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When
Dumlupınar,
August 30, 1922...
Commander-in-Chief Marshal Gazi Mustafa Kemal had positioned
himself between a division's artillery positions and the Turkish
soldiers fighting in the forward line, directing the battle from
there. At one point, he turned his head through the battery
scope and called out:
-The sun's rays are
obscuring our artillery's view. And soon, when these rays hit
our bayonets, they will completely obscure the enemy's view!
Indeed, as the sun set, the bayonets changed color, and cries of
"Allah... Allah..." rang out over the din of the artillery fire.
From afar, Mustafa Kemal roared to the Commander-in-Chief of the
enemy forces:
⁃ Hacı Anesti... Proud Commander!... Come
and save your armies now!...
The next day, he and his entourage toured the Çalköy
battlefield. Under the scorching sun, everywhere, all kinds of
ammunition, weapons, and corpses lay scattered about...
This was one of Commander-in-Chief Gazi Mustafa Kemal's greatest
hours. His unceasing, day and night toil, his faith and the
nation's heartfelt sacrifices, his courage, endurance, and
resistance all
bore their visible and most captivating fruit here.
As the Marshal advanced, he suddenly stopped; among the corpses
lay the Greek
Regimental Flag, trampled
in the mud on the ground, in disarray. Demonstrating his
hallmark of chivalry, another example of nobility, he addressed
an officer standing beside him, pointing to the flag:
-Raise the flag from the
ground. he said.
The officer replied:
-Sir, this is a Greek Flag.
Before the officer could finish his sentence, an enraged Mustafa
Kemal gave his order more clearly:
-This flag is a
symbol of a nation's sovereignty; it must be respected even if
it's an enemy! he said.
In that hideous field, the enemy flag was lifted from the ground
and placed on a cannon positioned there.
Mustafa Kemal, observing the scene with sorrow in the horrific
scene, expressed his impressions as follows:
-This sight is one
that would shame and embarrass humanity. They forced us to
defend ourselves, which is rightful... Turks would neither
attempt nor stoop to such a thing in the lands of other
nations...