Turkish to English

[stevebecker]

Mates,

I am having trouble finding the meaning of this word in Turkish?

birligi

used in mens names as birligi and birliginde

But used mostley as

tasit birligi

its seams as

Union or unity

But I think it mite be unit?

Examples

Zettelmeyer Lt 711th MT Co Tasit birligi komutani (Traffic Unit commander)

Wertelnmann Kurt Lt 3. Sahra topçu birliginde (3rd Field artillery)

Trabert Capt 6. Ordu'da Makinali tüfek birligi komutani (6th Army Da Machine gun unit commander)

Schimmelfeng Lt Filistin'de Tasit birligi komutani (Vehicle Unit Commander in Palestine) (MT Co)


I am i on the right track here?

S.B

[turcoscot]

Hello Steve,
"Birlik" is unit, as in military unit. 'Birligi" is best read in English as "unit of". Thus, "Tasit birligi" = "vehicle (transport) unit", (Ok, Unit of transport".

Lt. Zettelmeyer was commander of the transport unit

Birliginde is "in the unit"

Wertelmann was in the 3rd Field Artillery unit

You are correct for Trabert and Schimmelfeng.

Hope this helps!

[stevebecker]

Mate,

Thank you, yes that helps me understand what the Google translate keeps giving me.

Cheers

S.B

[Tosun Saral]

All is right thanks to turcoscot

Trabert Capt 6. Ordu'da Makinali tüfek birligi komutani
Yüzbaşı Trabert, 6'ncı (or 6.) Ordu'da Makinalı tüfek birliği komutanı : Capt. Trabert Commander of MG unit in/of 6th Army
6. Ordu'da: in 6th Army

[turcoscot]

Glad to help. Drop me a note if you ever come across the doings of Lt. Col. Munip Uzsoy (sometimes misspelt Ozsoy, even Urgay - that must have been a clerk with bad handwriting). He commanded a battalion in Palestine in 1915; went to Gallipoli and took over the 36th Regiment from Cemil Conk when he was wounded; went to the Eastern Front with the Regiment in 1916, then commanded the 148th Regiment in Palestine in 1917, also serving as quartermaster general (levazim muduru) of the 4th Army under Mersinli Cemal Pasa. He was my grandfather.

[stevebecker]

Turcoscot,

Mate I show your GF service as;

Munip (Özsoy) or (Uzsoy) 80th Regt - 2Bn - (1914-15) to CO 36th Regt - 6-15 to 4-17 to 140th Regt 5-17 to 178th Regt 6-17 & QMG 4th Army 3-18

Maj to LtCol

(1878 - 1950) 1311-b-P. Infantry 32 graduating from the academy 1895 the Greek War 1898 to Capt 1905 to Maj 1911 & Balkan War to WWI to LtCol 1915 & War of Independence Bde 24th Div & 61st Div to Col 1921

Can you correct any of these details as I don't show him with the 148th Regt?

cheers

S.B

[turcoscot]

Hello Steve,
I had posted some of this material on this forum sometime back, and can't find the thread now. This is a translation from a handwritten biography of my grandfathers; since it does not contain any of his service in the War of Independence, my guess is that this is what he submitted in 1920 when he left Istanbul to join the Nationalists. My apologies for the duplications. It's fairly detailed, but also very concise, so if you happen to come across any additional information, I'd be grateful.

Infantry Lieutenant Colonel
Munip Bey son of Osman Zuhtu

Curriculum Vitae

Admission to Academy: May 1892

Lieutenant: After graduating from the academy in March 1895 I was assigned to the 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion, 11th regiment, 3rd Division which was part of the Second Imperial Army (Orduyu Humayun). I was with this company guarding the Bulgarian frontier at Demirkoy, and with the Bekir Pasa Brigade at Yanya-Loros-Garib during the Greek War. I was awarded the Greek War Medal in this war.

First Lieutenant: In march 1898 I was assigned as a First Lieutenant to the Seyitgazi Redif Battalion as Supply Officer. After serving one and a half years in Seyitgazi, on July 21, 1899 I was given duty in Istanbul as Supervising Officer (Dahiliye Subayi) at the Military High School in Sogukcesme (Sogukcesme Askeri Rustiyesi) and the Military Veterinary School (Askeri Baytar Rustiyesi) in Istanbul.

Captain: Upon being promoted to Captain on June 10, 1905, I served as Supervising Offier for the Staff and Special Branches at the Military Academy (Harbiye).

Major: Upon promotion to the rank of Major in November 1911, I was assigned to the command of the 1st Battalion, 79th Regiment. Since at that time the war with Italy was in progress and my battalion was in Yemen I was unable to take up this appointment. I was temporarily assigned to the Second Bureau of the General Staff (Genelkurmay Ikinci Subesi) and served there until October 1912. In October 1912 I was given command of the Samsun Redif Battalion, , which I joined on the battlefield at Conkara. I served with this battalion through the recapture of Edirne until the end of the war. After the battalion was demobilized in Samsun, upon my request I was transferred to the command of the 8th Army Corps Sharpshooter (Nisanci) Battalion stationed in Damascus. Moving with my battalion to Beirut, I served as Beirut District Commander (Mevki Komutani). On April 13 1914 I was ordered by headquarters to the Command Training Center (Umera Talimgahi) in Istanbul. After three months of school at the Haydarpasa Headquarters, I went to Acre as Executive Officer (Komutan Muavini) of the 79th Regiment. After serving with that regiment until August 22, 1914 I went to Jerusalem as commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 80th Regiment. On November 2 1914 I left Jerusalem with three companies of the 2nd Battalion, 80th Regiment and went to Maan as Aqaba Task Force (Mufreze) commander. After serving in Maan until 16 December 1914, I served in Aqaba as as Aqaba Task Force Commander until April 13, 1915, having under my command three (infantry?) companies, two batteries and two gendarme companies. I was occupied by several attempted landings by the British and the French. After the battalion was relieved I rejoined the 80th Regiment in the Hartepe area behind Haifa. On May 26 1915 I was urgently ordered to the Gallipoli Front, and on 25 June 1915 I took command of the 36th Regiment in the firing line at Seddulbahir Kerevizdere, where II participated in the attach of June 26th. On August 8 1915 upon the landings at Anafarta (Suvla), the entire division was ordered to Anafarta to join the offensive. In particular the British attack of 12 August on the regiment’s lines in the direction of Kavaktepe was repulsed. (NOTE: This is the famous engagement with the 1/5th Norfolks Battalion, where the battalion incurred very heavy casualties and which started the “Vanishing Norfolks” story).

Lieutenant-Colonel: On September 14, 1915 I was promoted to lieutenant-colonel due to my seniority. I served until the enemy evacuated Anafarta until October 22, 1915, when we moved to the Seddulbahir front. After that front was also evacuated we moved to Edirne and remained there resupplying and refitting until May 1916, when the division traveled via Mamure, Islahiye, Malatya and Harput , to the Kigi front on the left flank of the 2nd Caucasus Army,. where it took part in the battle of Enguzek with the Russians. In May 1917 I was ordered to the 4th Army and departed for Damascus. In Aleppo I was assigned to the command of the 140th Regiment, and remained in the Ceyhan-Yumurtalik area under the command of the 2nd Division until 15 June 1917. Later upon receipt of orders I went to Maan as Maan District (Mintika) commander and comamnder of the 178th Regiment. I served for a year under Cemal Pasa (note:Mersinli Cemal Pasa, Cemal Pasa the Lesser), commanding a task force (mufreze) consisting of the 178th and 146th Regiments, the Ester Cavalry Regiment and two batteries, taking part in actions against the Arabs at Koylapa. Later I returned to Damascus as Damascus District Commander and commander of Huran.
In March 1918 I was appointed Quartermaster-General (Levazim Baskani) for the 4th Division (I think this is an error; several other sources have him as QG for the 4th Army), serving in this capacity during the April-May battles of Salt Vadi-i Kefreyn. Although I was given command of the 53rd Division on 15 July 1918, I was unable to take up my post due to illness, and was sent to Istanbul for recuperation. Although I left Istanbul to take up my post, I got as far as Aleppo and returned to Istanbul with the army. On May 17 1919 I was posted to Konya as commander of the 33rd Regiment, and upon orders from the inspectorate served as provost-marshal (merkez komutani) there. In October 1919 I returned to Istanbul and was appointed Deputy to the Istanbul Garrison Commander (Istanbul Muhafiz Muavinligi), from which I resigned in May 1920. In November 1920 I was appointed to the ???(other sources say Personnal - Zatisleri) Commission. On December 27, 1920 I was given command of the 10th Regiment. On February 8th 1921 I left Istanbul for Inebolu, from here I went to Ankara (Note: The first person report ends here, listing his medals: Greek War medal in 1897; 5th Degree Mecidi Medal in 1905; 4th Osmani Medal in 1906; Award of a Year’s Seniority in 1914; Silver Combat Merit Medal in 1915; Silver Recognition (Imtiyaz) Medal with Swords, 1917; German Iron Crosses first and Second Class, 1918; Award of one year three months Seniority, 1918). He went to Ankara from Inebolu to join the Kemalists. He was infantry commander for the 24th Division at the Second Inonu Battle, was promoted to Colonel in 1921, and was given command of the 61st Division just before the Greek offensive which drove the Turkish forces back to the Sakarya River. As my father tells it, who heard the story from my grandfather’s orderly who was standing outside the door during the discussion, during the Eskisehir-Kutahya battle, where the Turkish front under command of General (later President) Ismet (Inonu) collapsed, Inonu apparently ordered two lieutenants from my grandfather’s division who had got lost shot for desertion in the face of the enemy. The two men had what we shall diplomatically call a major difference of opinion, which ended with my grandfather being relieved of his command and posted as district (mevki) commander to Polatli, where he served during the critical battles on the Sakarya River that stopped the Greek offensive before Ankara. He later became chairman of the Court-Martial for Senior Officers, and in 1922 was appointed commander of the Manisa Military District, where he retired in 1931 as a colonel.)

[stevebecker]

Mate,

What a history, something to be proud of.

I had a some what different story but the same with my GF who served as a German soldier in France Africa and Russia, on our Soldiers Day (Anzac Day) here in Australia both my GF and his brother inlaw (My GM brother) use to get together for drinks, as both served in Africa in WWII and fought each other at Tobruk, they use to joke about shooting across the wire at each other, one with the Africa Korps and the other in the 9th Australian Div.

S.B

[turcoscot]

I know the feeling; my mother's from south-west Scotland, and the King's Own Scottish Borderers were on the Helles front, I believe. I'm pretty sure I had some relatives there, although I can't trace anyone.

It is indeed history for both of us to be proud of, but also grounds for hope that we can put the old differences behind us and try to make the world a better place. Keep the great posts coming, and if you ever come to North Carolina I'll buy you a Sheaf Stout! Or at least the closest thing I can find locally.

Reha Uzsoy

[Tosun Saral]

Reha, Arabs dont have o, ö. They have only u in their alpabet. e. Rome, ararabs write Rum. We Turks have o,ö, u, ü, ı,i,c,ç,p,t,v, g,ğ. For that reason old arabic letters were not suitable to the turkish language. The good Turk created a new words. When it was written on the book the new turkish words were printed. But in the hand writing they used to write old arabic styl.Fot that reason your familymane sometimes written in hand writings Uz or Oz or Öz .It was no problem with soy. because soy has o.

[Tosun Saral]

UZ means 1. güzel, iyi. (NICE, GOOD, BEAUTİFUL)
"Az olsun, uz olsun, yeter ki temiz olsun"
2. eli işe yatkın, işini iyi yapan, becerikli, usta, uzman. ( MASTER, EXPERT,
SOY: Family
UZSOY: A familiy of good, nice, beautiful people, experts, masters

[turcoscot]

Tosun Ağabey, çok sagol - thanks very much. I must admit I did not know the etymology of our family name!

I hope you are well and in good health,

Cok çok hürmetler,

Reha

[stevebecker]

Mates,

Another word I am not sure of?

Top shown in Google tranlate as "Ball"

but used in the sentence

Sam'da Top onarim atelyeleri komutani

Which gives us

(Top repair workshops in Sam (Damascus) commander)

The officer is Capt Schnell

But what is the word "Top" mean here?

Does it mean to highest rank "Top officer" or the best unit ?

I was looking at possibly an Artillery repair workshop

as "Topçu" when used as;

"Agir Topçu Tabur Komutani Çanakkale'de(1.Ordu) ve Irak'ta agir Top Tabur. Kom"

(Heavy Artillery Battalion Commander Top Batur in Çanakkale (1st Ord) and Iraq. Kom.)

Any ideas

S.B

[Tosun Saral]

top: artillery gun
topçu:artillerist
Ağır topçu: heavy artillery
Tabur:battalion
komutan: commander
komutanı:the commander
Ağır Topçu Komutanı: The commader of Heavy artillery

[Tosun Saral]

top means also ball. During middle ages the artillety shot stone balls Those stone balls was called in turkish top and who shott the top was called topçu.
We have top (ball) today. we say fotboltopu (food ball ball)