Today in History – 17 August

Atatürk and İnönü at the Thrace Maneuvers

Executed between August 17 and 20, 1937 under the command of Chief of the General Staff Marshal Fevi Çakmak across the regions of Kırklareli, Tekirdağ, and Edirne, the Thrace Maneuvers were planned to assess the status of the Turkish army vis-à-vis a possible, pending war in Europe and to demonstrate its power.

The military exercise, which included nearly 200 thousand soldiers, was fully supported by the highest levels of administration within the state. President Atatürk and Prime Minister İsmet İnönü watched the maneuvers on site the day of their commencement on August 17th. Minister of the Interior Şükrü Kaya, Ambassador to London Ali Fethi Okyar, Ambassador to Athens Ruşen Eşref Ünaydın, Ambassador to Tehran Enis Akaygen, and a crowded group of spectators were also on the drill field.

Atatürk and İnönü meticulously inspected each military unit, running from one line to the other. The two legendary commanders of the War of Independence wanted to see the latest condition of the army and the capability of its soldiers on site. The 1937 Thrace Maneuvers also generated the attention of foreign nations. Curious about the state of the Turkish army, many military attaches of foreign countries spent days in Babaeski for observation.