Karboğazı ambush
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The Karboğazı ambush ( tr, Karboğazı Baskını), also known as Battle of Karboğazı ( tr, Karboğazı Savaşı) was an engagement recorded in Turkish historiography, fought between the
Turkish nationalists Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...
and the French battalion on
Toros Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir ...
during the
Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...
. ''Karboğazı'' literally means "Snow Pass".


Background

Following the defeat of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Ottoman army was disarmed according to the
Armistice of Mudros Concluded on 30 October 1918 and taking effect at noon the next day, the Armistice of Mudros ( tr, Mondros Mütarekesi) ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I. It was signed by th ...
. Although the Ottoman Empire had to agree to give up vast territories including most of
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
, the Allies further retained the power of controlling what was left of the Ottoman Empire, namely
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
. In this context, Allies occupied Mersin on 17 December 1918, just 47 days after the armistice. Soon,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
occupied most of south
Anatolia 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 ...
. Since the southwest was under
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
control and west Anatolia was under
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
control, Turkey lost the gateway to the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
.


French plan to control the mountains

France tried to control the sea coast and the alluvial plains like Çukurova (
Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...
of the antiquity). But the control of the small settlements on
Toros Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir ...
was difficult. Moreover, because of the nationalistic opposition, which would ultimately end up in Turkish Republic, the Gülek Pass, Cilician Gates of the antiquity, which is the main pass from Mediterranean coast to
Central Anatolia The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, and Aksaray. Located in Central Turkey, it is borde ...
, was under continuous threat from the Turkish nationalist forces
Kuva-yi Milliye The Kuva-yi Milliye ( ota, قواى مليه; 'National Forces' or 'Nationalist Forces') were irregular Turkish militia forces active in the early period of the Turkish War of Independence. These irregular forces emerged after the occupation of ...
. A battalion under Major Mesnil was commissioned for the task of securing French presence around Gülek Pass. The headquarters of the battalion was in the village of
Pozantı Pozantı ( gr, Πενδοσις, Pendhòsis, formerly ar, الْبَدَندُون, el-Bedendûn) is a town and a district in the Adana Province of Turkey. The town is in the highlands of Çukurova, and is a major gateway to the Mediterranean c ...
, now a
ilçe The 81 provinces of Turkey are divided into 973 districts (''ilçeler''; sing. ''ilçe''). In the early Turkish Republic and in the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding unit was the ''kaza''. Most provinces bear the same name as their respectiv ...
(district) center, and a small hospital in the nearby village of Belemedik was established under the supervision of Mesnil's wife. Mesmil's assistant was Georges Journois, who would fight against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
as a
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. Mesnil also had a group of guides, who were actually local
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
s. However, in the spring of 1920, Turkish nationalists began controlling the railroad from Pozantı to the south, and Pozantı was effectively blocked from Çukurova.


The clash

After receiving approval from General Duffieux through messages dropped by
warplane A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat: * Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equi ...
s, local commander Mesnil decided to evacuate Pozantı, and to return to French lines by a surprise retreat during the night of the 26–27 May. According to official reports, the unit consisted of 9 officers, 696 soldiers, 4 cavalrymen, 19 wounded officers and soldiers, 44 civilian
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
s and Armenians as well as 39 Turkish prisoners of war. Mesnil also left some wounded soldiers back with a letter written to Turkish commanders asking for fair treatment for them. In Mesnil's letter to Turkish commanders, he said:
''I am leaving from Pozantı on the order given. I leave the wounded who cannot stand the trouble of the road to you.''
By that, he attempted to save his life and break away by leaving his wounded behind. Following this retreat, a group of 44 soldiers of Turkish nationalists followed the Mesnil’s troops and had a small fight in Tekir province. Mesnil, having casualties in this engagement, run towards Karboğazı and stayed here on 26 May 1920. Meanwhile, they came across two local Yörük villagers, a woman named Hatice and a man named Kumcu Veli, from the village of Yaylaçukuru, now called
Gülek Gülek is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Gülek is situated along a valley on the Taurus Mountains. The main pass of these mountains, which is known as Gülek Pass (ancient ''Cilician Gates''), is just east of the town. The ave ...
. French asked them if they saw any Nationalist Forces around, and they asked for food supplies. Hatice said she did not see any Nationalists and she went back to report them to the Turkish army with the disguise of finding the supplies. Hatice informed Kemal Bey, later Kemal Ekin, the local militia chief of Kuvai Milliye. Kemal Bey with some members of Aydınlı tribe and villagers waited for the battalion in ambush. They had taken up positions on the two opposite sides of the valley called Karboğazı. The French had the advantage in numbers and superior artillery, but the nationalists had the advantage of cover. French hired Kumcu Veli as their guide but he misguided French forces to Karboğazı, a valley where the Turkish Resistance volunteers had set up an ambush. Early on 27 May, the shootings began from both sides of the valley. French soldiers tried to escape to open space towards Pozantı. But they ran into the third group of nationalists. Towards the evening, after heavy casualties, the battalion surrendered. They were led to Yaylaçukuru, where they signed the protocol of surrender with Lieutenant Hasan Fehmi, later Hasan Akıncı, nicknamed Kara Afet. The prisoners of war received
bulgur Bulgur (from tr, bulgur, itself from fa, بلغور, bolġur (bolghur)/balġur (balghur), groats ), also riffoth (from biblical he, ריפות, riffoth) and burghul (from ar, برغل, burġul ), is a cracked wheat dish found ...
, a cereal food, with meat and
ayran Ayran, doogh, dhallë, daw, xynogala or tan is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage popular across Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeastern Europe, North Asia and Eastern Europe. The principal ingredients are yogurt, water and sa ...
, a cold yogurt beverage. They were held captive until 25 September 1921. This victory of the Turkish Resistance forced the French to completely withdraw from Middle Taurus Mountains and to make peace negotiation requests.


POW and other casualties

The total number of prisoners of war was 650, including 23 officers(1 Major), two of them being Mesnil and Journois. Also, 2 cannons, 8 machine guns, 40 automatic rifles, swords, 1000+ various weapons, and more than 90 mules were seized by the nationalists. The death casualty of the French side was heavy. The exact figures are found in the official letter of the Turkish Commander of Western Cilician Front Tekelioğlu Sinan to President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.


Consequences

The battle in Karboğazı was relatively small, but effectively ended French plans to seize the Toros Mountains. In 1921, France agreed to withdraw from Turkey by the Cilicia Peace Treaty and Accord of Ankara.


References

{{Turkish War of Independence Ambushes Battles of the Franco-Turkish War 1920 in the Ottoman Empire 1920 in France Conflicts in 1920 History of Mersin Province May 1920 events Tarsus District Kuva-yi Milliye