May 2, 1919: The Greek Army lands in Smyrna, Venizelos’ plans, the gunfire and the clashes

In April 1919, 107 years ago, Greece received the bid from the Allies to onshore successful Asia Minor. The archetypal Greek troops landed successful Smyrna connected May 2/15, 1919; however, they came nether occurrence from the Government House. There were hundreds of casualties from the clashes that followed. These events overshadowed the celebratory ambiance created by the thousands of Greeks of Smyrna and proved a atrocious omen for what was to follow…

The diplomatic moves of Eleftherios Venizelos
The extremity of World War I caused enthusiasm among the Entente states. Venizelos felt vindicated for bringing Greece into the warfare connected the broadside of the victors. However, helium had pushed matters to extremes with the “National Schism.” Greece’s delayed introduction into WWI, contempt its important contribution, placed it astatine a disadvantage afterward. Some countries, chiefly Italy, considered the Greek publication negligible. This created problems for Venizelos, who successful October and November 1918 stayed successful London for a agelong play seeking to unafraid British support.

He had already presented Greek demands to his British counterpart David Lloyd George. On November 2/11, 1918, helium sent him a missive explicitly raising the contented of Greek enlargement into Asia Minor. He past went to Paris to hole for the “Peace Conference.” There, helium received adjacent low-ranking diplomats astatine his hotel, making fantabulous impressions, including connected the British diplomat Nicolson. On December 17/30, 1918, helium submitted a memorandum to the Conference outlining Greek claims, titled:
“The implicit triumph of the Allied and associated states provides the accidental to specify the governmental borders of European states based on, oregon astatine slightest approximating, the boundaries of their nationalist territories. In this way, the indispensable instauration of the League of Nations volition beryllium created.”

Greek claims
The Greek authorities requested the cession of Constantinople—something Venizelos had profoundly desired since astatine slightest 1917. According to Christos Zalokostas, person and biographer of King Alexander, who had succeeded his deposed begetter Constantine, Venizelos told the young king successful September 1917:
“If they would permission maine alone, I americium susceptible of taking the City. When I committedness you the City, see it not arsenic words of the infinitesimal but arsenic a betrothal betwixt us. I volition instrumentality you to Constantinople.”
Alexander, whose archetypal relations with Venizelos were acold (he adjacent called him “Satan”), aboriginal said:
“This antheral dreams. And yet helium has specified powerfulness of imaginativeness that you believed what helium dreamed. Even more, helium compels others to judge it. When helium near the palace, I crossed myself and said: ‘May helium beryllium right.’”

If this proved impossible, Venizelos projected creating an autarkic authorities including the Bosporus, the Dardanelles, and the Sea of Marmara nether the League of Nations. There were besides claims concerning the Dodecanese (including Kastellorizo), Northern Epirus, Western Thrace, and occidental Asia Minor. Venizelos did not assertion each of Asia Minor but a portion stretching from Makri to the portion of Panormos (in the Sea of Marmara). Regarding the Pontic issue, helium projected incorporating Pontus into Armenia, forming a unified state.

Overall, his stance connected Pontus was inconsistent. As Georgios Roussos notes, this connection triggered reactions from Pontic Greeks, who attempted to intervene done Chrysanthos, Metropolitan of Trebizond. Pontic Greeks had agelong demanded the instauration of a 2nd Greek authorities on the confederate Black Sea seashore arsenic their lone means of survival.

In October 1917, K. Konstantinidis, a person of the Pontic movement, informed Venizelos, who appeared hesitant. Ultimately, the Pontic-Armenian Federation solution prevailed, and successful January 1920 an statement was signed betwixt Metropolitan Chrysanthos and Armenian President Khatisian. Military practice betwixt Greece and Armenia was besides agreed upon to support Pontus from Turkish forces. However, the refusal of the British to let implementation of the subject facet contributed to the Armenian decision astatine Erzurum, their capitulation to Kemal (December 1920), and the abandonment of the Pontic population.

The Conference began officially connected January 5/18, 1919, and concluded connected May 12 (new calendar). Its operations were guided by the “Supreme Council” oregon “Council of Ten” (U.S. President and Secretary of State, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of Britain, France, and Italy, and 2 Japanese representatives). On March 24, the “Council of Four” (U.S. President and the premier ministers of Britain, France, and Italy) became dominant.

Thirty-two countries participated. After its conclusion, negotiations continued until August 1920 to draught idiosyncratic treaties. Venizelos focused Greek claims connected Asia Minor, avoiding notation of Northern Epirus and Cyprus successful backstage discussions. He told Nicolson that Greece would find its existent aboriginal lone erstwhile it crossed the Aegean.

Many person written that the liberation of Asia Minor was his puerility dream. As a student, helium had hung a representation supra his table showing Constantinople, Ionia, the Dodecanese, and Northern Macedonia wrong Greece’s borders. Others, similar Georgios Ventiris, reason that his Asia Minor imaginativeness matured gradually, particularly owed to Italian expansionist policy.

The Italian origin and Allied decisions
The Italians believed the Asia Minor contented had been settled by the Treaty of London (1915) and the Agreement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (1917), some favorable to them. They were unaware that the British and French had already divided the Ottoman Empire successful 1916 via the Sykes–Picot Agreement, with Russia’s knowledge. However, the Bolshevik emergence and Italian engagement led to changes.

Venizelos’ show astatine the Conference was outstanding. He adjacent addressed Lloyd George successful Welsh, praised American teachers’ enactment successful Northern Epirus to entreaty to President Wilson, and moved audiences with photographs of Dodecanese sponge divers.

Meanwhile, Italy acted aggressively, sending 17,000 troops to Antalya successful 1917 and expanding power successful the southeastern Aegean. Italian misconduct angered particularly the Americans. A large improvement was the revelation of a Turkish program to exterminate Greeks successful Aydın, allegedly documented successful papers implicating the politician Nureddin Pasha and adjacent Italian involvement. Though authenticity is debated, these reports influenced Allied reactions.

In April 1919, aft the Italians temporarily withdrew from Paris, the Allies moved forward. On April 22, Lloyd George projected concern of cardinal Ottoman areas by Allied troops, including Greek forces to support Greeks successful Smyrna.

Despite objections, it was decided that the Greek ngo would beryllium temporary, covering astir 17,000 quadrate kilometers astir Smyrna. The Allies implied enactment for Greek claims successful the aboriginal partition of the Ottoman Empire.

The concealed ngo and landing successful Smyrna
Between April 24–29, 1919, troops of the 1st Division gathered astatine the larboard of Eleftheres successful Kavala. They sailed connected April 30 aboard 18 transports escorted by 4 destroyers. Only the enactment knew the destination—Smyrna; the soldiers believed they were heading to confederate Russia.

On May 1/14, British Admiral Calthorpe notified the Ottoman politician of the Allied determination to inhabit Smyrna, requesting Turkish troops stay successful barracks. That night, however, crowds gathered, suggesting preparations for resistance.

On May 2/15, 1919, Greek forces arrived disconnected Smyrna. At 7:30 a.m., the landing began. The 4th Infantry Regiment precocious toward the Greek-Turkish quarters, portion the Evzones moved toward the Hunters’ Club pier. Greeks welcomed them enthusiastically with flowers and wreaths.

Suddenly, the vanguard came nether dense occurrence from the Government House. Greek troops dispersed and responded, entering the gathering and neutralizing the attackers. Two Evzones were killed and 8 wounded. Civilian casualties were unclear. Violence continued passim the day: astir 100 Greeks and 300–400 Turks were killed.

These events tarnished what had been a infinitesimal of solemnisation and foreshadowed the tragic developments that followed…

Sources:
HISTORY OF THE GREEK NATION, Vol. XV, Ekdotiki Athinon
Dr. Ioannis S. Papafloratos, “History of the Greek Army (1833–1949)”, Vol. II
Georgios Roussos, “Modern History of the Greek Nation, 1926–1974”, Hellenic Educational Society