TNT History Mini-Series: Turkish Resistance to English, French & Armenians in Maraş and Antep (1919-1920)/Part VIII

 //Ed. note: In Part V of this series, the Adana-based French Chief 

Administrator of the Occupation Zone was misidentified as 

"Etur Bireyemun", based on vocalization of the Ottoman Turkish

text.  The correct name is "Col. Edouard Brémond".

In any event, as the grueling battle for Maraş raged on in January-

February 1920, the French-Armenian  side was led by Lt. Col. 

Robert Normand and the Turkish side by  Kılıç Ali, with the 

Moslems gaining the upper hand.//

"On the 21st day of the battle, we expected a full-scale attack all 

night long but around seven-thirty in the morning we saw that the 

barracks were on fire.  There was silence otherwise.  Our forces

advanced, taking the enemy forces at the American College, and

any others left alive, as prisoners.  The snow and cold were fierce.

The enemy elements in town gave up and surrendered but they 

destroyed their own weapons.  For a week we gave them 

provisions."

"In the course of this 21-day battle, we suffered between 400 and 

500 dead and wounded.  The enemy dead numbered more than 

8,000.  The forces that had taken shelter in the churches and

fortified buildings died in the fires caused by the French shelling.

After the French forces began their retreat, some 500 Armenians

followed them but the French, thinking that they were Moslems,

clashed with them and very few of the Armenians were left alive."

"The enemy retreated to İslahiye but thousands of them died from

the cold along the way.  In any event, we pursued them, taking 

Haruniye, İslahiye and Bahçe and driving them to Osmaniye.  

Then we reached Antep and said to the Moslems there 'we've have

done our duty, driving the enemy this far.  Now it's your turn.' But

they didn't do as we had done, with some of them explaining that

'we don't want to burn down and ruin our town.'   If they had 

acted in unity against the enemy then, the enemy forces in Adana

would not have been sustained."

"Nevertheless, because of this defeat, the enemy was quiet for a while 

but in April the enemy became active in Antep and Osmaniye.  The

mobile forces of the notorious Normand surrounded the city (Antep).

At that time, Kılıç Ali was in the town of Berc and  his detachment, 

together with fighters from Maraş, attacked Normand's forces, forcing

Normand to flee and taking Antep and İslahiye."

"At that point, the French declared an armistice. The 'Kuva-i Milliye' 

(Turkish nationalist) formed regiments and one of their commanders

was Major Hamdi Bey, who joined forces with Kılıç Ali Bey.  Then,

the armistice was dissolved and the war began anew, with our forces

seizing the south side of Antep.  Things were going well."  

"But then Kılıç Ali became a member of the Meclis (Grand National

Assembly) and went to Ankara.  Hamdi Bey took sick and went on 

leave.  Our forces were left as scattered units led by low-ranking 

officers.  The reinforced enemy went on the attack, bringing a "15/5 

cannon" of ours they seized in Aleppo and bombarding Antep.  For 

this reason, the upper floors of homes in Antep were completely 

destroyed.  The populace fought on by themselves against the French 

but ultimately a regular army corps was established.  Right now 

(early 1921), the war continues in the south and west of Antep." 

//END of PART EIGHT//