TNT History Archives: "Bergama Raid" Aftermath (1919)/Part I

//Ed. note:  As the Greek occupation of western 

Anatolia spread out from Izmir in mid-1919, the

remnants of the Ottoman Army, and the 14th Army

Corps headquartered in Bandırma, in particular, 

tried to stem the Greek advance.  

One success by this hybrid Ottoman-Turkish 

nationalist force was the "Bergama Raid" of

16 June 1919, which evicted the Greeks from

Bergama, albeit for a very short time.

bergama raid click here for the first of a 4-part

TNT series on the raid, based on the memoir

of Captain Kemal, the chief of staff of the 14th

Army Corps, who organized and participated 

in the raid.

The Ottoman Army HQS in Istanbul received

updates on developments in the Bergama 

region from Yusuf İzzet Paşa, the commander

of the 14th Army Corps. This TNT series 

presents these reports, sent under the 

signature of Yusuf İzzet Paşa to Ottoman

Army HQS in Istanbul, which compiled and

published these and other reports about the

Greek occupation later in 1919.

________________________________________

1)A paragraph from the enciphered telegram, dated 12 June 1919,

received from the 14th Army Corps:

A Greek force comprised of an 800-man infantry battalion, 30 

cavalrymen, four machine guns and two mountain cannon, 

entered Bergama today at 11:30 in the morning.  This was 

learned based on information the Bergama district chief was

able to provide to Soma via telephone. 

2)Enciphered message received from 14 Army Corps Command,

dated 13-14 June 1919:

The majority of the Greek force occupying Bergama is made up

of young, uneducated, ill-clothed local Greek youths.  There is a

30-man contingent of soldiers under the command of an officer

at Reşadiye (today's Zeytindağ), southwest of Bergama, which is 

the site of the HQS of the Greek battalion.  This information was

provided by the (Ottoman) Ayvalık Command.

3)Telegram dated 16 June 1919 received from the 14th Army Corps

Command: 

I (Yusuf İzzet Paşa) arrived in Bergama today at nine-thirty at 

night.  When news came from the armed Moslem populace of

Bergama about the enemy occupation, our regular (Ottoman) army

force reached Bergama to establish public order (the "Bergama

Raid").  The city is calm now but only after the irregular Greek

bandits, wearing military uniforms with Greek Army insignias, 

were routed following a 7-8-hour battle with cannon and machine

guns.

In the course of the fighting and afterwards, shops belonging to

Jews and Armenians - but mostly those belonging to Moslems -

were looted.  There was one Moslem death and one Armenian

was injured.  I am currently making a very detailed investigation

of the matter and will provide the results later.

The town of Bergama viewed from the adjacent site of the 

ancient Greek city of Pergamon, a bit north of the town.

//END of PART ONE//