Who was this Geehl?Liman von Sanders named a Turkish mine expert,Lt Colonel Geehl,as the officer responsible for having laid the important minefield.Modern Turkish official histories do not mention this individual at all,an unfortunate omission since this officer's contribution to the defense of the straits in March 1915 was decisive.
Geehl Bey
Geehl Bey
Erickson on the decisive Turkish minefield laid off Erenkoy in February 1915:
Hello Peter,
this topic has been discussed on the Skalman forum, but the only thing I have come up with, is a name on a list of Germans who served in the Ottoman empire.
Hope this helps, if only just a little bit.
http://www.politikcity.de/forum/showthr ... 706&page=4
this topic has been discussed on the Skalman forum, but the only thing I have come up with, is a name on a list of Germans who served in the Ottoman empire.
Hope this helps, if only just a little bit.
http://www.politikcity.de/forum/showthr ... 706&page=4
/G:sonGeehl Torpedo-Kapitän a. D. 1915/1918
Well since I'm in with G:son on the Swedish site we can share some more things found out so far
Nusret (also Nusrat or Nousret) (minelayer)
Nusret (Nusrat) (Lt Cdr Tophaneli Hakki) was one of a number of miscellaneous mine warfare ships. On the night of the 8th March 1915, under the guidance of Lt Col Geehl, a Turkish mine expert, she laid a line of 20 mines in Eren Keui or Arenkioi Bay at the time of the Allied naval attack on the Dardanelles defences. Ten days later on the 18th, British pre-dreadnought battleships 'Irresistible' and 'Ocean' and the French 'Bouvet' were all lost in this small field, and British battle-cruiser 'Inflexible' badly damaged. If any one small ship changed the course of World War 1 it must be "Nusret".
http://www.diggerhistory2.info/graveyar ... h_navy.htm
and:
Here is the short but brave story of Turkish Minelayer, Nusret. It was ordered in 1910 from German ship builders, Schiff & Maschinenbaun AG 'Germania' , Kiel. Launched on Dec. 4, 1911, commissioned 1913 and joined the Ottoman Navy [1]. On March 8, 1915, she left from Nara , loaded some 26 mines at the Çimenlik Iskele and laid these mines in the bay of Erenköy in the early morning parallel to the Asiatic shore [1,2,6] * . (These mines were transported on Feb 17, 1915 steamers Selanik from Istanbul and loaded to Nusret [6] ). She was under the commander of Lieutenant Tophaneli Hakki (Guverte Kidemli Yuzbasi Tophaneli Ibrahim oglu Hakki). This bay was known safe for enemy ships. Mines were laid down with 100 meter distance and in the 5 meter depth [1,2,6]. Lieutenant Nazmi ( Mayin Grup Komutani Guverte Kidemli Yuzbasi Nazmi Bey) was the Mine Group Commander who gave the order [1,2,6]**.
...
** 5th reference claimed that the decision had been madden by Turkish mine expert, Lieutenant-Colonel Geehl. (At that time there were numbers of German military officers on duty under the Ottoman Army both as commanders or experts.)
http://www.iit.edu/~agunsal/canakkale/n ... usret.html
One of the footnotes refers to Geehl so he still seems to be involved somehow. A quick search gave Alman Yarbay Geehl but now the lack of Turkish speaking people assisting us have stopped us.
Cheers
Hans
Nusret (also Nusrat or Nousret) (minelayer)
Nusret (Nusrat) (Lt Cdr Tophaneli Hakki) was one of a number of miscellaneous mine warfare ships. On the night of the 8th March 1915, under the guidance of Lt Col Geehl, a Turkish mine expert, she laid a line of 20 mines in Eren Keui or Arenkioi Bay at the time of the Allied naval attack on the Dardanelles defences. Ten days later on the 18th, British pre-dreadnought battleships 'Irresistible' and 'Ocean' and the French 'Bouvet' were all lost in this small field, and British battle-cruiser 'Inflexible' badly damaged. If any one small ship changed the course of World War 1 it must be "Nusret".
http://www.diggerhistory2.info/graveyar ... h_navy.htm
and:
Here is the short but brave story of Turkish Minelayer, Nusret. It was ordered in 1910 from German ship builders, Schiff & Maschinenbaun AG 'Germania' , Kiel. Launched on Dec. 4, 1911, commissioned 1913 and joined the Ottoman Navy [1]. On March 8, 1915, she left from Nara , loaded some 26 mines at the Çimenlik Iskele and laid these mines in the bay of Erenköy in the early morning parallel to the Asiatic shore [1,2,6] * . (These mines were transported on Feb 17, 1915 steamers Selanik from Istanbul and loaded to Nusret [6] ). She was under the commander of Lieutenant Tophaneli Hakki (Guverte Kidemli Yuzbasi Tophaneli Ibrahim oglu Hakki). This bay was known safe for enemy ships. Mines were laid down with 100 meter distance and in the 5 meter depth [1,2,6]. Lieutenant Nazmi ( Mayin Grup Komutani Guverte Kidemli Yuzbasi Nazmi Bey) was the Mine Group Commander who gave the order [1,2,6]**.
...
** 5th reference claimed that the decision had been madden by Turkish mine expert, Lieutenant-Colonel Geehl. (At that time there were numbers of German military officers on duty under the Ottoman Army both as commanders or experts.)
http://www.iit.edu/~agunsal/canakkale/n ... usret.html
One of the footnotes refers to Geehl so he still seems to be involved somehow. A quick search gave Alman Yarbay Geehl but now the lack of Turkish speaking people assisting us have stopped us.
Cheers
Hans
Thanks Hans.
Regards
Peter
What Liman von Sanders wrote,Five Years in Turkey :
Regards
Peter
What Liman von Sanders wrote,Five Years in Turkey :
On March 18 the allied fleet made its great attempt to break through. According to Colonel Wehrle’s report sixteen battleships took part; they began at 10.30 a.m. to enter the straits in two echelons, in order to silence the guns of the fortress and the batteries. The artillery battle lasted until 7.00 p.m.In spite of the expenditure of enormous amounts of ammunition the hostile fleet accomplished no great results. The damage to the forts and batteries but little diminished their fighting capacity, though their ammunition supply had been reduced. According to the statements of Colonel Djevad Bei, the commander of the fortress, the losses in men did not reach 200.
The enemy suffered serious and weighty losses. Insofar as could be observed by Colonel Wehrle and his subordinates, the Bouvet, Irresistible and Ocean had been sunk and several other battleships were seriously damaged. Several smaller ships engaged in salvage work, had also been sunk. The fire of Fort Hamidje under Captain Wossidlo was mentioned as particularly effective. It may be assumed that the mine field in Erenkoj (Eren Keui) Bay laid at night by the Turkish mine expert, Lieutenant Colonel Geehl, contributed its share to the result.
Hi,
I ran a text in turkish through an on-line translator, and it translated 'Alman Yarbay Geehl' as 'German Lieutenant-Colonel Geehl'. Perhaps someone who knows turkish can confirm this?
By the way, is 'Torpedo-Kapitän' the equivalent in rank to 'Fregattenkapitän'? That would make the German officer Geehl I mentioned earlier a Lieutenant-Colonel?
Most sources seem to omit Geehl in their accounts of the mission:
But apparently Geehl was on board, and is the mine expert, although he was not Turkish, as Liman von Sanders, and other sources, claim. Of course, he was Turkish in the sense of being in Ottoman service.
But if he was, in fact, German, I find it surprising that it is hard to find more information about him. Was he not decorated in Germany? Or did he spend the war in Turkey, and was forgotten in Germany? According to the list I quoted earlier, he was in Ottoman service from 1915 to 1918.
/G:son
I ran a text in turkish through an on-line translator, and it translated 'Alman Yarbay Geehl' as 'German Lieutenant-Colonel Geehl'. Perhaps someone who knows turkish can confirm this?
By the way, is 'Torpedo-Kapitän' the equivalent in rank to 'Fregattenkapitän'? That would make the German officer Geehl I mentioned earlier a Lieutenant-Colonel?
Most sources seem to omit Geehl in their accounts of the mission:
http://www.canakkale.gen.tr/eng/closer/closer4.htmlHenceforth, Commander of the Fortified Area Cevat Pasha assigned Captain Hakki Bey in command of Nusret. On the night of 7 March, he sailed for this significant task. Captain Hafiz Nazmi (Akpinar) was also in Nusret, that night for the pilotage.
On the night of 7 March few minutes after midnight, Nusret left Canakkale. In a complete silence and darkness, it slipped down through the previously laid mines. With the help of pilot Captain Nazmi, it advanced through Karanlik Liman and laid its only twenty-six mines parallel to the Asiatic shore. After it has completed the mission, with in same silence and darkness, returned to Canakkale. That night, Nusret drew the fate of the war.
But apparently Geehl was on board, and is the mine expert, although he was not Turkish, as Liman von Sanders, and other sources, claim. Of course, he was Turkish in the sense of being in Ottoman service.
But if he was, in fact, German, I find it surprising that it is hard to find more information about him. Was he not decorated in Germany? Or did he spend the war in Turkey, and was forgotten in Germany? According to the list I quoted earlier, he was in Ottoman service from 1915 to 1918.
/G:son
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Tosun Saral
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The source
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:qa ... d=11&gl=tr
says:
" "Nusret" mayın gemisinde Yarbay Goehl görev alır, bu geminin makinisti yine Alman Yüzbaşı Reeder."
The source give the name as "Lt. Col./Yarbay Goehl" and the enginer German Capt. Reeder who makes duty at Nusret Mine layer.
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:qa ... d=11&gl=tr
says:
" "Nusret" mayın gemisinde Yarbay Goehl görev alır, bu geminin makinisti yine Alman Yüzbaşı Reeder."
The source give the name as "Lt. Col./Yarbay Goehl" and the enginer German Capt. Reeder who makes duty at Nusret Mine layer.