TNT History Archives: Greek Attacks on Nazilli, Including Aerial Bombing (1919)

 //Ed. note: This is the last of a series of reports

sent to Ottoman Army HQS in Istanbul by 

officials in Izmir and nearby provinces in 1919 -

and published in English by TNT - detailing the 

actions of  Greek occupation forces and the 

Turkish resistance.// 

Greek Air Force in Asia Minor click here for some

information from the Greek Air Force web page.

Greeks' first foray into Nazilli click here

for a recent TNT report about Greek actions

in Nazilli earlier in June 1919.

1) Telegram dated 25 June 1919 received from the Chief of the 11th 

(Ottoman Army) Division (Denizli):

Addition to my telegram of 21 June 1919: 

When the Greeks were in Nazilli they visited all sorts of depredations

on the populace and women, in particular, attacking and raping them.

Similarly, they harassed and threatened public officials of the city, 

arresting some of them and forcing the (Ottoman) police force to leave

the city.  Thus deprived of protection, on the night of 20-21 June 1919,

38 individuals - some from the Christian community, spiritual leaders

and Moslem notables - were bound hand and foot and taken away.

After the Moslem detainees had been taken a bit beyond the city, they 

began to be murdered in one's and two's.  The rest were killed by bombs

and machine-gun fire.  Only one Saray villager was able to jump in the 

water and escape during the massacre, hiding in the forest to save 

himself.  

He returned to Nazilli and it was understoood from his statement, which 

Denizli Governor Faik (Öztrak) personally heard, that two of the

villager's friends who were seriously wounded, along with one who was

lightly wounded, were brought to Nazilli, too, while the remaining

individuals were killed in the Greek massacre.   

Hamdi Efendi of Ödemiş, who was on duty as a policeman in Denizli

and who was very saddened by the events in Ödemiş, left his post, 

gathered together some fighters and went to Nazilli.  Hamdi Efendi 

was able to restore order and this was further solidified by the arrival 

of the regular Ottoman Army troops that arrived soon after.  

Word has come that as the Greeks headed back to Aydın they ravaged 

the Moslem villages they encountered and killed many villagers.  As

the result of time pressure, it has not yet been possible to investigate 

this news.

((signed)) 11th Division Chief Col. Tevfik

2) Report dated 22 July 1919 received from the 11th Division (Denizli):

Today Aydın is in the hands of the Greeks, who are using airplanes for

reconnaissance and, in fact, these airplanes dropped bombs and fired 

machine guns on Nazilli and Köşk on 18 July 1919.  One woman was

injured and two men died in the aerial attack.  

Mr. LaBud, a French navy major, who is the Great Powers' commander

in Afyonkarahisar and the representative of General Franchet d'Esperey,

arrive here (Denizli), is investigating the Aydın atrocities.  He came here

and left the following day for Nazilli and Çine, from where he will go to

Izmir.  

Mr. LaBud told us that "we (France) categorically disapprove of the 

Greek operation.  Had France anticipated even one percent of the 

Greeks' Izmir atrocities,  it would never have approved the Greek 

occupation."   He indicated his strong support of the counterattacks 

by the Kuva-ı Milliye (Turkish resistance) and spoke his conscience.

 

((signed)) 11th Division Chief Col. Tevfik

French observer's remarks click here for a longer TNT

report about Major LaBud's meeting with the Turks in

Denizli. 

 

3) Telegram dated 27 July 1919 received from the 57th Division 

Command (Aydın):

Greek airplanes viciously dropped bombs on the residents of Nazilli, 

Hanca and Köşk on 21 June 1919.  As a result, two people in Nazilli

were killed and one person in Hanca was wounded.

A French officer who has been assigned by General Franchet d'Esperey

to investigate the atrocities in Aydın witnessed and was appalled by these 

events.

((signed) 57th Division Commander Şefik

//END//