Liberation of Balıkesir

The Kuva-yi Milliye movement started after the Greek occupation of the Aegean region and spread as independent local organizations. The people of Balıkesir had a very important role in the establishment of these local organizations. Balıkesir is also known as the "City of Kuvâ-yi Milliye" as it was the city where Kuvâ-yi Milliye started.^[1]

On May 16, 1919, the people of Balıkesir came together at the Reading Dormitory in the building where Balıkesir High School is located and protested against the occupations.[2] Mehmet Vehbi Bolak, after mentioning the persecution after the Occupation of İzmir, continued with the following words; "These tragedies are about to befall Balıkesir. This cannot be prevented by correspondence and protest. Let's establish a Reddi-i İlhak committee to reject the annexation." The foundations of the national struggle were laid in secret meetings in Alaca Mescit. On this occasion, the 41-member committee and the people gathered in Alaca Mescit founded the Balıkesir Kuvâ-yi Milliye and supported the national struggle led by Mustafa Kemal. On May 15, 1919, upon the Occupation of Izmir, among those who heeded the call of the Mayor of that day, Keçecizade Mehmet Emin Efendi, were Karesi Deputy Mehmet Vehbi Bey, Mayor Keçecizade Mehmet Emin Bey, Yırcalızade Şükrü Efendi, Hasan Basri Çantay and a total of 41 people who were fully authorized to take all kinds of decisions.^[2]

The prominent people of the city, especially Mehmet Vehbi Bolak, gathered at the Reading Dormitory where the Kuvâ-yi Milliye Museum is now located. At the meeting, it was understood that nothing would help and the following words of Leblebici Raşit Efendi became the decision, the spark was lit with this sentence, and Kuvâ-yi Milliye was ignited; "The force that will turn the enemy back is at the end of the barrel."

On May 18, 1919, those who gathered in Alaca Mescit on the occasion of mevlit, after listening to the mevlit, decided to reject annexation and to fight for national struggle. Afterward, Alaca Mescit, where they met regularly, decided to fight armed struggle. With the reading dormitory, Alaca Mescit meetings, and Balıkesir Congresses, the first serious movement against the enemy's occupations in the region came from Balıkesirli civilians and intellectuals.^[3] With their villagers and townspeople, Balıkesirli people decided to defend themselves without receiving instructions from anywhere. The people of Balıkesir, who came together by organizing five congresses, fought against the Greek armies on four fronts for 14 months and announced to the world public opinion that the people of Balıkesir and the Turkish nation would not accept occupation and captivity. All this shows that the first congress was convened in Balıkesir, the first bullet was fired in Balıkesir Ayvalık and the last bullet was fired in Bandırma. Balıkesir is the only city in the Aegean that ended the enemy occupation with its own means. During the most important periods of the National Struggle, SES Newspaper, published by Hasan Basri Çantay in Balıkesir, became the loud voice of Balıkesir and the Anatolian people who stood by the Kuvâ-yi Milliyeciler. Mehmet Akif Ersoy writes in his letter to the first issue of SES Newspaper: "If you don't want to hear the voice of the enemy, wake up to this voice, it is the voice of a brother; When you get up, you will see that it is evening, From^{[citation needed]}

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After the occupation, the Greek Command, fearing an ambush, thinking that the retreating Turkish forces were in the mountains, waited for their troops to gather regularly in Balıkesir. The Greek Command called the members of the Freedom and Entente Party, who said "Welcome" to them, for help. From the lists they provided, the people who had served the Kuvâ-yi Milliye, who had not fled but remained in the city, were identified one by one and were rounded up and imprisoned. One of the first things the Greek Command did was to replace the officers and telegraphists at the Post Office. Greek and Armenian officers were brought in their place.

The supporters of the Hürriyet and Entente Party, who went on a "Kuvâci hunt" with Greek flag bandanna and ribbons on their arms, handed over 36 people to the Greek Command. The day after the occupation, Greek soldiers and local Greeks looted the properties and houses of the Kuvâ-yi Milliyiye members who had left their homes. Some of the civil servants in the offices were left in their places. Those who were in favor of the Kuvâ-yi Milliye were expelled with the zeal of some pro-Greek Muslims. Giridîzâde Muhiddin Bey, the president of the Hürriyet ve Îtilâf Party, was appointed as the mayor. Those who were arrested and imprisoned in the first days of the occupation were released after a month and a half, after local Greeks and Armenians intervened and vouched for them, making them swear that they would never engage in politics again.

Some of the national detachments kept their weapons to protect their villages and retreated to the mountains in small groups. Greek troops landing in Bandırma were welcomed by local Greeks and some Anzavur soldiers. When the main army units were moved towards Balıkesir, Greek gendarmes and sailors, who were the crew of Greek ships, remained in Bandırma. Their first job was to find and arrest those who supported the national movement in the city and hang some of them. Circassian Hasan Bey, one of the pillars of the national movement in Bandirma, was insulted and killed in Harbor Square at the suggestion of the collaborators.

Some patriotic people in Balıkesir and the surrounding regions started to search for answers to the question of what to do against the occupation after the occupation confusion stopped. During these days, İbrahim Ethem Bey, who had fled to Ankara after the occupation while working as a lawyer in Balıkesir and was sent to Demirci by the National Government as a District Governor because he knew the region, refused to surrender after the Greeks occupied this place as well and retreated to Sındırgı mountains, taking the gendarmerie unit in the region and the groups of Parti Mehmet Pehlivan and Halil Efe with him.

Upon this news, the people of Balıkesir called the secret "Military Police", or "Ayın-Pe" organization to duty without being noticed by the Greeks. Ayın-Pe immediately became a strong solidarity unit. The villagers, who were left unprotected at the beginning of the occupation, were secretly arming themselves. Tevfik Bey, who was the District Director of İvrindi and known as Koca Müdür, went to the mountains of İvrindi to join the Efes. He organized them as a national detachment and became their leader. Tevfik Bey, who also called other Efes he had known during his time as the district director, formed a strong detachment. He was attached to İbrahim Ethem Bey in Sındırgı Mountains.

Armed forces in the region during the Greek Occupation

1) Greek regular troops

There was a strong garrison in Balıkesir, and mass units in Ayvalık, Bandirma, Edremit, Susurluk, and Sındırgı. In addition, Greek ships were anchored in Ayvalık, Bandırma and Erdek, and there were naval officers attached to them and a Greek coast guard organization established in these places.

2) Greek Gendarmes

Greek gendarmes, separate from Greek troops and partly mounted, had established outposts in villages close to them in all regions.

3) Local Greek gangs

Kirman of Yeniceli, Panayot of Dutliman, Istavri son of Andon Kâhya, Yani son of Nikola, Sofokli son of Yorgi, Dimitri son of Nikola, Istrati son of Papanikola, Yorgaki son of Andon of Peremeli, Yorgi son of Moscow of Elpisli, Petro son of Pandeli, Yordan son of Çavdar, Karaman son of Mihal, Tanaş son of Timurtaşlı, Istrati son of Tiraş, Istavri and Ligor Teodos are some of the local Greek gangs.

4) Greek bandits

Ibiş Gang in Uşak-Gediz region, Kabakçı and Toplu Saadettin gangs in Yenice-Emet-Tavşanlı region, Circassian Ilyas Gang in Gökçedağ, Zekeriya and Kör Ali Gang in Dursunbey (Balat), Cemil and Kamalı Circassian Ramazan Gang in Bigadiç, Circassian Sülüklü Davut and Circassian Canbazlı Hakkı gangs in Susurluk-Karacabey region, Anzavuroğlu Kadir and Boğazköy Kemâlettin gangs around Manyas, Güvemçetmili Ahmet Çavuş Gang between Bigadiç and Balıkesir, and Çetmi Bayram Gang (Çetmi Bayram was caught on the day of liberation, spit on by the people and hanged. ) They are known as Greek bandits.

5) Local Greek gangs (Greek militia and Greek scout organization)

Local Greek gangs were formed by Greek volunteers in Edremit, Ayvalık, Burhaniye, Zeytinli, Dikili, and Manyas.

6)Bandit (Çalıkakıcılar)

The bandits, also known colloquially as Çalıkakıcılar, were composed of deserters during World War I.

7) Bandits who redeemed themselves by joining the War of Independence

Küçük Hasan, İsmail Çavuş, Recep Pehlivan in Çatalca; Altıparmak Nuri, Yaşar, İbrahim Çavuş, Bosnian Kara İbrahim, Kürt Hasan, Bacak Hasan around Manyas-Gönen-Bandırma; Çetmi Süleyman, Tatar Mehmet Çavuş in Susurluk; Yağlılarlılı Salih in İvrindi; Ayşebacıılı Recep, Hâfız Hacı Ali of Pabuçcu, Rıfat and their gangs between Balıkesir-Kepsut.

8)Turkish Police and Gendarmerie

Despite the Greek occupation, the Turkish police and gendarmerie did not abandon their duties, but later these police, officers, and gendarmes were sent to Istanbul, and the gendarmes and police of Edremit, Bandirma, and Edincik were dismissed.

9) National detachments

Demirci District Governor İbrahim Ethem Bey formed a group whose forces sometimes reached 150 people.

According to this numbering, the 1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th and 5th platoons were composed of infantry and cavalry gendarmerie soldiers from Demirci and Gördes regions. The 6th - 10th - 11th - 12th and 13th platoons were composed of Efes. The working areas and commanders of the detachments are as follows:

• 1st Platoon, the area between Bigadiç-Konakpınar, Commander Hüseyin Çavuş
• 2nd Platoon, Kula-Eşme region, Commander Kulalı Mehmet Efe
• 3rd Platoon, between Sındırgı-Akhisar, Commander Hacı Veli
• 4th Platoon, between Akhisar-Gelenbe, Commander Bakırlı Mustafa Efe (Saçlı Efe)
• 5th Platoon, between Kırkağaç-Soma, Commander Ahmet Çavuş from Bakırlı
• 6th Platoon, Dursunbey-Mustafakemalpaşa-Yenice region, Commander Arslan Aga from Balıkesirli
• 10th Platoon, the area between Kepsut and Balıkesir, Commander Ahmet Nazif of Kirmastili (later, Arab Ali Osman Efe)
• 11th Platoon, Simav and Demirci region, Commander Pehlivan Aga (Parti Mehmet Pehlivan)
• 12th Platoon, Gördes-Salihli region, Commander Halil Efe (After Halil Efe died, the soldiers of his platoon were distributed to other units).
• 13th Platoon, Sındırgı-Kınık-Porsunlar region, Commander Sarı Mehmet Efe