Towards Disaster

In the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, Prince Andrew of Greece was given command of the 2nd Army Corps during the Battle of the Sakarya. He was commanded to lead his troops in attacking the Turkish positions, though, to the consternation of his commanding general, Anastasios Papoulas, he elected to follow his own battle plan. Following three weeks of bitter fighting, Papoulas ordered a retreat, placing the blame of the defeat directly on Prince Andrew. The 11 September 1922 Revolution caused by the defeat of the Greek army in Asia Minor in August 1922 eventually led to Prince Andrew’s lifelong banishment and exile. Towards Disaster is Prince Andrew’s own account of the campaign in Asia Minor, in which he defends his decisions and actions during the Battle of the Sakarya, when he was intent on avoiding needless loss of life in a hopeless battle.