The Great Offensive was the largest and final military operation of the Turkish War of Independence, fought between the Turkish Armed Forces loyal to the government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the Kingdom of Greece, ending the Greco-Turkish War. The offensive began on 26 August 1922 with the Battle of Dumlupınar. The Turks amassed around 104,000 men, the largest number since the beginning of the war, to begin the offensive against the Greek army of approximately 130,000 men. From 31 August to 9 September, the front moved a distance of as the Greek troops retreated. The Turkish army lacked motorized vehicles; its forces consisted of infantry and cavalry units, and logistical support was provided by a supply system based on ox carts. The Turkish troops reached the sea on 9 September with the recapture of İzmir. The operation ended on 18 September 1922 with the liberation of Erdek and Biga. The staggering defeat caused great dissent within the Greek army and a general loss of morale, which led to unwillingness to continue fighting. On top of this, numerous Greek divisions had been encircled and destroyed as effective fighting units, which meant that the Greek army had lost its offensive capabilities and was unable to organize a controlled retreat, leading to numerous Greek POWs.
Advance
The offensive started with the , where Mustafa Kemal defeated a superior Greek army within four days, paving the way for a rapid offensive. The Battle of Dumlupınar was the last true chance of Greece to push back the Turkish army; after the battle, it was the former who was constantly retreating. After Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's order issued in the Forces of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the main part of the Turkish Army began moving toward İzmir and a secondary force began moving from Eskişehir toward Bursa. On 7 September, Aydın, Germencik and Kuşadası fell under Turkish control. On 16 September the last Greek troops left Çeşme, and two days later the Greek III Corps left Erdek. The British Chief of Staff expressed his admiration of the Turkish military operation. Once Mustafa Kemal liberated Izmir, he sat down with Greek General Nikolaos Trikoupis and said: "You have done your duty, for this I respect you." The conversation made Trikoupis admire and respect Mustafa Kemal for the rest of his life, in turn, bringing both respect and honour to Mustafa Kemal.
