The Independent Division ( gr, Ἀνεξάρτητος Μεραρχία, Anexartitos Merarchia) was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

division of the

Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922. Originally formed in July 1921 in Eastern Thrace under Major General

Georgios Leonardopoulos Georgios Leonardopoulos (; 1867–1936) was a Greece, Greek army major general who fought in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, the Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, and leader of a failed coup attempt in 1923. Life H ...

to take part in the envisaged, but never realized, occupation of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, it was transferred to the front in

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

in August. The division captured the town of

Seyitgazi Seyitgazi is a town and district of Eskişehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The central town of Seyitgazi lies at a distance of towards the south from the province capital of Eskişehir. According to 2010 census, population o ...

in September, and remained there in defensive positions until the Turkish offensive in August 1922. The collapse of the

Army of Asia Minor The Army of Asia Minor ( el, Στρατιά Μικράς Ασίας, links=no) was the field army-level command controlling the Greek forces in Asia Minor (Anatolia) during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922. History 1919 Following the Gree ...

's front and the subsequent Turkish advance left the division, now commanded by Colonel Dimitrios Theotokis, effectively cut off behind enemy lines. Nevertheless, the division managed to cross Asia Minor in order and intact, giving battle with the Turkish forces and taking under its protection some 8,000 Greek and Armenian civilians in the process. After a march of over , it reached the Aegean coast at Dikili, and boarded ships for Lesbos. The last units of the division left Asia Minor in the early hours of . The division was then shipped back to Thrace, where it was amalgamated with the remnants of the 12th Infantry Division into a new 12th Division, as part of the

Army of the Evros The Army of the Evros ( el, Στρατιά Έβρου) was a field army of Greece, stationed in Western Thrace between December 1922 and August 1923. History The Army of the Evros was formed following the defeat and evacuation of the Army of Asi ...

Sources

* * * {{Greece divisions 1921 establishments in Greece 1922 establishments in Greece Infantry divisions of Greece Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 Military units and formations of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)