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CHAPTER 2 – HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 
64 
government on 22 June and Venizelos from Paris advised the Greek government to 
accept. But on 24 June the Greek government declined, saying that military action 
had to go ahead
124
. 
King Constantine, in an imitation of the royal command of the successful Balkan 
Wars, had already set out for Smyrna on 11 June. On 10 July the great offensive 
began. By catching the nationalists off balance its initial success was tremendous: on 
17 July Kütahya was captured and the nationalist retreat, conceived in principle on 
strategic grounds by Mustafa Kemal on that very day, ceded Eskişehir on the 
following and Afyon on 22 July. The retreat was not entirely orderly, much material 
had to be abandoned and there were about 30,000 desertions on top of the nearly 
7,000 killed, wounded or captured
125
. 
The question for the Greeks, since they had not struck the fatal blow, was what to do 
next; on 28 July a council of war resolved with misgivings on the part of some 
participants on a confusingly purposed advance on Ankara
126
. The time required for 
the necessary preparations allowed the nationalists likewise to prepare. Already on 
22 July a decision, not implemented in the event, was taken to move the government 
to Kayseri. The new defensive positions were taken up on the eastern side of the 
Sakarya and fresh conscripts were called to the colours. On 5 August after some 
debate Mustafa Kemal was appointed commander in chief with all the authority of 
the assembly in military matters and promptly ordered an extensive round of 
124
Llewellyn Smith 216-224; Stratigos, 223-236 
125
Llewellyn Smith, 224-225; Gawrych, 144-149
126
Llewellyn Smith, 227-230; Stratigos, 240-258 

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