Çakmak Line
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Çakmak Line is the defense line established first on the Kırklareli -Edirne line and then in Çatalca in order to counter an attack by the Germans on the Thrace border after it was understood that World War II would break out. It stretches from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea.[1]
History
Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Fevzi Çakmak, took the French Maginot Line as an example.[2][3]Fevzi Çakmak prepared a line plan to be a defense center mixed with concrete and steel in Thrace. Fevzi Çakmak wanted to give this line of defense his last name. However, President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk opposed this plan and said:
War is always fought on the ground and it is won or lost on the ground. No matter how powerful the Çakmak Line is, its lifespan is as short as that of a battle. I do not bury my people's money under the ground for a whim.[4]
After the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on November 10, 1938, İsmet İnönü became the president.[5] During the presidency of İsmet İnönü, after the understanding that World War II would break out, the General Staff established the Cakmak Line, which was proposed by Marshal Fevzi Çakmak, in the north of Kırklareli in order to resist any attack that might come from the Balkans on the Thrace border.[6] In February 1941, the Germans invaded Bulgaria and reached the Turkish border.[5] Thereupon, it was decided to draw the line to Çatalca.[6] It was considered doubtful that this plan would be successful in the face of modern warfare vehicles used by the Germans until then.[5]
The Çakmak Line was built in two lines starting from Terkos Lake (Durusu) to Büyükçekmece. On these lines, there are military bunkers, some of which are large and some of which are small. This position is connected to each other with wall wire and iron barriers.[1] Çakmak Line Construction could not progress due to lack of cement and iron. Only 380,000 tons of cement could be produced annually, and it was found in these factories in places that could be easily destroyed.[7]
After Nazi Germany invaded Greece, the Çakmak Line lost its defensive function. Because this line of defense was arranged according to the attacks that may come from Bulgaria. But now Germany is neighbor with Turkey from Southern Thrace.[8] If the enemy forces attacked directly from the lower part of the Meriç river, İsmet İnönü had the Çakmak Line evacuated and pulled the army to the Çatalca line, since the Çakmak Line, which stretched along the northern border of Thrace, would cease to meet with the back part.[9] Many soldiers lost their lives in the Cakmak Line due to the cold.[2] In Çatalca, on the other hand, the people in the villages suffered and some of them even migrated to Anatolia.[1] Today, the bunkers belonging to the Çakmak Line can still be seen in Eastern Thrace.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "Tarihçe-Cumhuriyet Döneminde" (in Turkish). Çatalca Belediyesi. Archived from the original on 4 Mart 2016. Retrieved 19 July.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|archive-date=(help) Cite error: The named reference "Çakmak Hattı-7" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b "Hazan ve yıkım yılları" (in Türkçe). Radikal gazetesi. Archived from the original on 13 Kasım 2004. Retrieved 19 Temmuz.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|archive-date=(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "80. Yılında 2003 Penceresinden Lozan Sempozyumu". Türk Tarih Kurumu. 2005. pp. s. 159.
- ^ "Nâzım Hikmet'in gerçek yaşamı". Yalçın Yayınları. 1987. pp. s. 57.
- ^ a b c "Dünya Tarihi Ansiklopedisi". Milliyet gazetesi. 1991. pp. s. 311.
- ^ a b "Mihri Belli'nin anıları". Milliyet Yayınları. 1989. pp. s. 200.
- ^ "İkinci Dünya Savaşı" (in Türkçe). Hacettepe Üniversitesi. Archived from the original on 6 Mart 2011. Retrieved 19 Temmuz.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|archive-date=(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "İsmet İnönü". Burhanettin Erenler Matbaası. 1952. pp. s. 210.
- ^ "Başın öne eğilmesin". Remzi Kitabevi. 2006. pp. s. 103.
- ^ "Anılar ve düşünceler". İdea. 1996. pp. s. 139.
