Today in History – 10 September

War under rain

Having served as the radio-telegraph officer during the Battle of Sakarya Brigadier İhsan Aksoley recounts:

More than a thousand officers fell martyr at the Battle of Sakarya, which constituted the turning point of the War of Independence. Therefore, this battle can also be called, the “Battle of Officers.” Following 22 days and 22 nights of uninterrupted, bloody, and fierce fighting, the defeated enemy began to retreat from Sakarya. The failure to procure the necessary materials to build a bridge over the rising waters of the Sakarya River delayed the construction process in the rainy month of September. The enemy thus had the opportunity to split each bar of the railway into two or three pieces, destroy all the bridges and telegraph lines, and burn our villages to the ground.

Finding a passage over the Sakarya River from the left wing, the Cavalry Corps commander Fahrettin Pasha (Altay) and his unrelenting, untiring units chased the retreating enemy. Radio and telegraph communication with our rapidly moving units was entirely interrupted. Appearing nervous for not having any communication with the troops for 24 hours, İsmet Pasha arrived. Refusing to leave us in the rain and go inside his tent, the Pasha began walking around alone under the wires. I went near him and said, “İsmet Pasha, there is 70,000 volts of electricity on those wires. It is dangerous to touch them.” “Why have you not been operating the radio for the last 24 hours?” he asked. The voltage in the atmosphere is too high, it will burn the device Sir,” I replied. “There is nothing to do but wait,” he said and gave the following command: “Send the following message to Fahrettin Pasha by telegraph: Is it raining heavily there? How are the provisions and morale of the soldiers and officers? Where is the farthest troop?” An answer finally came after a long wait: “We are fighting under heavy rain in day and night. The provisions and morale of soldiers and officers are perfect. We are 5 km away from the city of Afyon. Fahrettin”

Pasha was thrilled with the news. His eyes shone, “Thank God for them,” he said.