Held as part of August 30 Victory Day commemorations, the panel examined the historical background of the National Struggle, Samsun’s role in transporting arms and equipment to the front, and the city’s path to receiving the Medal of Independence.

Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), in cooperation with the Governorship of Samsun, organized a panel titled “One Victory, One City, One Medal” as part of events marking August 30 Victory Day.

Held at the Samsun Museum Conference Hall, the panel examined the historical development of Türkiye’s struggle for independence and the important role played by Samsun during the Turkish War of Independence.

The event brought together Samsun Governor Orhan Tavlı, Garrison Commander Major General Fethi Oltulu, Samsun Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Halit Doğan, OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın, senior representatives of public institutions, academics, members of the public, and invited guests.

Among the speakers were Prof. Dr. Kaya Tuncer Çağlayan, Director of Samsun Vocational School at OMU; Prof. Dr. Mustafa Çolak, Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Samsun University; and Prof. Dr. Önder Duman of the Department of History at OMU Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Prof. Dr. Çağlayan: “History Has Unfolded as a Struggle Among Nations”

Prof. Dr. Kaya Tuncer Çağlayan opened his remarks by emphasizing the importance of understanding history in the context of relations and conflicts among nations.

“There are many definitions of history, including the classical definitions we are familiar with and those offered by philosophers, but one reality remains: history has unfolded as a struggle among nations,” Çağlayan said.

He argued that the Turks’ historical influence across a vast geographical area spanning Asia, Europe, and Africa had also made them the target of rival powers and long-standing political strategies directed against them.

Çağlayan stated that the Ottoman Empire’s entry into the First World War and its subsequent defeat created an opportunity for these rival powers to put such policies into practice. He traced the origins of this process back to the Congress of Vienna of 1815 and the concept historically known as the “Eastern Question.”

According to Çağlayan, European powers framed the Ottoman Empire within this geopolitical question and pursued policies intended to remove Turkish political power from Europe and Anatolia.

He also referred to secret wartime partition arrangements such as the Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916, through which Ottoman territories were divided into spheres of influence among major powers, and argued that the territorial arrangements envisaged by the Treaty of Sèvres represented a continuation of this broader political approach.

“We Need to Remember History to Understand the Value of Our Homeland”

Prof. Dr. Çağlayan emphasized that remembering the past was essential to appreciating the historical significance of the country’s independence.

“We need to remember history so that we understand the value of the homeland we possess today and protect it,” he said.

Referring to the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during the National Struggle, Çağlayan said:

“Mustafa Kemal Pasha—Atatürk—organized the National Struggle, formed the necessary cadres and successfully led the movement that brought the Turkish nation out of those dark days and into the light. In doing so, he prevented the territorial map envisaged for Anatolia from becoming a reality.”

Prof. Dr. Çolak: “A Nationwide People’s Struggle Conducted Despite Severe Hardship”

The panel continued with a presentation by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Çolak, Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Samsun University.

In his presentation titled “The Memoirs of a German Captain,” Çolak emphasized that the Turkish War of Independence was not solely a military resistance movement, but a nationwide struggle carried out under extremely difficult conditions with the participation of the army, craftsmen, and civilians behind the front lines.

Çolak recounted the experiences of a German captain who, according to the memoirs discussed in his presentation, was inspired by the Turkish National Struggle and travelled to Anatolia despite international legal restrictions in order to take part in it.

“The Turks did not accept the humiliating Armistice of Mudros or the Treaty of Sèvres,” Çolak said. “A group referred to as the Kemalists emerged in opposition to these arrangements and sought to recover their dignity, defend their homeland, and live freely.”

He explained that the German officer saw the Turkish resistance as an example at a time when Germany itself was struggling with the consequences of defeat after the First World War.

“Mustafa Kemal’s Success Also Became an Example for Germany”

Prof. Dr. Çolak noted that Mustafa Kemal’s leadership and the Turkish struggle for independence are widely recognized for influencing independence movements elsewhere, particularly in the Muslim world and the Middle East.

“Mustafa Kemal’s great success became an example for Islamic countries and Middle Eastern societies that were not yet free or independent at the time,” Çolak said.

“What I had never heard before, however, was that it had also been presented as an example for Germany. I encountered this for the first time in this book, expressed directly in the words of a German.”

Prof. Dr. Duman: “Samsun Played a Critical Role in Transporting Arms and Equipment”

The final speaker, Prof. Dr. Önder Duman of the Department of History at OMU Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, focused on the process that led to Samsun receiving the Medal of Independence.

Duman explained that during the Turkish War of Independence, Samsun effectively served as a vital logistical point on what became known as the Independence Coast, through which weapons and military equipment arriving from the west, east, and north were brought ashore and transported to the front despite difficult conditions in the Black Sea.

He particularly emphasized the role of the boatmen who transferred military supplies from ships offshore to the coast.

“The Boatmen’s Work Was Far from Easy”

“Do not assume that the work carried out by these boatmen was easy,” Prof. Dr. Duman said.

He explained that between 1920 and 1922, unloading equipment brought to Samsun required considerable skill and courage.

“Transporting supplies from ships waiting offshore to the coast without losing them in the rough sea, under cover of darkness and in secrecy, demanded extraordinary expertise,” Duman said.

He noted that British and Greek naval forces exercised a significant presence in the Black Sea between 1919 and 1922, making the clandestine unloading of ammunition particularly dangerous.

“Ships generally anchored at designated points at night,” he said. “Regardless of sea conditions, the ammunition and military supplies had to be brought ashore very quickly before Greek vessels became aware of them, and then stored in the city within a very short period.”

Duman emphasized that these logistical activities made Samsun an important supply center supporting the National Struggle and played a key role in the city’s historical connection with the Medal of Independence.

At the conclusion of the program, Samsun Governor Orhan Tavlı, Samsun Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Halit Doğan, and OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın presented gifts to the speakers.

The event concluded with commemorative photographs.