Turkish Brigade in Korean War

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Chavusch
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#106

Post by Chavusch » 02 Sep 2006, 04:31

Another great and very stone hard source about first battle engagements of the Turk Brigade

But very first source for this discussion I would like to suggest that Anthony Hebert`s book SOLDIER I he was attached as young US Liasion officer in very first days of the Brigade during the first Chinese offensive ..so his words are definetely reality, I think from Penguin pocket series .,< mine is not with me right now but whn I got back i`ll let u know the isbn numbers etc..
regards

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Mehmet Fatih
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#107

Post by Mehmet Fatih » 02 Sep 2006, 14:29

Chavusch wrote:Another great and very stone hard source about first battle engagements of the Turk Brigade

But very first source for this discussion I would like to suggest that Anthony Hebert`s book SOLDIER I he was attached as young US Liasion officer in very first days of the Brigade during the first Chinese offensive ..so his words are definetely reality, I think from Penguin pocket series .,< mine is not with me right now but whn I got back i`ll let u know the isbn numbers etc..
regards

Hebert later said:

"The Turks were of about a company size. We established a perimeter on our hill and sat back to wait for some further word. I didn't speak their language and nobody in their group spoke English, so we spent a cold, quiet night and the next morning found ourselves surrounded by Chinese. I was nervous. There I was with a unit that had never been in combat before, we were surrounded and I couldn't even talk to them. They couldn't have been happier. They were having a picnic. Every way they looked, it was the front. They could fire in any direction and kill Chinese. They used up most of the morning doing just that, while I sat around trying to figure out how I could get the hell out of there. By the time the sun was high, everybody's ammo was low, but the Turks were calm as hell about it. They formed a skirmish line, fixed their bayonets and faced north with grins on their faces. I saw the direction they were facing and knew instantly it wasn't where I wanted to go. I jumped up and jammed my fist to the south. Their line whirled, and I suddenly found myself swept along in one of the most sucessful, old fashioned bayonet charges of the entire Korean War. I learned a lesson from that. The Turks are never trapped. It's the people who surround them who are in trouble. Watching them use their bayonets that day was a revelation They were dervishes. They had a peculiar style--one I hadn't learned back at Benning. They lunged, drove the bayonet into the abdomen, whirled, struck down hard on top of the rifle with their with their left hand and consequently disembowled their victims. My most vivid memory of that charge is of my gratitude to God or the United Nations or whoever was resposible for putting the Turks on our side."

Later, Hebert was awarded a Turkish medal for his bravery with the Turkish soldiers. He was the most decorated enlisted man in Korean War.

Best Regards
Fatih


Tolga Alkan
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#108

Post by Tolga Alkan » 26 Nov 2006, 23:38

Hello people!

It seems I missed a lot of things while I was very busy with business for almost one or two year!Thanks to all that contributing.

At the first pages of the thread I mentioned about a Turkish Korean War veteran, Bahtiyar Yalta and his unpublished book.Finally his astonishing book named "KUNU-Rİ (KORE) MUHAREBELERİ VE GERİ ÇEKİLMELER (26.XI.1950-24.I.1951)" was publish by Türk Tarih Kurumu.It is one of the best military history book written in Turkish about the Turkish military history I've ever read in my life.I deeply suggest that books for who able to read Turkish language.Bahtiyar Yalta was a platoon leader in Mortar Company of Brigade and took his own war diary day by day.The book is not only a war memory;it is also very good military history work.Yalta was head of Turkish War Veterans of Korean War Association and very lucky to speak with most of the officers who saw actions in Kunu-ri.Therefore, his book can be considered as collective work of I.Turkish Brigade officers.

Note about unit insignia of Turkish Brigade, Yalta tells that the insignia was designed and drawned by a third lieutenant who was able to draw very well.

Here I attached cover of Yalta's book.

thats all for now,
Best Regards
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Kim Sung
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#109

Post by Kim Sung » 27 Nov 2006, 05:54

Tolga Alkan wrote:"KUNU-Rİ (KORE) MUHAREBELERİ VE GERİ ÇEKİLMELER (26.XI.1950-24.I.1951)"
The mountain on the background of this stamp is Kunuri (군우리)

Image


Kumryangjang (금량장)

Image

Tolga Alkan
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#110

Post by Tolga Alkan » 27 Nov 2006, 10:24

Hey Kim!

I've really no idea where is this place on the background.But this is the fact: There is only one photograph exist of the first Turkish Brigade from Battle of Kunu-ri assumed be taken by an US officer.Photo show us Turkish soldiers trying to retreat from frontline.It can be see at Atlas's issue concerning of Korean War.(See first pages of the thread, some sample paged posted.I hate this moment that I don't own a scanner right now.)

Best Regards

Tosun Saral
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#111

Post by Tosun Saral » 28 Nov 2006, 11:12

Thank you Kim Sung I didn't know that. Thank you for your information.

blackley
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#112

Post by blackley » 29 Nov 2006, 04:22

Does anyone have details of the Turkish Brigade at the battle of Kumyangjangni? I have read http://www.korean-war.com/turkey but the details are unclear. What other engagements did the Brigade engage in after this battle?
I am currently working on a novel "Korean Rose"
This is not a history of the war but involves some of the battles involving a company in the Turkish Brigade
Thanks
Harry Blackley
http://www.lovedeathcyprus.com

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Mehmet Fatih
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#113

Post by Mehmet Fatih » 04 Dec 2006, 22:31

Hello Harry,

Please check your PM.

Best Regards
Fatih

Tosun Saral
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#114

Post by Tosun Saral » 12 Mar 2007, 13:58

I grew up in a military family. All my uncles and close relatives were officers. They were veterans of WW1 and Turkish War of Independance (1919-22)

After graduating from University I served 2 years in Turkish army as Signal Lt. I served at Army Signal Training Division, 1st Wire Regiment, 1st Wire Battalion, 1st Wire Company. Our 1st Wire Company was a contraction Company. We teached the soldiers how to erect and construct telephone and telegram poles. Our men were mainly mountain Kurds or Turks who were not able to read and write. But they were strong men. The Kurds spoke little Turkish.

One day while teaching map reading and compass on field I noticed a group of officers were approaching to us. I immediately understood that the AC commander was coming. I run to the group and saluted
-"Signal Lt. Ismail Tosun Saral with 2 NCOs and 40 men is ready to your inspection Sir"
The general shaked my hand and asked the men
"Merhaba Asker"(Hello Soldiers"
The men shouted in chorous:
""sagol" (Long Live Sir)
The general:
"How are you?
-"We wish you a long live Sir"
Then The General wanted to ask a question to one of the men. A drop of cold sweat falled slowly from my neck to my back. The General asked a men on the line to explain what he learned. The man made a few steps forwards and shouted
-"Signal Soldier Sehmuz Yilmaz son of Ali Yilmaz from Hakkari" Hakkari is a mountanious province in East Turkey near to Iraq and Iran. He took the compass and began to explain like a staff officer. I was very surprized.
The General was very happy. He ordered his adjutant to give him 15.- Turkish Lira as premium which was a lot of money at that time.
And to me? He ordered a decoration to me. It was the first and last decoration that I got in the army.

Before leaving he asked me
"What was your name son?"
-"Signal Lt. Ismail Tosun Saral Sir"
"Do you have any relation with Ahmet Hulki Saral Pasha?"
-"yes Sir, He is my father" I replied

He turned to his staff and said:
"A best son of a best man"

That night as I told the story to my father he said a very long "Goooood" and continued" He was a company commander in my 42nd Regiment"

I never wanted that my duty in the army ends after 2 years. I always wanted that the time stops.

Now I am a 67 years old retired Bank Manager. Every time I see a soldier passing near by me I stop and look after him in great admiration. Because he is a Turkish Soldier.A son of ours. A precious son of our Fatherland.

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/62f3d/#TL

blackley
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Korean Rose

#115

Post by blackley » 13 Mar 2007, 00:47

"Korean Rose" will be published in Turkish in October. This is a fictional story and in no way is it intended to be a history of the 1st Turkish Brigade in the Korean War. It is a love story, a tragic one, a story about a fictional Captain and his company in Korea and an Australian nurse who serves there. The novel is written primarily for the non-Turkish market as these are the people who know nothing of the efforts of the Turkish Brigade in that war. I am trying to find a publisher in the USA or UK for the English version. The story follows the lives of Captain Kemal and a nurse in the Australian Army Nursing Corps. The courage and actions of the fictional company mirrors that of the Turkish Brigade. Readers will, I hope, be interested in the love story, the battles, the prisoner of war camps and what happens after the end of the war. I am grateful to those people who assisted me with stories, some funny and some tragic that they learned from relatives.

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Chavusch
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#116

Post by Chavusch » 15 Apr 2007, 03:09

Allies To Honor Each Nation’s Korean War Veterans
By Staff Sgt. Robert Timmons


WASHINGTON D.C. -- Turkey and the United States, NATO allies and part of the U.N. Forces during the Korean War, will honor Korean War veterans when the Turkish ambassador His Excellency Faruk Logoglu lays a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Memorial at 10:30 am Jan. 24.

The date marks the 51st Anniversary of the Turkish Brigade receiving America's presidential citation for valor for its exemplary combat record during the Korean War and the second ceremony honoring this occasion Turkey is also the only nation to receive the citation twice On Jan. 25 in Ankara, Turkey, U .S. Ambassador W. Robert Pearson will lay a wreath at the Turkish Korean War Memorial and present 1,200 Turkish Korean War veterans with certificates of appreciation signed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Last year, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency Baki Ilkin, laid a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Memorial here while at the same time in Ankara, Turkey, Ambassador Pearson, laid a wreath at the Turkish Korean War Memorial. Two hundred veterans there received certificates of appreciation from the Secretary of Defense of the United States.

The Turkish Brigade, a member of the U.N. Forces in Korea, was given a Distinguished Unit Citation in 1951 by President Harry S. Truman. The citation is public evidence of deserved honor and distinction for the unit’s outstanding combat performance in the area of Kumyangjang-ni, Korea, from January 25-27, 1951. The unit was deployed along a seven-mile front between I and IX Corps. Enemy-held hills and Kumyangjang-ni fell to the Turkish Brigade through bitter hand-to-hand combat. During the Korean War, 741 Turkish soldiers died, 2,068 were wounded and 407 were missing in action. However, they inflicted disproportionate casualties on the hostile forces, which reflected the success of the Turkish contribution to the campaign.

Turkish forces totaling 14,936 men throughout the campaign (fourth largest after the US during the Korean War campaign) first arrived in Korea in November 1950.

For information on this please contact Navy Lt. Cmdr. Ed Zeigler at (703) 604-0820 or via email at [email protected]. For more information on the Korean War commemoration visit http://www.korea50.mil or call toll free (866) Korea50.

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''X''
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#117

Post by ''X'' » 20 Apr 2007, 21:53

Did Turk and Greek soldiers meet at any phase of the war in Korea ;

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Chavusch
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#118

Post by Chavusch » 21 Apr 2007, 11:20

..Ofcourse they contacted some times.. such as sharing common cultural events like open pit lamb broiling..and baklava parties :) Sirtaki-Kasap.-Zeybek dancing...\

Check it out this...........

Most belowed Turkish prime Ministers Great Poem

TÜRK-YUNAN ŞİİRİ


sıla derdine düşünce anlarsın
yunanlıyla kardeş olduğunu
bir rum şarkısı duyunca gör
gurbet elde istanbul çocuğunu

türkçenin ferah gönlünce küfretmişiz
olmuşuz kanlı bıçaklı
yine de bir sevgidir içimizde
böyle barış günlerinde saklı

bir soyun kanı olmasın varsın
damarlarımızda akan kan
içimizde şu deli rüzgâr
bir havadan

Bu yağmurla cömert
bu güneşle sıcak
gönlümüzden bahar dolusu kopan
iyilikler kucak kucak

bu sudan bu tattandır ikimizde de günah
bütün içkiler gibi zararı kadar leziz
bir iklimin meyvasından sızdırılmış
bir içkidir kötülüklerimiz

aramızda bir mavi büyü
bir sıcak deniz
kıyılarında birbirinden güzel
iki milletiz

bizimle dirilecek bir gün
Ege'nin altın çağı
yanıp yarının ateşinden
eskinin ocağı

önce bir kahkaha çalınır kulağına
sonra rum şiveli türkçeler
o Boğaz'dan söz eder
sen rakıyı hatırlarsın

Yunanlıyla kardeş olduğunu
sıla derdine düşünce anlarsın



Londra, 1947

Bulent Ecevit

















TURKISH-GREEK POEM


You become aware when you feel homesick
That you are brothers with the Greek;
Just look at a child of Istanbul
Listening to a Greek epic.

We've sworn at each other
In the free manner of our language.
We've drawn knife on blood
Yet a love lies hidden in us
For days of peace like these.

What if in our veins
It were the same blood that flows?
From the same air in our hearts
A crazy wind blows.

So generous like this rain
And warm like the sun.
The armfuls of goodness of spring
That surge from within.

Our hostility is like a drink
Distilled from the fruit of the climate
As harmful and as tasteful as any drink.
From this water from this taste have we sinned.

A blue magic between us
And this warm sea
And two peoples on its shores
Equals in beauty.

The golden age of the Aegean
Will revive through us
As with the fire of the future
The hearth of the past comes alive.

First a merry laughter comes to your ear
Then some Turkish with a Greek accent.
Nostalgic about the Bosporus
And you remember the Raki*.

It is when you are homesick
That you recall you are brothers with the Greek.


London 1947


Bülent ECEVİT


Raki is Ouzo..but little stronger and Turks call it as Lion milk...

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Chavusch
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Real Soldiers

#119

Post by Chavusch » 23 Apr 2007, 11:14

Dear blackley here we go :(


The UN Army under the command of Van Fleet, on the other hand , was ordered to withdraw immediately. At the first stage,The Turkish brigade was asked on April 22 to defend its current position.At 7;15p.m. the same day the enemy held the Turkish defence postions under heavy artilery and mortar fire. The bombardment continued nonstop.Since the US 24th reg. had deserted!...their postions from which they were to protect the right wing of the Turkish Brigade, the enemy infiltrated the territory without any resistance,The Turkish 9th Squdron was encircled front the front and East!.The squadron could hardly remain in place by bayonet and hand granade fights.The following wireless message was recieved from First Lietenant Mehmet Gonenc serving as a forward recon artillery officer.

" The enemy has captured the hillwe occupy,We lost a lot of man.Our wireless operator has been killed.I`m given the coordinates.Fire the batteries.

The artillery communications officer answered on the wireless

-You are giving the coordinates of your own position!

Artillery First Lieutenant M. Gonenc replied
- Thats right! we dont want to be taken prisoner! Dont surrender us to them!
- This is our will; Kill us with TURKISH FIRE!I I`m giving the coordinates again ...Have all the batteries fire here!

He was cut off!

Communications officer Capt.Refik Soykut felt as if hit in the heart he found the artillery battalion with difficulty. the following officers at the HQ heards the wireless message from the artillery officer M.Gonenc. The Commander of the Battalion Lt. Col. Tahsin Kurtay, his assistant Maj. Ahsen Saya, S-III Maj. Semsi Eralp and maj. Aleettin Haydaroglu serving as a commucations officer at the Artillery Battalion of the US 25th Div.

The officers all looked at each other in amazement.None dareed to speak.The forwardrecon.officer was asking to be hit with all available artillery,in all war history no such demand had been seen or heard of.
Following a difficult discussion it was decided to carry out the will of the brave Lt. M. Gonenc.
With tears in everyones eyes all batteries started fire!.

Not only the Turkish Artillery battalion, but all the batteries of the US 25th Div. began giving fire at the given coordinates. the artillery were not thundering, it was as if they were sobbing.......

A Chronology of the Forgotten War

Korea 1950-53

Prof Dr. Mim Kemal Oke

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Kim Sung
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Re: Real Soldiers

#120

Post by Kim Sung » 23 Apr 2007, 11:31

Chavusch wrote:" The enemy has captured the hillwe occupy,We lost a lot of man.Our wireless operator has been killed.I`m given the coordinates.Fire the batteries.

The artillery communications officer answered on the wireless

-You are giving the coordinates of your own position!

Artillery First Lieutenant M. Gonenc replied
- Thats right! we dont want to be taken prisoner! Dont surrender us to them!
- This is our will; Kill us with TURKISH FIRE!I I`m giving the coordinates again ...Have all the batteries fire here!

He was cut off!

Communications officer Capt.Refik Soykut felt as if hit in the heart he found the artillery battalion with difficulty. the following officers at the HQ heards the wireless message from the artillery officer M.Gonenc. The Commander of the Battalion Lt. Col. Tahsin Kurtay, his assistant Maj. Ahsen Saya, S-III Maj. Semsi Eralp and maj. Aleettin Haydaroglu serving as a commucations officer at the Artillery Battalion of the US 25th Div.

The officers all looked at each other in amazement.None dareed to speak.The forwardrecon.officer was asking to be hit with all available artillery,in all war history no such demand had been seen or heard of.
Following a difficult discussion it was decided to carry out the will of the brave Lt. M. Gonenc.
With tears in everyones eyes all batteries started fire!.

Not only the Turkish Artillery battalion, but all the batteries of the US 25th Div. began giving fire at the given coordinates. the artillery were not thundering, it was as if they were sobbing.......
This episode was already covered in the Most Heroic Last Stand Ever thread.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 023#813023


The site of First Lieutenant M. Gonenc's last stand was the Changsung rivulet (장승천) in Yonchun (연천).
1951. 4. 22 ∼ 23. 장승천 전투(연천 동북방 5㎞) : 이 전투는 터키 여단이 연천 동북방 장승천 전방에서 중공군과 치른 전투이다. 터키 여단은 금량장 전투 후 계속 반격작전에 참여하여 1951년 4월 22일 연천 북방 장승천 부근에까지 진출하였으나, 이날 중공군의 춘계공세를 맞게 되었다. 이 여단은 이날 밤 중공군 2개 연대의 공격을 받아 여단의 양측방이 돌파되고 후방지역의 포병대대진지까지 위협을 받게 되자, 전방대대가 포병의 철수를 엄호하고 상호 유기적인 협조를 유지하며 지연전을 전개하여 약 10㎞ 남쪽인 한탄강까지 철수하였다.
http://blog.naver.com/harika?Redirect=L ... 0007542198

On April 22nd, the Turkish brigade met an attack from two Chinese regiment. Flanks of the Turkish brigade were broken through and even their artillery battalion in rear area was threatened. Under the cover of their artillery battalion, however, they successfully retreated to the Hantan river (한탄강) located 10km south.
Last edited by Kim Sung on 23 Apr 2007, 11:47, edited 1 time in total.

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