If we lose, you can hang me immediately...

The night of July 28/29.

The year is 1922.

The place is Akşehir, Konya.

Mustafa Kemal Pasha gathered his commanders for the Great Offensive. The commanders were İsmet Pasha, Fevzi Pasha, and Yakup Şevki Pasha.

Mustafa Kemal explained the attack plan to them. The final order would be given, and the Greek army would be driven into the sea. Maps were opened, and Mustafa Kemal Pasha pointed to the place where the Greek Army was strongest;

-“The greatest strength of the Greeks is around Afyon, and it is the forces under the command of General Trikoupis. If we take this place, the entire front will fall. Therefore, we will strike here,” he said.

Upon these words, the pashas fell silent. They were quite worried. To them, this was a gamble.

-“You are talking about striking the Greeks where they are strongest; in that case, we will have to shift all our strength there,” they said with concern. Mustafa Kemal replied with a relaxed demeanor;

-“Yes,” he said briefly.

Yakup Şevki Pasha took the floor;

-“How can this be? By doing this, you are leaving me, the army in the north, almost exposed. General Digenis is in front of me. When he attacks us, he will march all the way to Ankara without any resistance. You say let us enter Afyon, but Digenis will enter Ankara,” he said.

Indeed, if a significant portion of the soldiers in the 2nd Army, stationed in the eastern part—that is, between Afyon and Ankara—were shifted to the south, the front would weaken, and the Greeks could easily enter their target, Ankara.

Yakup Şevki Pasha was Mustafa Kemal’s strategy instructor at the War Academy. And he was the most worried of all.

-“They will not enter, Pasha,” said Mustafa Kemal, quite calmly.

Because he knew the inner workings of the Greek Army. When Venizelos fell from power, the Greek Army had split into two: the Constantinians and the Venizelists, and the soldiers were tired and weary of standing on the arid lands of Anatolia for two years. Mustafa Kemal tried to convince his teacher;

-“Pasha, we will shift our soldiers to the south in great secrecy,” he said. However, Yakup Şevki Pasha could not be convinced.

-“How can that be? I shift a battalion from here to there, and the Greeks find out,” he kept saying.

Upon this, Mustafa Kemal Pasha gave the following answer:

-“Pasha, if you shift your units during the day, they will find out. We will make our move at night, and we will hide our units during the day,” he said.

However, Yakup Şevki Pasha was still not at ease. Ammunition was insufficient. We could not fight against machine guns with swords. If we were defeated and Ankara fell, all of Anatolia would be lost.

-“Our transport columns are insufficient; it is impossible for them to keep up with the marching army with ammunition,” he said. Mustafa Kemal replied with a smile:

-“We will replenish our ammunition from the enemy, Pasha,” he said.

However, Yakup Şevki Pasha did not like this answer from Mustafa Kemal. He replied sharply. The conversation turned into an argument;

-“I have had the Greek positions in Afyon examined. We cannot break through here in a day or two. Let us not dream. With soldiers wearing sandals, we will get stuck in that steep, rugged terrain.”

-“Then what do you recommend we do?”

-“We attack from the front at a suitable place. If the enemy retreats, we follow. Thus, we will not put the army, our only reliance, in danger,” he said, at which point İsmet Pasha took the floor;

-“We have only been able to reach this state after a year of struggle. We cannot build this strength again. Therefore, we must achieve a definitive result and end the war. There is no other choice but to implement this plan despite the danger,” he said.

And this statement was supported by Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Pasha and Chief of General Staff Fevzi Çakmak Pasha. But Yakup Şevki Pasha insisted on his objection;

-“Do not do it; the entire existence of the Turkish nation consists of this. Now you are putting it in danger by piling it all on one point; I cannot agree to this!”

Hearing these words, Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal’s face hardened;

-“If our existence consists of this, we must achieve the definitive result with it,” he said. But Yakup Şevki Pasha was determined in his insistence. He stood up and said in a loud voice;

-“Those who decide this will be under a great burden before history. They will call them traitors to the homeland,” he said. And after pausing for a moment, he softened his tone with a pleading manner;

-“And they will hang us all in Ankara, in front of the parliament!”

The atmosphere had turned icy. Everyone was silent, looking at Yakup Şevki Pasha. In fact, he was right. If they failed, they would all be declared traitors for “leading the Turkish nation into war” and would be hanged in the middle of Ankara. However, as always, Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Pasha had the final word;

-“Do not be afraid, Pasha. All responsibility before history and the nation belongs to me!” he said. He paused for a while, fell silent, and ended the meeting with this final sentence;

-“If we lose, you can hang me immediately.”