The Great Offensive was the largest and final military offensive of the Turkish War of Independence, fought between Mustafa Kemal's Turkish Army and the occupying Greek Army on the western coast of Anatolia. On 26 August 1922, the Turkish advance began with the Battle of Dumlupinar, where the Turks amassed 98,000 troops and began an offensive against the 130,000 Greek troops defending the western coast. From 31 August to 9 September, the Greeks retreated for 190 miles, with the Turks advancing on foot and on horse, aided by a supply system of ox carts. On 7 September, Aydin, Germencik, and Kusadasi fell under Turkish control as the Greeks routed, and, on 9 September, the Turks reached the sea with their capture of Izmir (Smyrna). The Greek army collapsed due to dissent among the command staff and widespread demoralization, and numerous Greeks were encircled and destroyed as effective fighting units. The last Greek troops evacuated Cesme on 16 September and Erdek two days later, leaving Western Anatolia in Turkish hands, and leading to the 11 October 1922 Armistice of Mudanya, under which Greek troops left Eastern Thrace as far as the Maritsa River and Adrianople (Edirne) within 15 days, civil power would become Turkish 30 days after the Greek troops left, and no more than 8,000 Turkish gendarmes were to be in East Thrace until a peace treaty could be concluded.
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