Battle of Nicosia Airport
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| Battle of Nicosia Airport | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Turkish Invasion of Cyprus | |||||||||
 Nicosia International Airport   Nicosia Airport Battle of Nicosia Airport (Cyprus) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Greece Cyprus |
 Turkey  Turkish Cypriot Paramilitaries | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Brigadier Giorgos Papameletiou Colonel George Azinas Lieutenant Christos Kotsalis |
Colonel Eşref Bitlis | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Turkish Air Force | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unnkown | 1000+ [2] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 1 Dead, 2 wounded | Unknown though heavy casualties reported[3] | ||||||||
The Battle of Nicosia International Airport (Greek: Μάχη του Αεροδρομίου Λευκωσίας, Turkish: Lefkoşa Uluslararası Havalimanı Savaşı) was a significant battle during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.[4][5] The battle took place at Nicosia International Airport, which was Cyprus' main airport and a crucial transport hub located 5 km west of the Cypriot Presidential Palace.[6]
Background
[edit]On the 15th of July 1974, a coup d'état was orchestrated by the Greek military junta in Athens, aiming to overthrow the Cypriot President.[7] The coup led to the overthrow of President Archbishop Makarios III and the installation of a pro-Enosis government under Nikos Sampson.[8][9] In response to the coup, Turkey cited its rights as a guarantor power under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee to intervene militarily and on 20 July 1974, Turkey launched an invasion of Cyprus.[10]
19-20 July 1974
[edit]The 32nd Strike Company of the 33MK Commando was ordered to make a perimeter around Nicosia Airport.[11]
The Turkish Invasion of Cyprus began, Turkish troops began landing on Kyrenia, and bombings began on the airport by the Turkish Air Force.[11]
21-23 July 1974
[edit]On the morning of 21 July, the airport's runway was targeted by the Turkish air force among other targets in Nicosia.[12] After one day of fighting in Cyprus, some Generals of the Junta in Athens decided to send the 1st Commando Squadron, based in Maleme, Crete, and commanded by Brigadier General George Papameletiou, to reinforce the National Guard. The operation received the code name "NIKI".[13][14] and at 22:35, 15 Noratlas aircraft took off from Souda airport but for alleged technical reasons, only 13 of the 15 arrived in Cyprus with the other 2 having landed either in Crete or Rhodes.[15][16]
The first ceasefire was agreed upon and was to take effect from 16:00 on 22 July, but before it started, the Turkish Air Force bombed the airport and destroyed some parts of the runway.[17] At 16:00 as the ceasefire began, 33MK received information that the Turks were preparing for a surprise counterattack to take the airport and therefore took the necessary protective measures without reinforcements.[11][18]
At about 16:45 after the ceasefire, the Turkish Air Force with 6 Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and 2 F-100 Super Sabre aircraft started bombing the airport and destroyed a Trident aircraft of Cyprus Airways.[19]
On the morning of 23 July, the ground attack against the airport began, but this time, with the active engagement of the 41st Strike Company of the Greek A' Commando.[20][21]
The Greek A Commando (35MK Commando) Force, which had arrived a couple of days earlier with a battalion force of three commando LOK companies (41, 42, 43 LOK) was transported immediately to Nicosia International Airport to defend it from the attack by Turkish forces moving through the Kyrenia-Nicosia bridgehead.[22] The airport was also defended by a company of ELDYK infantry and a company of Airport paramilitary police, the latter equipped with anti-tank weapons and five M8 Greyhound armoured vehicles.[23]
The forces of A Commando arrived at Nicosia Airport to mount a defence. They assumed fighting positions in and around the main terminal building, as a convoy of Turkish vehicles arrived at the north end of the airport, about 500 metres from the defenders. The main plan was to cooperate with the Greek Cypriot LOK in deploying several machine guns and anti-tank weapons (the Greeks had three 90mm EM69s), and allow the Turkish force to advance into the path of overlapping fire. However, the Turkish advance units spotted some of the enemy positions and commenced a general attack from the north.
At 11:00. a land battle began with Turkish M47 Patton Tanks and 81 mm mortars. started hitting Greek positions. As the 3rd Strike Company was reinforcing the battle, they came under heavy fire from the Turks, and Brigadier Generals Avradmidis and Kyriakos were injured and fell into a ditch. However, under heavy Turkish gunfire, they managed to escape from the area with the help of the Greek commandos. During their evacuation, Turkish tanks started moving westward, trying to cover the Turkish infantrymen coming from the north, trying to outflank them with a reverse "L" manoeuvre.[24][unreliable source?] The car of Major Papameletiou was also hit and immobilized a few meters near the gates of the airport with Papameletiou taking fire from Turkish and UNFICYP positions, but he was eventually relieved with the help of a National Guard BTR vehicle but in the end, a commando was gravely wounded.[21]
By the afternoon, the attacks were repelled by the defending forces with the Turkish forces making a hasty retreat, citing heavy casualties.[25][26]
Aftermath
[edit]Following the battle, the airport was placed under the control of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and declared a United Nations Protected Area with the airport still under the control of UNFICYP forces forming part of the Green Line).[27][28]
The closure of Nicosia International Airport to commercial flights marked the end of its operation as the main aviation hub of Cyprus.[29] Consequently, the Republic of Cyprus had to establish a new international gateway, leading to the development and expansion of Larnaca International Airport and Paphos International Airport to handle the island's air traffic needs.
References
[edit]- ^ Thekla Kyritsi, Nikos Christofis (2018). Cypriot Nationalisms in Context: History, Identity and Politics. p. 12.
- ^ Cacoyannis, Sofie (19 July 2024). "Cyprus' ghost airport: Rare glimpse inside key 1974 battleground that's frozen in time". www.forcesnews.com. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "Pilot recalls last flight to Cyprus' abandoned Nicosia airport 40 years on". Associated Press. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Kourtoglou, Yiannis (19 July 2024). "Frozen in time, an airport rots as Cyprus logjam persists, 50 years on". Reuters.
Built in 1968, this airport was the theatre of some of the fiercest battles between Greek Cypriot troops and an invading Turkish army in 1974, prompting the United Nations to take control of the area in a ceasefire.
- ^ Sideridis, Dimitris (6 June 2018). "The airport abandoned for over 40 years". CNN. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
A series of air raids were launched on the site, followed by heavy and deadly fighting in its vicinity between Turkish and Greek forces.
- ^ "Inside the abandoned airport in Cypriot no-man's land". The Telegraph. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Bray, Nicholas (2011). "Long Division: CYPRUS PLAYS SPOILER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN". World Policy Journal 28. 28 (1): 73–82. doi:10.1177/0740277511404974. JSTOR 41479270 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Turkey urges fresh Cyprus talks". 24 January 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/CY%20GR%20TR_600816_Treaty%20of%20Guarantee.pdf
- ^ O’Mahoney, Joseph (2018). Denying the Spoils of War: The Politics of Invasion and Non-recognition. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 111–112. JSTOR 10.3366/j.ctt1tqx9nb.10.
- ^ a b c Παναγιώτου, Θ., 2015. Με την 33 ΜΚ στον πολεμο του 1974. 2nd ed. Λεμεσός, p.126.
- ^ "Civilian Casualties Mount in Nicosia as Turkish Planes Bomb and Strafe the City". New York Times. 22 July 1974.
- ^ Adamou, M ., 2019. Decades in Arms, 1964-1974, A Brief History of the Commando Forces in Cyprus. 1st ed. Sotira Famagusta: Cyprus Institute of Scientific and Historical Research, pp.156-157.
- ^ "21 Ιουλίου 1974: Η μάχη του αεροδρομίου Λευκωσίας και η θυσία των καταδρομέων" (in Greek). 21 July 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
Την επόμενη μέρα της τουρκικής εισβολής στη Κύπρο και ενώ χούντα του Ιωαννίδη να βρίσκεται υπό κατάρρευση, το καθεστώς αποφασίζει να στείλει μία Μοίρα Καταδρομών.
[The day after the turkish invasion in Cyprus and whilst the Junta of Ioannides was under destruction, the administration decided to send one Commando Squadron.] - ^ A. Kielstra, David. "Taking Care of Business: Canada's Forgotten Cold War Conflict in Cyprus, July-August, 1974". Journal of Military and Strategic Studies. 12 (1).
The severe damage to the runway took its toll (three aircraft crashed during their landing); however, eleven aircraft landed, delivering a total of 200 commandos and supplies.
- ^ "Noratlas plane arrives from Greece to form invasion memorial – Cyprus Mail". Retrieved 1 October 2024.
"Thirteen – out of 15 – aircraft reached Cyprus, setting off from Crete in what many described as a suicide mission.'
- ^ "Military Histories - July 21st to 22nd 1974". www.militaryhistories.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Kalotsa, Gergely. The 1974 Turkish Invasion in Cyprus. University of Panonia, Veszprém. p. 58.
At 4:00 p.m. the cease-fire supposed to start but the Turkish forces disregarded it and continued the air strike against the CNG positions near Kyrenia. At the airport of Nicosia took place a considerable fight to get the control of the landing fields.
- ^ "50 years Turkish invasion and οccupation". Cyprus Press and Information Office. 2024.
- ^ "UK 'an hour away from war': the battle for the airport". cyprus-mail.com. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ a b Αδάμου, Μ., 2019. Δεκαετία Εν Όπλοις, 1964-1974, Συνοπτική Ιστορία των Δυνάμεων Καταδρομών στην Κύπρο. 1st ed. Σωτήρα Αμμοχώστου: Κυπριακό Ινστιτούτο Επιστημονικών και Ιστορικών Ερευνών, pp.166.
- ^ "Η Επιχείρηση «ΝΙΚΗ» Η Αποστολή της Α΄ ΜΚ στην Κύπρο τον Ιούλιο του 1974)". www.istorikadromena.gr. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Battle of Nicosia International Airport – Cyprus 1974 by a Greek Commando, Published Istoria (History), 1993[full citation needed]
- ^ Chronopoulos, Vasilis (6 October 2013). "Alpha Raiders Squadron in Cyprus 1974". SOFREP. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Αδάμου, Μ., 2019. Δεκαετία Εν Όπλοις, 1964-1974, Συνοπτική Ιστορία των Δυνάμεων Καταδρομών στην Κύπρο. 1st ed. Σωτήρα Αμμοχώστου: Κυπριακό Ινστιτου΄΄το Επιστημονικω΄΄ν και Ιστορικω΄΄ν Ερευνω΄΄ν, pp.167.
- ^ Erickson, D. and Uyar, D., 2020. Phase Line Attila: The Amphibious Campaign for Cyprus, 1974. Quantico, Virginia: Marine Corps University Press, p.155.
- ^ Tourvas, Teresa (3 March 1999). COLLABORATIVE LANDSCAPES OF GROWTH AND CHANGE/ THE CASE OF NICOSIA. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The airport has been disused since 1974. It is currently under UN jurisdiction
- ^ Cacoyannis, Sofie (19 July 2024). "Cyprus' ghost airport: Rare glimpse inside key 1974 battleground that's frozen in time". www.forcesnews.com. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Sideridis, Dimitris (6 June 2018). "The airport abandoned for over 40 years". CNN. Retrieved 1 October 2024.