by Tosun Saral on 01 Aug 2012 09:15
Coast Artillery Capt. Mehmet Hilmi (Maj. Şanlıtop) Şanlıtop= Glorious Gun
Coast Artillery Capt. Mehmet Hilmi (left) and his Officer coast artillery 2nd Lt. Omer Fahri Efendi infront of the gun that sunk the French battleship Bouvet.
source: Harb Mecmuasi (War Magazine) p.41
Heavy Artillary Capt. Mehmet Hilmi (Col. Şanlıtop)
Commander of Mecidiye Fortification on Rumeli Side/Europe
Mehmet Hilmi Bey wrote his memories "Canakkale Gecilmedi" (They could't pass through Canakkale) which was published after his death by his son Gazanfer Şanlıtop.
Capt. Mehmet Hilmi ( Manastir 1883- Istanbul 1949)
Army serial Number: Top(Artillary) 1321(1905)- 3
After graduating from Army Training Artillary School in 1907 he was appointed to 5th Army HQ. later as 2nd Lt. he was made the commander of Rumeli Mecidiye battary commander in 1911. As Balkan war broke out he fought in the service of 5th Company, 2nd battalion of the 4th Heavy Artillary Regiment. He got his first madal. After the war he returned to his old battary as Captain. He wrotes:
"Just before the beginning of the WW1 2o German soldiers and a 2nd Lt. came to the battary for some repairments. After a while all Germans left the battary and were taken to Anadolu Hamidiyesi fortification the Anatolian side. They established a battalion with 3 companies under the command of German Officer Vastilo Bey. The batteries on the European side the Rumeli Mecidiyesi with 4 long 24's, Rumeli Hamidiyesi with 2 long 35's, Namazgah with 2 long 24's reorganized as one battary under the fire control of me. They gave us a projekter (9o's) for night fights fights. We received also lights guns with 4 wheels (Mantel guns). We trenched the 24's in 32 m. and 35's in 40 meters distance from each other. The guns were settled on wooden platforms 1 meter high from the land surface. Infront of the platform there were a wall 3 or 4 meters high which made a shelter. on Nov. 3rd the enemy began to fire until Jan.9 1916 we lost 85 men. Germans didn't fight well. They even stop fire for the purpose of not showing their position. We were very angry to them. On March 18th 1915 my Battary hit the French battleship Bouvet and sunk it. With Bouvet many sailors drowned. Some jumped to the sea to save their lives. We immediately stop firing. We never fired to the ships who were colecting the sailors on the sea. During the fights I was wounded. Therefore I received a title "Ghazi/Gazi" and a silver distinguished medal for my bravery againts the enemy. The germans decorated me with 2 extra medals. After the armistrace I retired from the army. One of the days during my pension life I heard that Mustafa Kemal Pasha was organizing a national movenent againts the invading Greek Armies.Without hesitation I found a way and joined his army. I fought on the Eastern Front under the Command of General Kasim Karabekir Pasha. My new unit was Heavy Artillary Battalion of the 9th Army Corps at Sarikamis. I was made Major in March 1 1922."
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