Turkish Divisions 1914-18

[Peter H]

Palestine,1918.

[Peter H]

The capture of Kars,April 1918.Caucasus.

[Peter H]

1915:

[Peter H]

Enver Pasha,Jordan Valley,1918.

[Peter H]

Ski Troops,Caucasus Front:

[Peter H]

45th Div- raised Baghdad 1915,from paramilitary Jandarma personnel.Ctesiphon 1915,Siege of Kut 1916,Baghdad 1917,disbanded after fall of Baghdad.

46th Div-raised Syria/Palestine 1915,Macedonia/Salonika Nov 1916,Mesopotamia April 1917,destroyed Oct 1918.

47th Div- formed Thrace 1916,Symrna(coastal defence)1917,disbanded late 1917.

48th Div- formed Thrace 1915,Symrna(coastal defence)1915,Caucasus 1916,Amman 1917,Jordan Valley 1918,Aleppo 1918.

49th Div- formed Thrace 1916,Gallipoli garrison 1916-18.

49th Caucasian Div-formed Sept 1916 from independent inf regts,Caucasus 1916/17,disbanded early 1918.

[Peter H]

50th Div- formed 1916,arrived Salonika front Aug 1916,Palestine April 1917,Mesopotamia 1918,dissolved early 1918.

51st Div-formed from units in Thrace as the Kazim Bey Div,Nov 1914.This was raised to reinforce the Caucasus front after the disasters of late 1914.Renamed 1st Expeditionary Force.Aleppo 1915,Caucasus 1915,fighting for Van 1915,Mesopotamia 1915,Siege of Kut 1916,Mesopotamia 1917/18,dissolved mid 1918.

52nd Div-formed from units in Thrace as the Halil Bey Div,Nov 1914.This was raised to reinforce the Caucasus front after the disasters of late 1914.Renamed 5th Expeditionary Force.Caucasus1915,battles south of Kut 1916,Mesopotamia 1917/18,dissolved mid 1918.

53rd Div-formed 1916,Caucasus 1916,3rd Gaza 1917,Jordan Valley 1918,Damascus 1918,destroyed late 1918.

[Peter H]

54th Div-formed 1916,Gaza 1917,disbanded 1918.

55th Div-formed 1917,Gallipoli garrison 1917/18.

56th Div-formed 1917,Anatolia 1918.

57th Div-Gallipoli garrison 1916-18,Symrna(coastal defence),late 1918.

58th Div-west Anatolia 1917,Symrna(coastal defence),late 1918.

59th Div-Gallipoli garrison 1916/17,disbanded late 1917.

60th Div-Gallipoli garrison 1918.

61st Div-Gallipoli garrison 1918.

62nd Div-Palestine 1918.

[Peter H]

Van Jandarma Div-raised from paramilitary Jandarma(internal security troops) 1914,Caucasus 1915-17,disbanded late 1917.

Other Infantry Units

1st Provisional Force-formed 1917 as counter to Arab Revolt.Security force for railway lines in Arabia.

2nd Provisional Force-formed 1917 as counter to Arab Revolt.Security force for railway lines in Arabia.

Heraz Expeditionary Force-formed 1916.Entrusted with defence of holy city of Medina.

Baghdad Infantry Regiment-sent to Caucasus front 1915.Dissolved 1916.

Rumelia Field Detachment -the 177th Regt joined Bulgarian forces on the Salonika Front in September 1915.It remained in action there until withdrawn in early 1918.

Constantinople Fire Brigade-the paramilitary fire brigade service of the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

An elite unit of the Turkish army in WW1.It trained for fire-fighting and an armed combat role.Founded in 1712 the 'tulumbacilars' or pumpers was well trained and funded.

In 1914 it had 4 battalions, but during the war another 6 battalions came in existence. They were deployed as follows in combat operations:

Gallipoli : 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th battalions
Mesopotamia: 2nd, 4th battalions

Still providing fire protection
Constantinople: 7th, 8th, 9th,10th battalions

[Peter H]

Cavalry Divisions

2nd Cavalry Div-Caucasus 1914-16,disbanded Aug 1916.

2nd Caucasian Cavalry Div-formed Sept 1916,Caucasus 1917,Palestine 1918,destroyed late 1918.

3rd Cavalry Div-formed Thrace 1915,Caucasus 1916/17,Palestine 1918,destroyed late 1918.


Reserve Cavalry Divisions
Maintained by recruiting Kurds and other minorities.The 1st,2nd,3rd & 4th Reserve Cavalry Divisions were formed after August 1914 for action on the Caucasian Front.Their poor performance(and desertions) meant the 1st,2nd,4th Divisions were dissolved March 1915--remaining personnel used to beef up the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Division.The latter was disbanded in August 1916.These'divisions' at best had only 2-3,000 cavalrymen.

[Peter H]

From the Illustrated War News,1915.

Main Turkish barracks,Baghdad 1915.

[Peter H]

Something on Ottoman commanders.Photos dated 1917 from a German publication.

Mehmet Vehip Pasha(1877-1940)
Corps commander Balkan Wars.Commanded 22th Division 1914.July 1915-Commander at Gallipoli of Southern Group(Cape Helles).3rd Army Commander Caucasus 1917.Commander Eastern Army Group,Caucasus 1918.Front Commander Turkish War of Independence.Vehip "ended his military career by travelling to Africa to advise the Ethiopians against the Italians in 1936".(Erickson)

[Peter H]

Esat Pasha(1862-1938)
Corps commander Balkan wars.Commander III Corps Gallipoli,Commander 1st Army Thrace 1916,commanded 2nd Army Caucasus 1917,postwar Cabinet Minister.

"Essat's performance as a corps commander and group commander at Gallipoli was brilliant.He was extremely hard working,professional,and was highly regarded by the Germans."(Erickson)

[Peter H]

Ahmet Izzet Pasha(1864-1937)
2nd Army commander Balkans 1912,2nd Army commander Caucasus 1916,Oct 1918 Minister of War and head of Turkish General Staff.Postwar-commander in Turkish War of Independence.

"He was..highly regarded by the Turks but much of his reputation rests on his performance in the War of Independence."(Erickson)

[Peter H]

Ahmed Djemal(Cemel) Pasha 1872-1922
Division commander Balkan wars.Minister of Marine 1914,4th Army commander Syria/Palestine 1914-18,resigned position after fall of Jerusalem,early 1918.

Postwar-he served as liaison officer in talks between the Soviet Union and the post-war Turkish government. He also spent a brief period acting as a military advisor to Afghanistan before he was killed by Armenian assassins at Tbilisi on 21 July 1922.

"Essentially,he was more of a political animal than a soldier."(Erickson)