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REMEMBERING THE GREAT FIRE OF SMYRNA
Greek Reporter
Sept 12 2014
by Ioanna Zikakou
Today marks 92 years since the Catastrophe of Smyrna (Izmir) and the
Great Fire that destroyed the city, causing the majority of Greeks
in Asia Minor to flee their homes and seek shelter in Greece and
other countries.
Smyrna used to be one of the wealthiest cities of the Ottoman Empire
and hosted one of the largest populations of Greeks and Armenians.
During the Greco-Turkish War from 1919 to 1922, Greek armed forces
settled in Smyrna on May 15, 1919. When the Turkish army regained
control of the city on September 9, 1922, a large number of Greeks and
Armenians were killed as part of the Greek genocide from 1914 to 1923.
Even though no one can know for sure when the Great Fire of Smyrna
started, historians believe that it was on September 13, and it burned
for almost nine days, until it was finally extinguished on September
22. Greeks and Armenians crammed by the waterfront, where they had to
live under horrid conditions for almost two weeks, while others managed
to escape. They boarded Greek and international ships which led them
to safety. In total, approximately 400,000 Smyrna citizens were forced
to abandon their homes, while the total estimated number of Greeks and
Armenians who were killed during the Great Fire ranges from 10,000 to
100,000. One of the survivors of the Catastrophe was Aristotle Onassis.
The multicultural city of Smyrna was turned to ashes with its
infrastructure suffering substantial damage. The inner center, which
housed many commercial and private buildings, had to be completely
rebuilt, while several historical monuments were lost in the fire.
Turkish soldiers murdered many non-Muslims, while others, mostly strong
and capable men, were forced to join labor battalions, the so-called
"amele taburu."
The Great Fire of Smyrna was the peak of the Asia Minor Catastrophe,
bringing an end to the 3,000-year Greek presence on Anatolia's
Aegean shore and shifting the population ratio between Muslims and
non-Muslims. The first census following the War (1927) showed an 88%
Muslim population.
Chronologically, the events that took place and led to the dreadful
1922 catastrophe were:
August 26, 1922 The Turkish army, well-trained and supplied by France
and Italy, finally launched a counter-attack and the major Greek
defense positions were overrun.
August 30, 1922 Approximately 200,000 strong, the Greek army was routed
at the Battle of Dumlupinar, with half of its soldiers captured or
slain and equipment lost.
September 1, 1922 Kemal Ataturk issued his famous order: "Armies,
your first goal is the Mediterranean, Forward!"
September 6, 1922 There were 21 war ships in the harbor, with 11
British, 5 French, 1 Italian, 2 US and more to come. Some 50,000 Greek
troops and thousands of refugees poured into Smyrna and congregated
on the quay side. The interior was in complete turmoil. Greek ships
in the bay were taking away the soldiers as quickly as they could.
September 7, 1922 The allies had strict orders not to intervene
in Turkish internal affairs. Their responsibilities lay with their
national citizens.
There were some 150,000 homeless refugees in Smyrna.
September 9, 1922 After the resignation of the Greek government in
Athens, Turkish cavalry entered into Smyrna. By dusk, the Turkish
army had approached the city from all sides and violence broke
out. There was looting towards rich and poor alike. A large number
of Greek soldiers had not managed to embark and settled old scores
in a killing spree.
September 10, 1922 There was large-scale looting, raping, mutilating
and killing of Armenians and Greeks. The Armenian quarter was
systematically plundered. Kemal's cortege entered Smyrna through the
Turkish quarter where the cavalry awaited him. A battle raged with
a battalion of 6,000 Greek soldiers heading to the coast. That last
vestige of the Greek army surrendered and taken prisoners. Metropolitan
Chryssostomos was murdered by a mob. There was no authority over men
brutalized by years of war. Atrocities were committed in full view
of the war ships.
The streets and harbor were filled with bloated corpses.
September 11, 1922 The situation was deteriorating as more and more
refugees made their way to Smyrna.
September 12, 1922 More homeless, terror-stricken, refugees continued
to arrive and camp out in the streets. They were immediate victims of
lawless elements of the Turkish army. At that time, some 7,000 British
troops were stationed in Constantinople. Kemal stated: "We must have
our capital and if Western Powers will not hand it over, I shall be
obliged to march on Constantinople." Smyrna was plunged into anarchy
- desultory shooting, looting and rape all around. The allied ships
remained under orders not to take any Greeks or Armenians. However,
it is likely that the Turks would not have permitted them to leave.
September 13, 1922 The allies began evacuating their nationals. The
city's population swelled to over 700,000 people. Yet, Smyrna's
non-Muslims were confident that the warships of the Allied fleet
would protect them.
They hoped Kemal would view this still prosperous city as an asset
to the new republic. They were, however, unprepared for the horror
unleashed upon them. Turkish troops set the Armenian quarter alight.
The quay side became crowded with half a million refugees with the
fires raging behind them. The city burned for four days.
People were in danger of being burned alive as the fire had reached
the waterfront. The ships moved 250 yards further out to avoid the
intense heat. The ships' bands struck-up tunes to drown-out the screams
and shrill cries of a frantic mob on the quay side. A British admiral
had a dramatic change of heart and ordered all available boats to be
lowered and dispatched to the quay side. Total chaos followed.
Yet, one by one, the ships were overflowing with Greeks and Armenians.
The harbor and streets were filled with bloated corpses: people,
dogs, horses. The stench of burning flesh prevailed.
September 14, 1922 The rescue mission continued and room was found
for 20,000 people. The war ships sailed to Athens which was already
crowded with refugees and not equipped to deal with an influx of
hundreds of thousands of others.
September 15-18, 1922 Refugees continued to arrive in Smyrna. There was
hunger, thirst and a sanitary crisis. Kemal decreed that any refugee
in Smyrna on October 1 would be deported to central Anatolia. But
deportations began immediately. All Christians of military age were
deemed an enemy. The forced marches were similar to those of the
deportations of 1915.
Ultimately, 100,000 people were killed and 160,000 deported to the
interior.
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/09/12/remembering-the-great-fire-of-smyrna/
From: Baghdasarian
Greek Reporter
Sept 12 2014
by Ioanna Zikakou
Today marks 92 years since the Catastrophe of Smyrna (Izmir) and the
Great Fire that destroyed the city, causing the majority of Greeks
in Asia Minor to flee their homes and seek shelter in Greece and
other countries.
Smyrna used to be one of the wealthiest cities of the Ottoman Empire
and hosted one of the largest populations of Greeks and Armenians.
During the Greco-Turkish War from 1919 to 1922, Greek armed forces
settled in Smyrna on May 15, 1919. When the Turkish army regained
control of the city on September 9, 1922, a large number of Greeks and
Armenians were killed as part of the Greek genocide from 1914 to 1923.
Even though no one can know for sure when the Great Fire of Smyrna
started, historians believe that it was on September 13, and it burned
for almost nine days, until it was finally extinguished on September
22. Greeks and Armenians crammed by the waterfront, where they had to
live under horrid conditions for almost two weeks, while others managed
to escape. They boarded Greek and international ships which led them
to safety. In total, approximately 400,000 Smyrna citizens were forced
to abandon their homes, while the total estimated number of Greeks and
Armenians who were killed during the Great Fire ranges from 10,000 to
100,000. One of the survivors of the Catastrophe was Aristotle Onassis.
The multicultural city of Smyrna was turned to ashes with its
infrastructure suffering substantial damage. The inner center, which
housed many commercial and private buildings, had to be completely
rebuilt, while several historical monuments were lost in the fire.
Turkish soldiers murdered many non-Muslims, while others, mostly strong
and capable men, were forced to join labor battalions, the so-called
"amele taburu."
The Great Fire of Smyrna was the peak of the Asia Minor Catastrophe,
bringing an end to the 3,000-year Greek presence on Anatolia's
Aegean shore and shifting the population ratio between Muslims and
non-Muslims. The first census following the War (1927) showed an 88%
Muslim population.
Chronologically, the events that took place and led to the dreadful
1922 catastrophe were:
August 26, 1922 The Turkish army, well-trained and supplied by France
and Italy, finally launched a counter-attack and the major Greek
defense positions were overrun.
August 30, 1922 Approximately 200,000 strong, the Greek army was routed
at the Battle of Dumlupinar, with half of its soldiers captured or
slain and equipment lost.
September 1, 1922 Kemal Ataturk issued his famous order: "Armies,
your first goal is the Mediterranean, Forward!"
September 6, 1922 There were 21 war ships in the harbor, with 11
British, 5 French, 1 Italian, 2 US and more to come. Some 50,000 Greek
troops and thousands of refugees poured into Smyrna and congregated
on the quay side. The interior was in complete turmoil. Greek ships
in the bay were taking away the soldiers as quickly as they could.
September 7, 1922 The allies had strict orders not to intervene
in Turkish internal affairs. Their responsibilities lay with their
national citizens.
There were some 150,000 homeless refugees in Smyrna.
September 9, 1922 After the resignation of the Greek government in
Athens, Turkish cavalry entered into Smyrna. By dusk, the Turkish
army had approached the city from all sides and violence broke
out. There was looting towards rich and poor alike. A large number
of Greek soldiers had not managed to embark and settled old scores
in a killing spree.
September 10, 1922 There was large-scale looting, raping, mutilating
and killing of Armenians and Greeks. The Armenian quarter was
systematically plundered. Kemal's cortege entered Smyrna through the
Turkish quarter where the cavalry awaited him. A battle raged with
a battalion of 6,000 Greek soldiers heading to the coast. That last
vestige of the Greek army surrendered and taken prisoners. Metropolitan
Chryssostomos was murdered by a mob. There was no authority over men
brutalized by years of war. Atrocities were committed in full view
of the war ships.
The streets and harbor were filled with bloated corpses.
September 11, 1922 The situation was deteriorating as more and more
refugees made their way to Smyrna.
September 12, 1922 More homeless, terror-stricken, refugees continued
to arrive and camp out in the streets. They were immediate victims of
lawless elements of the Turkish army. At that time, some 7,000 British
troops were stationed in Constantinople. Kemal stated: "We must have
our capital and if Western Powers will not hand it over, I shall be
obliged to march on Constantinople." Smyrna was plunged into anarchy
- desultory shooting, looting and rape all around. The allied ships
remained under orders not to take any Greeks or Armenians. However,
it is likely that the Turks would not have permitted them to leave.
September 13, 1922 The allies began evacuating their nationals. The
city's population swelled to over 700,000 people. Yet, Smyrna's
non-Muslims were confident that the warships of the Allied fleet
would protect them.
They hoped Kemal would view this still prosperous city as an asset
to the new republic. They were, however, unprepared for the horror
unleashed upon them. Turkish troops set the Armenian quarter alight.
The quay side became crowded with half a million refugees with the
fires raging behind them. The city burned for four days.
People were in danger of being burned alive as the fire had reached
the waterfront. The ships moved 250 yards further out to avoid the
intense heat. The ships' bands struck-up tunes to drown-out the screams
and shrill cries of a frantic mob on the quay side. A British admiral
had a dramatic change of heart and ordered all available boats to be
lowered and dispatched to the quay side. Total chaos followed.
Yet, one by one, the ships were overflowing with Greeks and Armenians.
The harbor and streets were filled with bloated corpses: people,
dogs, horses. The stench of burning flesh prevailed.
September 14, 1922 The rescue mission continued and room was found
for 20,000 people. The war ships sailed to Athens which was already
crowded with refugees and not equipped to deal with an influx of
hundreds of thousands of others.
September 15-18, 1922 Refugees continued to arrive in Smyrna. There was
hunger, thirst and a sanitary crisis. Kemal decreed that any refugee
in Smyrna on October 1 would be deported to central Anatolia. But
deportations began immediately. All Christians of military age were
deemed an enemy. The forced marches were similar to those of the
deportations of 1915.
Ultimately, 100,000 people were killed and 160,000 deported to the
interior.
http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/09/12/remembering-the-great-fire-of-smyrna/
From: Baghdasarian