Jamil woke up to Shaban’s voice, “Anzavour defeated our
troops, Major! He finished off our regiments!”Jamil stood up. “Who said that?
When did this happen?”
Lieutenant Farouk entered the room. “Sir, they murdered
Colonel Rahmi.”Jamil was stunned. He just stared at Shaban and Farouk. Farook
sat down on a chair. His lips were quivering. Jamil asked, “Did they ambush
him?”
Ulubat Lake Bursa
“No, he bravely fought for forty- eight hours. Anzavour had
five thousand soldiers; Rahmi had only two hundred; a ratio of one to twenty
five. We lost a great man! Colonel Rahmi was an excellent Commander who
encouraged his troops with ease. His men trusted him. Almost no one survived
out of those two hundred men; they kept on fighting until Rahmi died. Do you
know him personally?
Jamil answered, “Yes,
I knew him well. We were fighting shoulder to shoulder at Gaza. Did Anzavour
really have five thousand soldiers?”
“Yes, at least five thousand, maybe even more.”
“Who said that? Maybe they were exaggerating.”
“No, they were not exaggerating! I know Major Nuri from
Palestine, I trust him. He brought us the news. He served in the Forth Army. Do
you know him as well?”
Jamil thought for a minute. “Does he have a beard?”
“The Staff Major Nuri came to Palestine from Galicia with
the German - Austrian troops, towards the end of the war…”
Ottoman artillerymen at Hareira in 1917 before the Southern Palestine offensive
Jamil said, “Oh, he must have been with the ‘Thunderbolt
Army Group’; I don’t think I know him. Was he on Rahmi’s team?”
“No, actually he was retired because of a head injury. During
the last war he was taken prisoner. He has a farm in Gonen and he was hoping to
recuperate from his injuries there. But he knew Rahmi from his military days
and when he heard that Rahmi’s troops were going to defend the area against
Anzavour he couldn’t resist. He got his rifle and joined Rahmi.”
“Where is he now?”
“He is downstairs; he is getting treatment for a wound in
his leg.”
“Is it bad?”
“The bullet didn’t touch the bone but the wound was not
cared for properly, it doesn’t look good…”
“What is he saying about Anzavour?”
“He can’t talk much since he lost a lot of blood and feels
weak. We need to find somewhere for him to rest.”
Jamil called Shaban, “Shaban, go carry him upstairs, he can
rest here when his bandages are done.” Shaban went downstairs quickly.
Lieutenant Farouk lit a cigarette. Jamil asked, “How did
Major Nuri manage to get here with a bad leg?”
“Sergeant Rustem knew Rahmi from Palestine. He helped him
get on a horse and he brought him here. When Nuri was shot there were only
twelve men left out of the two hundred. And after that they too fled, taking
advantage of the dark. The Sergeant didn’t want to leave Nuri behind because he
knew Anzavour would kill him. Rustem is a good man, he liked Rahmi and he is
very sad about his loss.”
Captain Selahaddin entered the room with a bunch of papers
in his hand. He asked Jamil, “Did you hear the bad news?”
“Yes, I heard about Rahmi Bey!”
“So sad…”
“Do you think Anzavour really had thousands of supporters?”
“I believe it is true.”
“What are the Commander’s plans about defending Bursa? What
is the situation between Gonen and Bursa?
“Thank God there is good news. Anzavour went back to
Balikesir.”
Jamil asked, “What are those papers you are holding?”
“General Yusuf Izzed wants the 172nd Regiment in Kirmasti to
join the battle against Anzavour. This Cable is From Colonel Osman; he is
saying that he won’t obey such an order. He could only defend himself if they
are attacked. He is right because he knows that his troops are not strong
enough to attack Anzavour.”
“What is the Commander’s opinion on this?”Jamil inquired.
“He doesn’t want to comment on this yet. He is not happy
with the way the Superiors handled this. He won’t respond. In effect, we have
been trying to communicate with Balikesir for the last hour. The Commander has
to talk to the 61st Division before taking action.” Selahaddin
shuffled the papers. “Look, in this cable the 20th Army Commander,
General Ali Fuad, says,
‘To the 56th and 61st Regiment Commanders,
The following is the
cable from General Yusuf Izzed who is reporting the telegram that he received
from the War Ministry in Istanbul:
Yusuf Izzet Pasa (1876-1922)
‘March 25th, 1920 The
British Political representative issued a memorandum to our Government
concerning an incident in Lefka. The irregulars in Lefka told the British
Commander that they have to leave Lefka by 9 o’clock that night or the Turkish
side will start an attack against the British and the irregulars will start the
firing at that time. The British government was holding the Ottoman Government
responsible because of this. The Ottoman Government has warned the military to
avoid such actions because they are very dangerous for our country. These
actions can cause dangerous outcomes for the future. Turkish side has to cease
fire immediately. They should stop the attack; they should avoid combat with
the invading armies, especially with the British Army, at all costs. The First
Army Corps were ordered to report the outcome to the War Ministry. It is in our
best interest to keep the peace and be compliant to the invading power. There
will be an investigation into this. Major Salih was appointed to the Committee
and has boarded a train from Haydarpasha. This was signed by the Minister of
War, General Fevzi’. ”
Haydarpasa Train Station, Istanbul
To 56th and 61st Division Commanders;
The Representatives’ Committee issued a no contact order
with Istanbul. However, General Yusuf Izzed didn’t obey that order. We haven’t
answered him either. Our troops are successful. We should all be careful to not
jeopardize the Nation’s Unity and hope of freedom. Attached are 20th Army
Commander General Ali Fuad’s orders concerning the Committee, who are on their
way from Istanbul. There will be no delays.
Ali Fuat Pasha
To the Commander of
24th Division Mahmud,
Lefka,
The War Ministry in
Istanbul is under the occupation of the British. The War Ministry is now a
prisoner to the British. That’s why the War Ministry is trying to prevent the
success of the National Forces. The National Forces have begun the Independence War with the demand of our
people. The War Ministry is sending some committee members to Anatolia. This
committee boarded a train from Haydarpasha Station on March 23rd,
1920. Among them, there are high ranking Officers like Salih. The other members
of the Committee are also well known and trustworthy individuals. All the
members who are known to us should be arrested and sent to Ankara right away.
The other committee members who are not known to us should be arrested and put
into prison regardless of their ranks or high status with the War Ministry,
until further orders from Ankara.
First Parliament Building in Ankara
Upon this order the 24th Division Commander has
arrested the committee members Major Salih, Sinop Deputy Dr. Riza Noor,
Kastomonu Deputy Yusuf Kemal, Eskishehir Deputy Abdullah Azmi and Konya Deputy
Hodja Vehbi. They were all sent back to Istanbul.”
Selahaddin put away the papers and shook his head.
“Everything is way too complicated.”
“Forget it! Now Anzavour is trying to deceive us. We should
be concerned about defending Bursa more than anything.”
Farouk interrupted, “ If locals don’t start defending
themselves, we can’t do anything.”
“I don’t think the locals will start any war.”
“Do you think it will help if we were to bring Osman’s
Regiment here?”
“Do you know Osman personally?”
Jamil thought for a second, “I have seen him but I don’t
know him that well.”
“Osman hung a lot of dissidents in Kirmasti. After the Staff
General talked to him he started to send dissidents to court before hanging
them. I am not saying this to criticize Osman.
We owe him a lot. The 200 soldiers who made up the 56th Regiment are
only here because of Osman’s courage.”
“Explain that to me.”
“Osman confiscated thousands of sheep from the farms of the
Sultan. That’s why we have meat supplies for the troops.”
“Did he plunder Sultan’s farm?”
“If he asks him, it is all legal. He says he signed and
sealed the documents saying that it is a war tax. He says we are all here to
defend the Sultan’s country. He has to suffer as well as anybody. He says this
while putting his fist on the table! At first, he almost turned the 172th
Regiment into a gang. We tried to prevent that. Now, he has special guards,
they are all irregulars. They are thugs who got out of prison. He justifies
this by saying that Military rules are not always sufficient. Sometimes in the
face of danger we should adapt to Bashi-bozouk ways.” He says this with pride.
He is right. It is very difficult to save Bursa right now, even if we had a big
army. Even if Mustafa Kemal comes to
Bursa himself, it will be too hard to
sort all this out.”
Bursa
At this moment they saw the Major, who was wounded on the
leg, entering the room. Shaban and an orderly were helping him walk. The Major
looked embarrassed. He didn’t look like a Staff Major with his ripped uniform.
He looked like a reserve officer who is more into reading than action. Jamil
showed him the bed. The Major said, “No it is OK. I will take the chair. I
don’t want to disturb you.”
Jamil said, “No please use the bed. I hope you get well
soon.”
“Thank you.”
He looked out of shape, like the people who spent a lot of
time in prison. His left eye had a constant twitch. He said, “My wound is not
important. The bullet didn’t damage the bone. I can step on my foot. It is
weird, after all these years.” Then he
stopped and apologized, “I am sorry, Gentlemen. I should offer my condolences.
We lost Rahmi. You knew him. He was such a brave man. I am sorry. I am Staff
Major Nuri. I was with the 4th Army. I worked with the German Team
at the War Ministry for a long time. I was at the Gallipoli and the Galicia
Fronts!”
Galicia Front
Jamil introduced his friends and asked, “Were you together
with Rahmi at Palestine, Major?”
“Yes! That’s right!
At Palestine! May he rest in Peace. He could have avoided being shot. He was so
brave; he looked like he didn’t mind getting shot. He went towards his death. I
warned him. At night we were so close to the enemy. We had only 3 hundred
meters between us. The enemy came crawling near us. He was at the front of the
Regiment. He didn’t want to step back. He might not have heard me. Even if he
heard me, it is possible that he might not have understood. He was preoccupied
with other thoughts. He was looking somewhere very carefully. Twice he said, ‘This is crazy’. Then he said, ‘Be quick, get on your horse, go to Bursa right away. Tell them what is
going on’. As I was responding, a bullet passed between us. Just between
his left ear and my left ear. “He said, ‘I
order’. Then he fired his rifle and the man fell. Then twice he motioned to
me to go. Then he laughed. I was surprised to see him happy all of a sudden. I
am sure he was happy for a moment.” Then Major Nuri almost begged for a glass
of water. He drank it. He inquired, “The orderly said he would make a smaller
bandage in a few days. Do you think that is possible?”
“I think so.”
“I wish…I want to walk at least with the help of a cane! I
don’t want to lay down without doing anything. So is there any news from
Anzavour?”
Ahmet Anzavur (1885-1921)
“No, there is no news.”
“Do you think he is going to attack Bursa?”
“Anything is possible.”
“If he attacks Bursa then we should defend the city in every
corner and every street. I asked the Sergeant to find me a rifle. What
happened? Did he forget? If I don’t get well enough to walk, then you should
leave me by the window and go! The sergeant has promised me to…”
Selahaddin bowed his head and said, “I know the Sergeant
promised to find a rifle for you but the Commander of the Regiment says no. He
would like you to leave for Eskishehir with the first group that is going
there…”
Greek army in Kutahya
“I don’t want that! The higher ups forget that there is such
a thing as fatigue. I am so tired. Going to Eskishehir is like going to the
other end of the world to me! I would like to stay where I am.” Major Nuri put
his hand on the eye that was twitching; he looked like he was in pain. He said,
“I want the Sergeant to bring the rifle today. I need 50 bullets as well. If
there is not enough ammunition I will get twenty. That’s enough for a person
who knows how to shoot.”
Farouk asked shyly, “Are you a good marksman, Sir?”
“I was. I don’t think I have lost my ability. During the
last combat I did well. My hands didn’t shake. I wasn’t a war officer but when
you are actually in combat…” Jamil and Selahaddin left the room quietly. Nuri
was deep in thought. He didn’t even notice them leaving.
Bursa Irgandi Bridge
The Reluctant Warrior
by Kemal Tahir
Translated by Elif Mat
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