United Kingdom during the Turkish War of Independence

This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (June 2024)

This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Anglo-Turkish War (1918–1923)
Part of the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish forces enter Constantinople under the command of Şükrü Naili Pasha
Date 13 November 1918 – 24 July 1923[24] Location Constantinople, Mosul,[25] Eskişehir,[26] Turkish straits, Black Sea, and other places in Anatolia Result Turkish victory in Constantinople and Anatolia Armistice of Mudanya Fall of the David Lloyd George government Treaty of Lausanne Stalemate in Mosul[b] Territorial changes Turkish Nationalists took Constantinople and the Dardanelles
Belligerents
Turkish National Movement Supported by: Iraqi Turkmens[1] Soviet Russia (from 1921)[2][3][4][5][6] Italy (from May 1919)[7] France (from October 1921)[8][9][10] Kingdom of Kurdistan (only in Mosul with Turks)[11]	United Kingdom British Raj[12] "Watani" Arab volunteers[13] Iraq Levies [13] Australia[14] New Zealand[14] States simultaneously at war with the Turks: Greece (until September 1922) France (until October 1921) List French Morocco[15] French Tunisia[15] French West Africa[15] French Algeria[15] French Armenian Legion Armenia (until December 1920) Ottoman Empire[16] Georgia (in 1921) Supported by: United States[17][18][19][a] Southern Russia Armed Forces Rebellions supported by the British:[20][21][22][23] Revolt of Ahmet Anzavur Kuva-yi Inzibatiye Koçgiri rebellion Çapanoğlu uprising Milli uprising Pontic rebellion Revenge Regiment uprising Konya rebellion Çopur Musa rebellion
Commanders and leaders
Mustafa Kemal Pasha Ali Fuat Pasha Şefik Özdemir Bey Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji Mahmut Bey	David Lloyd George Charles Harrington George Milne Faisal ibn Hussein[13] Major Noel[27]
Strength
28,000 soldiers in Constantinople Al-Jazira Front:[c] Remmants of the 13th army corps (initially)[28] 6,700 (creation of the regular army, December 1920)[29] ~10,000 (1922)[30]	27,419 in Constantinople 50 artillery 36 planes 16 warships 2 brigade came after the Chanak Crisis[31] Total in Constantinople: ~38,000[31] 30,000–40,000 in Anatolia[32][33] Al-Jazira Front: 20,000-30,000 (initially)[28]

During the Turkish War of Independence the United Kingdom sought to undermine and contain the Turkish National Movement. London hoped the defeated Ottoman Empire would play a subservient role in its new Middle Eastern order drawn up over several diplomatic agreements during World War I, culminating with the Treaty of Sèvres. Another goal of the British was to prosecute Ottoman war criminals, which they thought Constantinople/Istanbul was not taking seriously.

In addition to diplomatic initiatives against the Istanbul and the Ankara governments, British Empire forces directly fought the Nationalist Forces on the Al Jazira front and in scattered actions among Anatolian occupation garrisons. With military force ineffective, and not wanting to commit to a potential new war, Britain provided instrumental support for Greece in the Greco-Turkish War and to the Istanbul government. In the end of the conflict, the United Kingdom almost formally declared war against the Ankara government during the Chanak Crisis, and its conclusion lead to the Allies abandoning Constantinople to Ankara forces, and fall of the David Lloyd George cabinet.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).