After the Armistice of Mudros and the occupation of the Ottoman Empire by the Allies in 1919, some Turkish aviators tried to build new units in Istanbul, İzmir, Konya, Elazığ and Diyarbakır with planes left over from World War I and tried to bring together flight personnel. During the Turkish War of Independence, Turkish pilots joined the Konya Air Station ("Konya Hava İstasyonu"). With the formation of the Grand National Assembly (GNA) by Mustafa Kemal and his colleagues on April 23, 1920, in Ankara, and the reorganization of the army, the Branch of Air Forces ("Kuva-yı Havaiye Şubesi") was established under the Office of War ("Harbiye Dairesi") of the GNA. A few damaged aircraft belonging to the GNA were repaired, and afterwards used in combat.