30 August: Victory Day

What happened?

On 20 July 1922 the Grand National Assembly gave Mustafa Kemal Pasha the powers of commander-in-chief for the fourth time.¹ The decision to attack had been taken in June and was kept secret; only İsmet Pasha, Fevzi Pasha and Kâzım Pasha knew of it.¹ On the morning of 26 August 1922 Mustafa Kemal Pasha, with Fevzi Pasha and İsmet Pasha, arrived at Kocatepe, the observation post of the First Army. The offensive opened at dawn with Turkish artillery fire.¹ Tınaztepe was taken that morning, and Afyonkarahisar was freed on 27 August.²

On 30 August the Greek units surrounded near Aslıhanlar were broken up in the Battle of Dumlupınar, which Mustafa Kemal Pasha directed in person, and many soldiers were taken prisoner.¹ The Greek commander, General Trikoupis, was captured at Uşak on 2 September.⁴

According to an academic study, on 1 September 1922 the commander-in-chief gave the order "Armies! Your first goal is the Mediterranean. Forward!" so that the enemy would have no time to regroup; the wording varies slightly between sources.^1,3 Some accounts say the decision was made on 31 August over a map at Zafertepe Çalköy.² The Turkish army entered İzmir on 9 September.³ By 18 September 1922 no Greek forces remained in Anatolia.⁵

The army's advance towards the Straits then led the Allied powers to propose an armistice.⁵ Talks opened at Mudanya on 3 October 1922, and the Armistice of Mudanya was signed on 11 October 1922.⁵

Why it matters

The Armistice of Mudanya cancelled and replaced the Armistice of Mondros, which the Ottoman state had been forced to sign in 1918.⁵ Under its terms, Greek forces would withdraw to the west bank of the Meriç (Evros) river, and Eastern Thrace would be handed over to the Ankara government.⁵

At the 1924 ceremony at Dumlupınar, Mustafa Kemal Pasha called the victory of 30 August the most important turning point in Turkish history. In the same speech he said that the foundations of the young Republic had been made firm here.¹

Gelibolu's link

After the First World War, British troops entered Gelibolu on 30 November 1918, and the Greek army occupied the town on 4 August 1920.⁵ Article 11 of the Armistice of Mudanya said that, while the peace conference lasted, the Ankara government could keep no military force on the Gelibolu peninsula south of the Bolayır line.⁵ The handover timetable for Thrace changed several times. Bad weather delayed the handover of Gelibolu, which finally took place on 26 November 1922, and an administration of the Grand National Assembly was set up in the town at once.⁵

Today Gelibolu's 30 August ceremonies start at the Atatürk Monument in front of the 2nd Corps Command. In 2026, the 104th anniversary, the district governor, the 2nd Corps commander and the mayor laid a wreath there; after a moment of silence and the national anthem, holiday greetings were exchanged at the district governor's office.¹² The main celebration was held on 26 Kasım Caddesi, with awards for successful athletes, folk dances and a military parade.¹² That year the municipality also held a free Victory Concert on Balıkhane Meydanı on the evening of 24 August.¹³

Our note: in Gelibolu it makes sense to think of 30 August and 26 November together: the first opened the way, the second gave the town back its freedom.

How it is celebrated

The victory was first celebrated on 30 August 1924 at Dumlupınar, near the village of Çal, in a ceremony attended by Mustafa Kemal Pasha. Fevzi Pasha described the offensive, and the foundation stone of a monument to the unknown soldier was laid.¹ Law No. 795 of 1 April 1926 declared 30 August "the victory day of the Republic's army and navy", with public offices and schools closed.¹ A circular issued the same year set out a 21-gun salute at noon and festivities and torch parades in the evening.¹ Today 30 August is one of the official holidays under Law No. 2429 of 1981, which replaced Law No. 2739 of 1935.⁶

Its official name is "30 August Victory Day and Turkish Armed Forces Day".⁹ In Ankara the president lays a wreath at Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum, and receives congratulations, and a 21-gun salute is fired at noon.⁷ Until 2011 the Chief of General Staff received the congratulations in Ankara; that year the president received them as commander-in-chief for the first time.⁸ 30 August is traditionally the graduation day of the military academies.⁷ In 2025 the Army, Naval and Air Force academies held a joint diploma and flag handover ceremony at the Army Academy on 30 August.¹⁰

Afyonkarahisar, where the offensive began, holds its own commemorations. The 2024 programme included a night "Victory Walk" from the village of Çakırözü up to Kocatepe on 25 to 26 August and a ceremony at the Kocatepe monument on 26 August.¹¹

Good to know

• 30 August is a full-day public holiday, and public offices are closed. Unlike 29 October, there is no half-day holiday on the day before.⁶
• Under the holiday law, when a general holiday ends on a Friday evening, the following Saturday is also a full holiday.⁶
• In Gelibolu the ceremonies start in the morning at the Atatürk Monument in front of the 2nd Corps Command, and the main celebration takes place on 26 Kasım Caddesi.¹²
• Anniversaries are counted from 1922: 2026 marked the 104th year of the Great Victory.¹²