUSE
HUSN-I-TABIAT
Opposite the Sublime Port
CONSTANTINOPLE
1922
Greek Atrocities in Asia Minor has been copied as it was printed. Only obvious
misspellings, mainly in English, have been corrected. At the time the book was written
there was no uniform transliteration system for Ottoman Turkish, so many of the names may
be hard to recognize. See the “Names and Spellings” section on the web site.
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PREFACE
The policy of extermination which Greece has consistently been pursuing, for a very
long time, against Turkey, has been made evident first by the occurrences which
happened during the last years, secondly by the consequences accruing from the
policy, and thirdly by the events recorded in history. Today there is scarcely
anyone who has not acquired the conviction that ferocity is the outstanding feature
of Greek policy towards Turkey.
Within the territories which had the misfortune to fall under Greek domination, one
sees now nothing but ruins of former villages whose inhabitants fled, panic
stricken, before the barbarous invader. The atrocities perpetrated by the Greeks,
since they landed in Smyrna, exceed all similar crimes recorded up to now in the
annals of history.
The Greek soldiery have even violated little girls under eight and old women above
seventy years of age.
Great is the number of villages which have been burnt down by them, without any
military necessity.
All the sacred institutions and objects of worship which all nations, not excepting
the most savages, are taught and wont to respect, have been polluted by them. The
Koran, the sacred book of Mohammedans, has been torn to pieces and its leaves used
for the filthiest and most disgusting purposes before the very eyes of Turkish
peasants.
There is not the slightest doubt that the savageries committed by the Greeks of
Greece and by that section of the indigenous Greeks, who sided with them, have been
deliberately planned and carried out under orders proceeding from the Commanders of
the various Greek military units. This fact is established beyond question first by
the documents of which a photographic reproduction is published in books treating of
Greek atrocities and secondly by the testimony of innumerable eye witnesses. [X]
But, perhaps, the most striking proof that the work of destruction and annihilation
is being carried out according to a plan, is the fact that the 10 th Greek Division
is designated by the Greeks “division of vengeance and devastation.” This unite
is equipped with all sorts of materials and instruments of arson and destruction.
The fact that all the villages destroyed by the Greeks are precisely those indicated
on General staff maps and that they all are situated within some well defined zones,
is another proof that they have been designed beforehand for destruction.
A commission set up by the West Army investigates into and notes down gradually the
atrocities committed by the Greeks in the villages which were reoccupied by our
troops.
These cruelties will be described at length in a book for the edification of the
civilized world.
[X] In a book written by the late Bekir Bey, native of Grevne entitled “Flying
Columns” in which the author narrates his reminiscences of the Balkan War, it has
been proved by authentic documents that King Constantine, who at the time was crown
Prince, issued an order for the extermination of the Turks.
The cases ascertained and put on record are those which the Greeks have not been
able to conceal or to deny. Innumerable must be the acts of savagery which have not
yet come within the knowledge of the commission of inquiry as well as those
perpetrated in villages that still await liberation.
The atrocities have been committed with such a ruthlessness and savagery that those
who have not seen them with their own eyes and do not know the morality of the Greek
race, will perhaps be inclined to express some doubts as to whether such horrors
could really be perpetrated. To obviate this, special care has been taken to prove
the veracity of all the allegations put forward in this pamphlet by documents which
consist of:
A) Photographs taken on the spot;
B) Official reports issued by the Commission of Inquiry;
C) Testimonies before witnesses of Greek prisoners of war;
D) Evidence collected by the American Near East Relief Committee;
E) Depositions of peasants.
The committee of inquiry into atrocities attached to the Intelligence Service of the
West Army has divided the atrocities into three categories:
1) Atrocities to which were subjected, in contravention of International law and
contrary to all dictates of humanity, Turkish prisoners of war.
2) Cases of arson, pillage, rape, torture and murder, the victims of which were
non-combatants.
3) Destruction of towns, villages and hamlets without any military necessity and
offenses against sacred institutions.
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STATEMENTS OF GREEK PRISONERS OF WAR.
Evidence of the lieutenant of infantry, A. Pepas, pilot attached to the third airplane
squadron.
Q: Have you seen any burnt villages in the area of military occupation?
A: Yes, I have seen a certain number of them to the west of the river Sakaria and along
the Said Gazi-Alpukeuy line.
Q: Did you notice any military detachments in the neighborhood of these villages?
A: Yes, I have seen some of them. Their presence there was justified by the fact that the
burnt villages are all lying within the zone of military operations.
Q: Do you hold that the above said villages have been burnt down by order of the Greek
Commandant?
A: I believe that the Commander in Chief of the Army has been informed that the villages
were being burnt down.
A Acryoti, of the rank and file of the 41 tg. Regiment (12th Division), and Colizakis
Emanuel of the second battalion of the 45th Regiment (12 th Division) made, after being
sworn in, the following statement:
“The commandant of the division, Prince Andrea, order the soldiers to set on fire all
the villages through which they were to pass. The British officer who accompanied the
Prince took note of this. The order in question has been communicated to the whole
division.
Polatli September 15 th , 1921
(Signed)
A. Acryoti
Colizakis Emanuel
(I certify that this is my own handwriting).
Declaration of the sergeant pilot Avanguelikos.
Q: Have you seen any burnt villages in the battle zone?
A: I have seen a number of them to the west of the river Sakaria between Sieid Gazi and
Alpu-Keuy.
Q: Have you ever seen your Headquarters or any Greek military unit in the vicinity of
burnt villages?
A: I only saw on one occasion our Headquarters in the neighborhood of a burnt villages.
Q: Do you think that the villages were burnt by order of the Commander-in-Chief?
A: I am rather inclined to believe that the Greek Command knew about the destruction of
the villages by fire.
Signed: Sergeant Avanguelikos, Pilot attached to the Third Airplane Squadron.
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Atrocities Perpetrated by the Greeks, Contrary to the Laws of
Nations and the Dictates of Humanity
upon Turkish Wounded and Prisoners of War.
Declarations of some of our soldiers wounded or captured by the Greeks during their
first offensive and left by them on the battlefield in a half dead condition, after
they began to retreat:
“I was born in 1863 at Sivas in the borough of Chaban. I was wounded in the battle
and fell into the hands of the Greeks who dragged me to a place where a captain was
standing. The latter put me some questions about our army and asked me, among other
things, to describe the physiognomy of Moustapha Kemal Pasha. As I had never seen
the Pasha before I could not satisfy the curiosity of the Greek officer. Being
extremely hungry I asked for some bread but the captain refused to give me any,
saying that it was for Moustapha Kemal Pasha to stay my hunger. He then put a guard
of four men upon me and took me to the edge of a ditch in which the corpses of
several Turkish soldiers lay piled up. Pointing to the dead he shouted: “If you
don’t say at once all you know you will share the fate of these men.” I swore
that I knew nothing about our army. Upon this, the four Greek soldiers proceeded to
search me and robbed me of my watch, my knife and eight boxes of cigarettes. I
besought them to allow me to retain a few pounds. This request was answered by blows
with the butt-ends and stabs with the bayonets. Although I was awfully hungry and
thirsty they did not even give me a piece of bread or a glass of water. Nobody cared
for my wounds. They were afterwards bandaged by a Turkish hospital orderly named Aly,
who happened to be among the prisoners. Later on the captain came to see me and
inquired about the treatment I was receiving at the hands of the Greeks. I
complained of being subjected to tortures. This seems to have aroused his anger for
he began to abuse me, saying that I should be thankful for not having been put to
death. I spent 18 days in captivity at Karandji in company of thirty Turkish
soldiers under a tree which was our only shelter under a tree which was our only
shelter. In order to obtain now and then a morsel of bread we were obliged to do the
most degrading menial services to the Greek soldiers.”
The above declaration is extracted partly from the report of the General commanding
the army corps and partly from that of the committee of inquiry, set up at the
hospital of Polatli.
Declaration of Osman Oglou Abdoullah, a native of Sinope
I was taken prisoner by the Greeks after having been wounded in the leg. The first
day I was attended by a surgeon who bandaged my wounds. The Greeks told me not to be
afraid, assuring me that I would be sent to Athens. Despite this they robbed me of
all I had upon me, including forty pounds. I vain I begged them to give me back at
least five pounds. Instead of complying with my request they beat me badly with
rifle butts shouting “You Turkish pig. Have you not fired shots at us?” Upon
this they took me to another place and tortured me for three days. Whenever I asked
for some bread they invariably answered “Go and ask some from Moustafa Kemal.”
Three days later the Greeks were in full retreat and I was saved by the soldiers of
one of our battalions which happened to pass through the locality where I was kept
prisoner.
Declaration of Ali Osman Oglou Moustafa
“I fell into the hands of the enemy some distance beyond the Sakaria. I was
suffering from a wound. During the first days of my captivity the Greeks gave me
some tea and a bit of bread, besides taking care of my wound. But the soon changed
their attitude and after a few days they began to shamefully maltreat the Turkish
prisoners, reducing the daily ration to a single loaf of bread for every batch of
thirty soldiers, which they contemptuously threw in our midst. Their own wounded
were well nursed and sheltered under tents whilst we had to camp on the barren soil
in the open air. Later on we were marched off to Sivri-Hisar. As we were passing by
the hamlet of Oglakdji, my native village, I saw with amazement that there remained
of it nothing but a heap of ruins. This village too had been burned and thoroughly
destroyed by the enemy. A few days later the Greeks took flight and our soldiers
came and saved us. My father came to see me later on. He told me that before razing
our village to the ground the Greeks had looted it. They robbed him of 150 pounds
and carried my brother Ismael away. A villager named Mahmoud tried to put out the
fire which menaced to destroy his house. He was at once seized by the Greek and
hurled into the flames where he perished. Our fields have been ravaged and our crops
annihilated. Our family, which numbered eight persons lived in very modest
conditions. But, at least we had a home and enough to eat our full. Now we are in a
state of utter misery and destitution as our whole property consists only of two
blankets. The village having become uninhabitable, the villagers are roaming on the
mountains in search of herbs and roots which constitute their only food.”
As a result of the hardships he had to undergo and the tortures inflicted upon him,
the poor soldier who have the above evidence is now in a state of extreme debility.
Declaration of Halil Oglou, a native of the village of Ilguin
“I was wounded and captured by the Greeks in the battle of Haymane. After having
been stripped of everything I had upon me a Greek doctor dressed my wounds with
bandages taken from a dead Turkish soldier. We were forty Turkish wounded in all.
Our daily ration consisted of a morsel of bread and a glass of water. Later on we
were sent off to the village of Katrandji. On my way there I saw the corpse of a
murdered Turkish peasant lying by the roadside.
The Greeks tortured and ransacked a number of poor villagers in front of the gate of
our prison. Eight out of the 30 Turkish wounded died of hunger.”
Cheih Roumi Oglou Cheih, Halid from Bitlis
Who was wounded and taken prisoner by the Greeks, together with Haliloglou Halil,
confirmed fully the above statements.
Mehmed Oglou Asssim, of Konia
Made the following declaration:
“I was with Ali Osman Oglou Moustapha. The Greeks robbed us of all our belongings.
During the first days of our captivity we got some bread but later they left us
without food, so that we nearly died of starvation. Whenever I dared ask for some
bread I was threatened with death.”
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Habib Oglou Bedjed of Chebin-Kara-Hissar, Province of Samsoun
When this poor man was picked up on the battlefield he was half dead, with all the
characteristic symptoms of starvation. He was so exhausted that he could hardly utter a
word. While whispering his statements he shut at every moment his eyes, a proof that he
was terribly in need of rest. He said:
“I was wounded and taken prisoner with several comrades in the battle of Haymana. We
were carried on the back of some Turkish peasants to a village. The women peasants, out of
pity, looked after us. The Greeks not finding this to their liking, began to mishandle the
women who had been kind to us, and expelled us from the village. For some days we were
without shelter and food, and had some poor and compassionate women not helped us secretly
by night, we would all be dead by this time. While we were roving in the vicinity of the
village, the Greeks suddenly swooped upon us and carried some of our comrades away,
driving the rest to the mountains, thus making it impossible for us to obtain food. At
last, impelled by hunger, two of our comrades dragged themselves on to the top of a hill
and cried for help. Fortunately, their screams were heard by some peasants who realizing
that we were in distress, hastened to come to our aid and bringing with them water and
foodstuff. Later on we were saved by an ambulance.”
Ali Oglou Mehmed, of Tarsous
Who was wounded at the battle of Haymana and confirmed fully the above declaration.
Eumer Oglou Mehmed, a native of Boskir
“I was wounded and taken prisoner at Haymana. The first day of my captivity the Greeks
dressed my wounds and gave me some bread. Later on I was sent off with several other
Turkish wounded to a village. On the way there we were roughly handled by our escort and
robbed of all we had on us. I saw the ruins of five Moslem villages which had been burnt
down by the enemy. One of our comrades was gagged simply because he dared ask for some
water.”
Dourmouche Oglou Dourmouche
Confirmed every word of the above statement.
Mehmed Oglou Rassim, of Koush-Ada declared:
“I was wounded beyond the river. After pulling all my clothes off the Greeks left me
among the corpses of dead Turkish soldiers. Eventually I was picked up by an ambulance.
The Greek wounded were under tents whilst we had to remain in the open air. For six days
they left us without bread or water. Six of our comrades succumbed to hunger and thirst.
On the twentieth day of our captivity the enemy began to retreat in great haste taking
away with him his own wounded. By that time we were half dead. Happily we were saved by
our troops.”
Despite his youth, the poor soldier when taken to our hospital, was nothing but skin and
bones.
Himmet Oglou Ali, a member of the family of Toppal Hassan of Adalia
“I was wounded and taken prisoner on the west banks of the Sakaria. Although I had a
fractured leg I was treated with the most ruthless brutality and dragged from one military
post to another. I attempted to escape but was caught and conducted to a railway station
the name of which I do not know. The Greeks submitted me to an interrogation asking me
among other things why we, the Turks, were waging war against them. I answered textually:
“It is not we who entered your country, but you who invaded ours. We are fighting in
order to defend our homeland, our honor, our families and our property.” After this they
put me some questions about our army. I, of course, refused to reveal anything. My
obstinate silence infuriated them to such a degree that they fell upon me thrusting their
bayonets into the sundry parts of my body thus inflicting me with seventeen deep wounds. I
fainted and collapsed. The next day they returned to the place where I was lying and
thinking that I had breathed my last, struck some blows on my head and went off. A few
hours later our soldiers arrived and saved me from a certain death.”
Doctor Djevdet, Surgeon of the Polatli Hospital, who examined the wounds, has drawn up a
very detailed medical report which is at everyone’s disposal.
Series of Atrocities Inflicted on Non-combatants
Forcibly Carried off by the Greeks.
During their retreat the Greeks carried away with them the greater part of the
non-combatant civilians. Unhappily, we know nothing about the fate of most of these
unfortunate people. Some of them succeeded n escaping while some others have been released
by our troops.
Following is the evidence given by some of them.
1) Guem Hassau Oglou Ali, from the village of Ibourd (Haymana):
“The Greeks came across me at Yeni-Mahalle, during their retreat. As my right arm had
been amputated ruing the great war they thought that I was in the service of the Kemalist
army. They carried me off repeating at every moment that being a nationalist soldier I was
doomed to death. When we reached the village of Merdjan I hid myself, and after the
departure of the enemy I returned to my native village. I heard from trustworthy sources
that the Greeks outraged the women and ill-treated the villagers.”
2) Kassim Oglou Battal, from the village of Kara-Pounar (Haymana):
“The enemy forced me to serve him as a guide. During a march I ran away and fled towards
my village. In the course of their retreat, while passing through our village, the Greeks
seized me and took me to Merdjan where they left me without food, their intention being
apparently to starve me. All the inhabitants of our village have terribly suffered at the
hands of the invader.”
Concurrent Statements made by
Ismail Oglou Ali of the village of Yeni-Mehmedli aged 45
Osman Oglou Ali of the village of Indjirly aged 65
Abdullah Oglou Halil of the village of Karaya Ychanly aged 41
Moustapha Oglou Ali of the village of Karaya Ychanly aged 21
Tahir Oglou Satilmich of the village of Guedich aged 45
Veli Oglou Eshref of the village of Tlrnaksiz aged 46
Eumer Oglou Seid of the village of Yeni-Mehmedli aged 54
Tahir Oglou Kerim of the village of Yeni-Mehmedli aged 20
“The enemy took us by force from our homes in order to use as guides. We were subjected
to all sorts of torture and dragged, under a shower of blows with the butt ends from one
post to another, some of being even stabbed with the bayonet. The villages invaded by the
enemy are nearly all situated between Seid-Gazi and Eski-Chehir. The Turkish villagers
were compelled to carry on their back more than 500 Greek soldiers who had received wound
sin the battle of Karayavchanli. These soldiers were fed with the corn and cattle robbed
from the Musulmans. The Greeks violated a great number of married women and young girls
before the eyes of their husbands and fathers. From time to time a Turkish airplane made
his appearance flying above our heads. Those of us who dared to look up were hit on the
head with the butt ends. During their retreat the enemy left nothing in the villages
through which he marched. The skulls of all the cows were split asunder with axes and the
brains torn out.”
The above joint declaration is quoted from a report of the Army Corps Command dated
September 20 th , 1921.
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A number of inhabitants of the village of Tirnaksiz had the misfortune of being
carried off by the Greeks. Among them are Zeydoullah Oglou Mehmed, Timour Oglou
Abdurahman, Ali Osman Oglou Riffat, Abdulkadir Oglou Habib, Tahir, Hadji Arif, Salim
Oglou Nureddin, Riffat Ben Ali, Benli Said Abdul Rahman, Eyoub Oglou Yacoub, Tahsin
Salim, Eumer Oglou Mehmed, Hassan Oglou Noureddin, Benli Hadji Oglou Tahsin, whose
fate we have not been able to ascertain.
During their retreat the Greeks forcibly took with them four villagers of Guzeldje
Kale besides carrying off Mehmed Oglou Cheyho and Arif Oglou Ahmed, natives of the
village Kaltakli Hadji Oglou Said Ahmed and Salavat Oglou Velli from the village of
Sogoudjanly, Veli Oglou Rifat, Abdullah Oglou Hourchid and Hassan Oglou Mehmed from
the village of Tchelikji as well as twenty four inhabitants of Yeni Mehmedli Demir,
four inhabitants of Kara Kouyou, five inhabitants of Toy, two inhabitants of Yornia
and the named Hodja Moustapha, Husni, Kadri, Arif and Bekir of Koasakli.
_______________
Atrocities committed upon men and women of every age, children included, and in
general, on non-combatants.
The horrors and atrocities inflicted by the Greeks on the unlucky inhabitants of
occupied villages, the names of which will be cited below, have duly been
ascertained. The narrative of these acts of barbarity is extracted from the reports
of the Commanders of the various Turkish divisions and is confirmed by the testimony
of mayors and divines of the devastated regions as well as by the photographs taken
on the spot. The details which follow will give an idea of some of the most tragic
scenes.
Village of Kaltakli:
The Greeks subjected to horrible outrages the women of this village, not even
sparing the children. The mayor of Yaprak Bayir, Ahmed Tchaouch, an immigrant, has
been literally cut to pieces while attempting to save the honor of Zeineb, wife of
Ali Oglou Ahmed.
The wife of Hadji Oglou Mehmed, named Zeliha, a women with child, who had emigrated
a short time ago to Kaltakli, has been atrociously maltreated by the Greeks. The
poor woman died under the blow of her butchers.
The wife of Ahmed Oglou Mehmed Ali, named Hanife, a native of the village of
Baghtchedjik, who had also emigrated to Kaltakly, has been violated by six Greek
soldiers. She survived this outrage only one hour.
The she-cousin of Hadji Ahmed, named Retbeb and the daughter of Eumer Oglou Memish,
named Sherife, who had managed to escape when the Greeks entered Baghtchedjik and
had taken refuge at Kaltakli, have been defiled by Greek soldiers. The wife of Eumer,
one Fatma, a native of Kaltakli are among those who were subjected to atrocities. A
poor countrywoman called Chanze, has been massacred together with her two sons,
Mehmed and Ali. The villagers say that they have seen the corpses of two other
Musulman victims of Greek savagery.
Village of Yeni-Mehmedli
The women of this village have had to undergo same outrages of those of the village
of Kaltakli.
Fatima, wife of Ali, Aiche, wife of Osman, Satia, wife of Ismail, Nourie, wife of
Mehmed, Neriman, wife of Hadji Eumer, Fatiua, wife of Ibrahim, Elif, wife of Tchaki,
Aiche, daughter of Hassan, Cherife, wife of Ahmed Tchavouch, are among the above
mentioned victims. The wife of Djemal, who offered a determined resistance in order
to defend her honor, has been submitted to unheard of torture. Her aggressors
violated her and afterwards riddled her with bullets. The poor woman is now on her
deathbed. It may be that she has already given up the ghost by the time these lines
are being written.
In the village of Yeni-Mehmedli, Hussein, son of Yousouf, in his efforts to defend
the honor of his sister, whom some Greek absolutely wanted to violate, was grasped
by them and drenched with petrol to be burnt alive. The cries and lamentations of
the villagers made the Greeks change their mind and they though it more advisable to
carry the unfortunate young man away to an unknown destination.
Village of Tcheltekli
This village has also gone through a terrible ordeal. Among other cases we may cite
that of the wife of Soulou Kan Oglou Osman, one Fatma, aged 70, who was shot at and
badly wounded by some Greek roughs. The same ruffians also nearly beat to death one
Hafiz Oglou Riza and outraged his wife Aiche and his daughter Hava before his very
eyes.
Village of Sougoudjali
All the women of this village, without any exception, have been assaulted and
defiled by the Greeks. Among them we particularly mention:
Satia, wife of Hadji Halil Oglou Mevloud.
Djennet, wife of Hamza Ogla Safa.
Fatima, wife of Ali.
Azer, wife of Hadji Oglou Ibish.
Chukrie, wife of Ibrahim Oglou Molla Hussein.
This latter has been outraged by no less than thirty Greek soldiers.
Fatima’s husband, who resolutely defended his wife against her aggressors has been
savagely killed by them. The one year old child of Mehmed Tchaouch has been thrown
from the roof of a house down into the street and cut to pieces with bayonets.
Village of Guzeldje-Kale
In this village several persons were beaten and wounded. Hadji Hussein Halil and
Mouheddin received injuries in the leg. As will be stated in a special chapter,
seven Turkish horsemen belonging to a cavalry division, who had fallen into the
hands of the Greeks, were shot dead, revolvers being discharged into their mouths.
The assaults on women were of a specially savage nature. The names published below
are those of women who suffered the worst outrages.
Zehra, wife of Djemal
Sultan, wife of Hassan
Ana Kadin, wife of Mahmoud
Emine, wife of Rustem Oglou Ali
Hadjer, a widow
Gulbehar, a widow
Emine, daughter of Ali
Dede Kiz, daughter of Mehmed
Village of Melek
Hadji Ismail, of the village of Evliafaki Kasakli, after being sworn in, gave the
following evidence before the inquiry commission of the intelligence service of the
West Front.
“As I fled prior to the coming of the enemy, I don’t know what happened in
Evliafaki Kavakly after I left it. On my arrival at Melek I heard the adjutant of
the Greek Commander say to his soldiers not to burn the village which was nearly
empty at the time, as most of the inhabitants had taken refuge I the mountains. The
Greeks removed all the furniture from the houses and drove the cattle away and set
the village on fire. Being not acquainted with the people of that village I am
unable to tell the names of the women who were shamefully outraged by the Greeks. I
saw them drag away a girl from Broussa who fell a victim to their lust. During the
night they abducted many other women. They tried to extort money from one Ali Agha,
who refused to accede to their demand as was thereupon killed. They massacred six
persons, among them a man named Abdoullah, son of Nizameddin, stabbing him with
their bayonets and throwing afterwards his corpse from the roof of a house down into
the street.”
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The Tragedy of Karie Oglou
This village which contained 120 houses is now a heap of stones and ashes. It was occupied
by the enemy at the beginning of the Sakaria battle. A Turkish squadron made an attack on
the village of Uzum Bey in which one of the higher Greek officers had taken up his
quarter. He escaped by a miracle. Shortly after the Greeks came back. As they suspected
the villagers of Karie Oglou of having informed the Turkish military authorities of the
presence of the above said officer in Uzum Beili, they at once started to destroy the
former village, razing it literally to the ground. The poor inhabitants were put to death
in a most barbarous and revolting way. The Greeks penned them like cattle in a few houses,
the doors and windows of which they walled with big stones, and then simply set the whole
village on fire. The Turkish army corps, which after the defeat and retreat of the Greek
army, reoccupied Karie Oglou, found there nothing but charred corpses. Among these
pitiable human remnants one could see hands of children clung to the railings and
carbonized arms of women, with tinsel bracelets still hanging on them.
These facts have been ascertained by the army corps and by all the inhabitants of the
neighboring villages where these tragic events still constitute the sole topic of
conversation.
Village of Merdjan
This village has been completely destroyed. We chanced to come across a villager of Etrek
who had succeeded in obtaining some information about the tragic events of Etrek. He gave
the following evidence:
“Although a native of Etrek, I was living at the time of the Greek invasion in another
village called Etrek. During his advance towards the coast the enemy did not do any harm
to either of these villages, for the simple reason that he was drawing his foodstuff from
them. But during his retreat, he separated the men from the women. Being afraid of falling
into the hands of the Greeks, of whose savagery I have heard so many frightful stories, I
at once fled with two other villagers named Halil Oglou Eumjer, a native of Aivalik and
Osmau Oglou Suleiman, a villager of Etrek, and in company of our respective wives we took
to the mountains. We had already covered a certain distance when all of a sudden we heard
the sinister rattlings of machine guns accompanied by heartrending shrieks of women.
Looking in the direction of the village we saw that it was ablaze. Fearing for our lives
we quickened our pace until we reached the banks of the Sakaria. We swam across it and
were at last saved by our army.”
Village of Koraskli
Out of the twenty five houses which constituted this village there remains today scarcely
six. The Greeks violated Fatima, wife of Bekir and Nazife, wife of Ali.
Village of Sari-Halil
In this village the enemy in the worst cruelties and outraged most of the women; among
them we specially mention Fatime, daughter of Suleiman, Fatime, daughter of Osman Safie,
daughter of Aziz Dayi, Adile, wife of Halil, Saide, wife of Fouad and Kiazime, wife of
Portucal.
The inquiry commission of Polatli has interrogated Zahide Hanem, of the above village, who
made the following statement:
“Robberies, rapes and destructions followed each other in rapid succession. The Greek,
with daggers in their hands, forced all the men to deliver up their supposed hidden
treasures. Children were lashed for not bringing eggs to the Greek soldiers. Everything
has been destroyed and the whole population has been literally wiped out. Even dogs and
cats had to undergo tortures. One poor old man who refused to guide the Greeks across the
mountains was immediately put to death.
Village of Tcherkirdeksiz
The atrocities committed in this village, which were witnessed and related by its
inhabitants, have been noted down and duly verified by the commission of inquiry. This
village contained 50 houses and was inhabited by emigrants from Turkey’s former European
Possessions. In the course of the battle of Dona-Tepe, it was occupied by the Greeks.
During the first two days there occurred no incident whatever.
The Greeks, however, soon remarked that their batteries were easily located and silenced
by Turkish artillery. This aroused their suspicion which was strengthened by the discovery
in the course of a search of an old telephonic apparatus, which had anyhow been forgotten
there by the retreating Turkish army. They made this a pretext for accusing the
inhabitants with being in secret intelligence with the Nationalists to whom they were
supposed to indicate the positions of the Greek batteries. Thereupon they ordered all the
villagers, without distinction of age, to congregate at a certain place. When they all
were assembled they were formed into a column and made to march until they reached the
brink of a ravine.
Youssouf Tchavouche, Sueilman Agha and the wife of Aziz Aga, who were among the deportees,
gave the following account of the miseries endured during this forced exile:
“On our way to the spot marked out for us, we expected at any moment to be slaughtered.
But after we reached our destination the Greeks simply abandoned us to our fate. We spent
seven days in a barren region without food. After dark we crept down to the fields in the
plan to glean some spikes of corn which we crushed between two stones before eating them.
On the seventh day the Greeks began to flee westwards and drove us before them until we
found the way barred by a torrent. Here they halted for some time, warning us that if we
stirred we should all be shot dead. Some hours later they resumed their precipitate
retreat taking away with them four of us as hostages, the principal notable of the
village, Aziz Aga, being one of them. Up to the present we have not been able to get any
information about their fate.
When the Greeks were out of sight some of us made their escape towards the village. But
the bulk of this population preferred to remain in hiding in the mountains, lest they
should fall again into the hands of the enemy, in case of his reoccupying the village.
Some peasants told us that they saw four carbonized corpses lying in a lonely place. We
have not been able to ascertain whether these corpses are those of the four unlucky
hostages. All our live stock and the whole of our chattels and furniture have been robbed
and carried away by the invader who, not content with this, burnt down most of our houses
besides annihilating our gathered in crops, thus leaving us in a state of utter
destitution. Today we have not even got a blanket to protect us from the cold.”
At this point of the narrative an old man, native of Exime, who once possessed a
prosperous farm, approached us with a view to give some further details about the Greek
savageries. He took us to a place near his house and pointed to a skull and some teeth
which had belonged to a Turkish soldier treacherously murdered by the Greeks.
Village of Kitchache
This village too was swept over by the torrent of Greek vandalism and barbarity. Three men
and one woman, whose corpses were duly identified, have been assassinated by the Greeks at
a place called Baldji Oglou Baghtchessi. The enemy furthermore, burned alive the son of
Hussein Agha aged eighteen, one woman and one child of twelve years of age. There remains
now in the whole village only two women, whose legs are half burnt and two males, the one
of whom has been wounded with the bayonet, whilst the other was it by a rifle bullet which
left an open and deep wound in his back.
Village of Demirdji
The Greeks looted all the houses of this village carrying away all the valuable. They
destroyed everything that they could not take with them, burning the stores of provisions
as well as the mills. The cattle numbering about 2,000 heads which they were unable to
carry off, were killed with bayonets. The carcasses of these beasts may be seen scatter
about the ruins. All the women of the village were shamelessly outraged. Among these we
identified:
Maksoude, daughter of Hassan aged 20
Nedjibe, daughter of Deli Agha aged 15
Cherife, daughter of Mehmed aged 21
Kiazime, daughter of Bedour Mehmed aged 18.
The Mosque of the village has been destroyed and the holy books torn to pieces. The leaves
of these books were later on found in the cesspools of the enemy camp.
Some more atrocities committed in the village of Oglakdji
(Extract from a report of the Commander-in-Chief of an army corps dated September 24 th ,
1921).
The enemy carried off the greater part of the existing cattle and provisions and burnt the
rest. Nedjib Effendi, son of Hussein Effendi, the Moslem priest of the village was beaten
until he lost consciousness.
Among the violated women whose identity has been established we mention:
Fatima, daughter in law of Ali Aga
Selman, wife of Hussein Hodja Oglou Ismail
Selma, daughter of Ayvaz Oglou Ali
Village of Sinanli
All the women of this village have been violated by the Greeks. Below we give the names of
some of them who had to undergo the most revolting outrages.
Mariam, wife of Hadji Mehmed Oglou Shakir
Raife, wife of Mehmed Oglou Mehmed
Zeliha, wife of Tayar Oglou Hamid, a divine
Hava, wife of Youssouf Oglou Hamid
Cherife, wife of Dede Oglou Mehmed
Naile, wife of Ali Bey
Moussa Tchaouche has been severly wounded.
Village of Katrandji
This village has been entirely destroyed by the Greeks who violated the following women:
Hanife, wife of Moustapha Oglou Aziz
Fatime, wife of Ismail Oglou Mehmed
Zeineb, wife of Kaya Oglou Hussein
Fatima, daughter of Kara Gullu Ahmed
Village of Baltchik Hissar
The Greeks carried off seven persons and murdered them in the valleys around the village.
Besides, they wounded one Osman Oglou Hussein and his son Redjeb in the leg.
Village of Cherefli
This village which consisted of sixty houses before the Greek advance is now a heap of
ruins. The Greeks murdered two villagers named Hatib Moussa Oglou Chaban and Abdoullah
Oglou Ahmed and badly thrashed one Hatib Moussa. They pillaged the foodstuff supplies and
all the valuables. The villagers fought on the ruins on their homes until they were
overpowered. It is quite extraordinary that the women of this village have not shared the
fate of those of other villages.
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Thefts and Robberies Committed
By the Greeks in the Occupied Area.
List of the objects pillaged by the Greeks:
Village of Kaltakli
2006 sheep, 2000 cows, 20 donkeys, 5000 okes of wood, 13,000 okes of wheat, 4000
okes of barley, 15,000 okes of butter, 2000 okes of cheese, 1000 Turkish pounds in
paper, 156 Turkish pounds in gold and all the house furniture.
Village of Guzeldje-Kale
1000 sheep and goats, 9 horses, 15 donkeys, 30 yokes of oxen, 50 carts, 40,000 okes
of wood, 10,000 okes of wheat, 50,000 okes of barley, 200 okes of rice, 8 okes of
butter, 100 okes of butter, 1000 okes of cheese, 45 beehives, 400 pieces of iron, 8
carpets, 20 bags, all the valuable owned by the women, all the household furniture
and 500 Turkish pounds in paper money belonging to the mayor of the village.
Village of Sogoutchali
200 sheep and goats, 200 cows, 6 horses, 40 donkeys, 1200 okes of flour, 6000 okes
of wheat, 2000 okes of butter, 2000 okes of cheese, 456 Turkish pounds in paper
money and all the objects of value owned by the women.
Village of Tcheltekli
2500 sheep and goats, 40 horses, 20 donkeys, 6 buffalo, 60 cars, 10,000 okes of
wheat, 1000 okes of barley, 2000 okes of lentil, 100 Turkish pounds in gold, all the
valuables and the whole household furniture, 239 carpets and all the sowing seed.
Village of Yeni-Mehmedli
3000 sheep and goats, 350 cows, 30 horses, 50 donkeys, 40,000 okes of flour, 3600
okes of corn, 3600 okes of wheat, 2500 okes of butter, 5000 okes of cheese, 3000
Turkish pounds in paper money, 30 carpets belonging to the mosque and 40 carts.
Village of Korsakli
350 sheep, 200 cows, 10 horses, 1600 okes of flour, 4000 okes of wheat, 4500 okes of
barley, 1000 okes of lentil, 1500 okes of honey, 19 donkeys, 30 carpets belonging to
the mosque, all the household furniture and 150 Turkish pounds in paper money owned
by the Moslem priest of the village.
Village of Kara-Coyou
700 sheep, 35 cows, 50 horses, 800 okes of flour, 50,000 okes of barley and 6000
okes of wheat.
Village of Toy-Demir
1000 sheep, 300 cows, 1000 okes of flour, 18 horses, 500 pounds in gold belonging to
the villagers and the whole household furniture.
Village of Sari-Halil
1000 okes of flour, 1500 okes of wheat, 6000 okes of barley, 500 okes of butter, 700
okes of wheat, 1000 sheep and goats, 200 cows, 20 horses, 20 donkeys and all the
valuables and household furniture.
Village of Tirnaksiz
13,500 sheep and goats, 175 oxen, cows and horses, 122,000 okes of wheat and all the
furniture and valuables. All the shops and storehouses of this village have been
destroyed.
Villages Destroyed or Burnt Down by Greeks,
Without any Military necessity.
Village of Tcheltekli – out of the 55 houses of the village 10 have been
burnt and the rest have been destroyed.
Village of Yeni Mehmedli – out of 70 houses 20 have been burnt down.
Village of Sogoudjali – out of 30 houses 10 have been completely and 20
partially destroyed.
Village of Guseldje-Kale – out of 35 houses 25 have been burnt to the
ground.
Village of Kaltakli – in this village only 7 houses have been burnt out of
a total of 40.
Village of Sari-Halil – total number of houses: 30; burnt: 10. The rest
completely destroyed.
Village of Koraskli – total number of houses: 25; burnt: 10. The rest
completely destroyed.
Village of Tchanakli – completely destroyed. Its inhabitants roam about the
mountains.
Village of Kara-Hamza – completely destroyed. Its inhabitants fled to the
mountains.
The following villages were completely destroyed:
Village of
Yildiz
Demirdji
Oglakdji
Horta
Kotchache
Kadindjik
Kadindjik
Holanti
Yorma
Ayvrli
Merdjan
Yari Yayla
Kurd Yaylassi
Tahtali Tatar
Karye Oglou
Cheih Ahmedli
Kozrtch
Besides, all the crops on the fields lying between the villages of Inler Katrandji
and Kurd Tadjiri as well as all the flour mills existing in the districts occupied
by the Greeks have been destroyed.
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