The Battle of Kanlı Geçit was a battle between Turkish National Forces and the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 19 ...

during the

Franco-Turkish War The Franco–Turkish War, known as the Cilicia Campaign (french: La campagne de Cilicie) in France and as the Southern Front ( tr, Güney Cephesi) of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey, was a series of conflicts fought between France (the ...

. The battle began on November 1, 1920, and ended with a Turkish victory on November 9. The exact number of casualties are unknown.

Background

French interest in the region was sparked by the Sykes-Picot Agreement in

World War I 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 ...

, which laid out the partition of the Ottoman Empire after its expected demise. The agreement divided the Ottoman provinces outside the Arabian Peninsula into areas of British and French control, divided by the Sykes–Picot line. The agreement effectively gave Britain control of southern Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and southern Iraq, and additional small areas, and France got control of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Battle

By November 1, 1920 various forces were scattered in national detachments within the town of

Osmaniye Osmaniye () is a city on the eastern edge of the Çukurova plain in southern Turkey and the capital of Osmaniye province. Backed by the foothills of the Nur Mountains, Osmaniye lay on one of the old Silk Roads and was always a place of strategic ...

. In the early hours of the morning, a large part of the French force advanced to Mamure railway station without encountering any resistance from the 1000

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 ...

militia fighters. French forces advancing in the direction of "the bell" met with resistance but continued to advance towards Kanlı Geçit, also referred to as "the Bloody Gateway." By noon, all French forces had reached the Blood Alley-Mamure railway line. Turkish forces from Osmaniye were able to retreat to Yarpuz, 20 km away. Turkish Forces from

Ceyhan Ceyhan () is a city and a district in the Adana Province, in southern Turkey, east of Adana. With a population of over 157,000, it is the largest district of the province, outside the city of Adana. Ceyhan is the transportation hub for Middle Ea ...

retreated to the northern bank of the Ceyhan River with a portion of the platoon beginning to move towards

Kadirli Kadirli, formerly called Kars, is a town and district of Osmaniye Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. It is located in the Çukurova plain, from the large city of Osmaniye. Population is 84,618 (urban) and 120,950 (including rural ar ...

. French forces north of the Ceyhan Rivers and east of the starting offensive received intense fire from Turkish forces. Firing continued against French forces east of the Ceyhan River, resulting in heavy casualties. As a result French forces there were repelled.

After the Battle

The next day, French forces continuing to collect at "Blood Alley-Mamure", while Turkish troops consolidated at the "Blood Alley zone", along with 500 Kadirli platoon commanded by "Aydınoğlu Mr. Flood". Attacks ceased until the morning of November 8, when the French began to fire on Turkish forces. Turkish forces were also attacked by French aircraft passing overhead. During this early morning attack, the French captured the high positions of the Turkish forces, but by evening these positions were taken back. During this attack the French managed to occupy a hill, where they spent the night. The following morning, November 9, the French began an extensive and intense offensive against the Turkish Forces in Kabaktepe. This continued until the evening. At 12:00am on November 10, French forces in Kabaktepe were seized and their captured territory had been reduced to "Islahiye Hasanbeyli, Square-i Ekbez" and "Gaziantep-Kilis."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanli Gecit November 1920 events Battles of the Franco-Turkish War 1920 in the Ottoman Empire 1920 in France Conflicts in 1920