Article by Peter Kemp,in Purnell's History of the First World War.1969.The Turks agreed to destroy them,but asked for dynamite from the Doris to carry out the task.The Doris ,having no dynamite,offered guncotton in its place,but the Turks had no experience of the use of this explosive,and their national pride could not stomach the operation being performed by a foreigner.The difficulty was finally solved by making the torpedo lieutenant of the Doris a Turkish naval officer for the rest of the day.Such were the nicities of war in 1914!
A Briton as a temporary member of the Turkish Navy 1914
A Briton as a temporary member of the Turkish Navy 1914
The British cruiser HMS Doris put ashore landing parties near Alexandretta on the 22nd December 1914.The railway line was damaged and military stores and two locomotives were captured.Under the threat of ship bombardment Captain Larken negotiated with the local Ottoman commander in the disposal of these war items:
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Tosun Saral
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"similia similibus curantur"
"similia similibus curantur"
Gen. of the Army Ali Fuad Erden the former c.o.s. of the 4th Army wrote in his book "Birinci Dünta harbinde Suriye hatıraları" (Syrian Memories During WW1) p. 11,12,13,14 under above mentioned capital.
For every Turk who losts his life during Bombardement of non military zones will be punished by execution of a British citizen ın Turkish captivity.
In December enemy battleships bombarded, machine gunned and demaged telegram lines, roads and railways, bridges, ports, stations hunter trenches, non military vehicles along the coasts between Mersin to Gazze and El Ariş.
On Dec. 14th Askold battle cruizer bombed a few shells to a vilage at the east of El Ariş killing a 4 years old girl and a camel.
On Dec. 28th Doris cruizer bombed and machine gunned the villages of Iskenderun killing a woman, 2 girls and a man and wounding 5 men and women.
Cemal pasha gave the following order to the AC responsible for the region:
Jan. 12th 1915
Where there any army units moving or trenched or any fortified positions at the places where the English cruiezer bombed? investigate the matter clearly and correctly. After investigating the matter if you come to the solution that the English bombed non military zones or civil centers you will follow my following orders.
You will chose one English subject for each Turkish dead amoung the prisoners held at Haleppo and Damascus camps and they will be taken to the spot where our innocent citizens killed and will be executed there within the witness of all villagers. Those who will be chosen must only men."
Cemal Pasha also send a message to the captain of the ship that for every non military person killed an English will be executed.
The ship captain on the other hand responted Cemal Pasha that " Britain will never gave up war because of British subjects who are in Turkish imprisonment. he continued "If Cemal Pasha acts such a mistake the British Government will take the matter into court after the war.
The US Embassy in Istanbul also informed about the matter to British Foreign Dept.
The British Foreign Office only informed British and French High Commissionars at Cairo stating that the British Goverment does not want any damage to the lives of any French or British citizens captive at Turkish camps. But also will not yealt or surrounder againts Turkish threats. For that reason if it is not necessary it will be good to stop such bombardments"
War laws
The order of Cemal pasha was againts war laws and rights. But on the other hand killling the innocent civilians by bombardement was also againts war laws and rights. The fierce order showed its effects. The events that were not in accordance with war laws and rights were prevented by orders which were not in accordance with war rights and laws.Similia Similibus curantur.
The British continued to damage the cost line but they never bombed inhabited civil centers.
The prisoners were never executed they were taken to a better safe place in Urfa."
TS's nota: That is why the the fight of two great nations was clean.
Gen. of the Army Ali Fuad Erden the former c.o.s. of the 4th Army wrote in his book "Birinci Dünta harbinde Suriye hatıraları" (Syrian Memories During WW1) p. 11,12,13,14 under above mentioned capital.
For every Turk who losts his life during Bombardement of non military zones will be punished by execution of a British citizen ın Turkish captivity.
In December enemy battleships bombarded, machine gunned and demaged telegram lines, roads and railways, bridges, ports, stations hunter trenches, non military vehicles along the coasts between Mersin to Gazze and El Ariş.
On Dec. 14th Askold battle cruizer bombed a few shells to a vilage at the east of El Ariş killing a 4 years old girl and a camel.
On Dec. 28th Doris cruizer bombed and machine gunned the villages of Iskenderun killing a woman, 2 girls and a man and wounding 5 men and women.
Cemal pasha gave the following order to the AC responsible for the region:
Jan. 12th 1915
Where there any army units moving or trenched or any fortified positions at the places where the English cruiezer bombed? investigate the matter clearly and correctly. After investigating the matter if you come to the solution that the English bombed non military zones or civil centers you will follow my following orders.
You will chose one English subject for each Turkish dead amoung the prisoners held at Haleppo and Damascus camps and they will be taken to the spot where our innocent citizens killed and will be executed there within the witness of all villagers. Those who will be chosen must only men."
Cemal Pasha also send a message to the captain of the ship that for every non military person killed an English will be executed.
The ship captain on the other hand responted Cemal Pasha that " Britain will never gave up war because of British subjects who are in Turkish imprisonment. he continued "If Cemal Pasha acts such a mistake the British Government will take the matter into court after the war.
The US Embassy in Istanbul also informed about the matter to British Foreign Dept.
The British Foreign Office only informed British and French High Commissionars at Cairo stating that the British Goverment does not want any damage to the lives of any French or British citizens captive at Turkish camps. But also will not yealt or surrounder againts Turkish threats. For that reason if it is not necessary it will be good to stop such bombardments"
War laws
The order of Cemal pasha was againts war laws and rights. But on the other hand killling the innocent civilians by bombardement was also againts war laws and rights. The fierce order showed its effects. The events that were not in accordance with war laws and rights were prevented by orders which were not in accordance with war rights and laws.Similia Similibus curantur.
The British continued to damage the cost line but they never bombed inhabited civil centers.
The prisoners were never executed they were taken to a better safe place in Urfa."
TS's nota: That is why the the fight of two great nations was clean.
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Jochen Kruesmann
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Only tell state how trustful those war time informations are:
Tarsus is a city far away of the hinterland of Mersin. The French cruiser with his guns was not able to reach this city far away from the sea shore. Absolutely nonense!
Tarsus is a city far away of the hinterland of Mersin. The French cruiser with his guns was not able to reach this city far away from the sea shore. Absolutely nonense!
Peter H wrote:Further "Naval Operations on Syrian Coast",1915.
From The History of the Great European War.