The Strategic Importance of the Back Front in the National Struggle and Inebolu

The military methods developed behind the front during the National Struggle Period were just as crucial to the military operations as the battles themselves. The primary factor and prerequisite for success on the front is supporting the fronts regarding logistics, supply, and human resources. The Black Sea region’s rear-front conflicts during the National Struggle were particularly important in the Kastamonu and Inebolu regions. At that time, the importance of the region is further increased by the logistical support provided to the fronts, the passageway taken by the patriots entering Anatolia, and the strategic location connected to the front. Military materials brought to Inebolu by sea were transported to the inner regions which are safer in terms of security, and from this region to the fronts via Kastamonu road by means of transport arms. The military authorities on the one hand and the commissions constituted on the other carried out these transportation activities in the difficult circumstances of those years. During the National Struggle, it served as the major route for a sizeable portion of people who traveled to Anatolia to join the independence effort, and from this location, the morale of the front was enhanced. While this was going on, individuals from various walks of life including soldiers, statesmen, authors, and poets provided conferences and advice to the populace while they were in Inebolu. Particularly, as Ankara became the center of the movement, soldiers and people who traveled into Anatolia covertly from Istanbul chose this route more. The main factor influencing this selection is that Inebolu offers the quickest route to Ankara whereas Marmara lacks complete protection, on the one hand. This significance has always been upheld by Inebolu, which was crucial in both the transition and transmission of the independence idea as it moved throughout Anatolia as well as the transportation of arms and ammunition. In order to establish the strategy behind the front and provide it a legal foundation, significant decisions were made and put into practice in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Orders Of National Task, the War Council’s efforts, and in this case, the Independence Courts’ legal frameworks all played a significant role in the design of the war’s rear-front strategy. This article analyzes the applications and outcomes of various choices made from Inebolu backwards.

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