The Smyrna Division () was an

infantry division A division is a large military unit or Formation (military), formation, usually consisting of between 10,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically mak ...

of the

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the army, land force of Greece. The term Names of the Greeks, '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches ...

, active in 1919–1920 during the

Asia Minor Campaign Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Following the

Greek landing at Smyrna The Greek landing at Smyrna (; , Occupation of İzmir) was a military operation by Greek forces starting on May 15, 1919 which involved landing troops in the city of Smyrna and surrounding areas. The Allied powers sanctioned and oversaw the p ...

on 2 May 1919, and the establishment of an occupation zone in

Ionia Ionia ( ) was an ancient region encompassing the central part of the western coast of Anatolia. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionians who ...

, the Smyrna Division began formation on 17 June 1919. Its core was provided by the 8th Cretan Regiment and the newly raised

27th Infantry Regiment The 27th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the "Wolfhounds", is an infantry regiment of the United States Army established in 1901, traditionally aligned with the 25th Infantry Division for more than 8 decades. It served in the Philippine–Americ ...

, formed from the 1st and 2nd Security Battalions of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

. The division's third regiment, the

28th Infantry Regiment Since the establishment of the United States Army in 1775, three regiments have held the designation 28th Infantry Regiment. The first was a provisional unit that was constituted on 29 January 1813 and served during The War of 1812. The second ...

, was being formed in Thessaloniki, and arrived at Smyrna on 7 July, along with the divisional artillery and support services. The first commander was Colonel

Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian (, 1874–1943) was a Hellenic Army officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general. He served thrice as Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, occupied various important ministerial positions and became presiden ...

. In November 1919, the 8th Cretan Regiment was replaced by the newly raised 30th Infantry Regiment. At about the same time, the Smyrna Division became part of the newly formed

Smyrna Army Corps Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

under Lt. General

Dimitrios Ioannou Dimitrios Spanidis Dimitrios Ioannou ( October 23, 1861 – 1926) was a senior officer of the Hellenic Army who fought in the Macedonian front during World War I and in the opening stages of the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922. Biography Born ...

, subordinate to the

Army of Asia Minor The Army of Asia Minor () was a field army of the Hellenic Army which was stationed in Anatolia during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922. History 1919 Following the Greek landing at Smyrna by the 1st Infa ...

. In 1920, the division participated in the

Greek summer offensive The Greek Summer Offensive of 1920 was an offensive by the Greek army, assisted by British forces, to capture the southern region of the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Region from the Kuva-yi Milliye (National Forces) of the provisional Turkish n ...

, captured

Balıkesir Balıkesir () is a city in the Marmara Region, Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Balıkesir Province, which is also a Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality. As of 2022, the population of Balıkesir Province ...

and took part in the advance towards

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

. From there the division were recalled to be used in a landing operation in support of the occupation of

Eastern Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

: the division was ferried from Asia and landed at Ereğli and Rodosto, and thence advanced north. After overcoming Turkish resistance at Lule Burgas,

Babaeski Babaeski (Greek: Αρτεσκός) is a town in Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Babaeski District.

and

Çorlu Çorlu () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, northwestern Turkey. Its area is 531 km2, and its population is 300,296 (2024). It is a rapidly growing industrial center built on flatland located on the motorway Otoyol 3 and ...

and capturing the local Turkish commander, Cafer Tayyar, the division reached

Adrianople Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

. Returning to Asia, the Smyrna Division occupied positions around Bursa, and launched a series of raids against Turkish territory. Following the Venizelist defeat in the November 1920 elections, the division lost its commander, Mazarakis, who resigned. Shortly after, it was renamed to 10th Infantry Division by the new royalist government.

References

Sources

* * * * {{Greece divisions 1919 establishments in Greece 1920 disestablishments in Greece infantry divisions of Greece Military units and formations established in 1919 Military units and formations of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)