hi when starting my first writing in this plateform.
ý want to learn your ideas and dissisions about ottoman army in the first world war.Do you thiink that turks make a good work in that war for fighting a lot of areas Yemen to Romania? What is the situation of Çanakkale War(1914-1915) in the world war history?
thanks;)
the stiation of ottoman army inn the first world war
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cry_of_the_reed
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- Location: istanbul/TURKEY
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Peter H
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Welcome to the forum.
Ed Ericksons' Ordered to Die promotes the view of an Ottoman Army well commanded by its Turkish General Staff,fighting a defensive war to its best of its ability by overcoming problems in transportation,supplies and the elements.It was not prone to any major collapse and exaggerations about desertions in front line Anatolian units are just that.
The Ottomans did not suffer large,unnecessary casualties either:
Ed Ericksons' Ordered to Die promotes the view of an Ottoman Army well commanded by its Turkish General Staff,fighting a defensive war to its best of its ability by overcoming problems in transportation,supplies and the elements.It was not prone to any major collapse and exaggerations about desertions in front line Anatolian units are just that.
The Ottomans did not suffer large,unnecessary casualties either:
The actual combat related lose rate(10.6 percent) was similar to that of other combatants.Diseas was the great killer of men,particularly in Mesopotamia and in Caucasia.
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bob lembke
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- Location: Philadelphia, PA
The Ottoman Army
Merhaba!
I think that the Ottoman Army did rather well, generally, considering their many serious problems, such as there serious losses just before in the Balkan Wars, their many shortages of equipment and supplies, etc., etc. They of course performed better when closer to home, such as Gallipoli. Most people do not know that, at Gallipoli, not only did the Turks have problems such as very little artillery ammunition, and what they had usually not exploding on impact, but also at almost every phase of the battle they actually were outmanned, as well as out-gunned.
My father fought at Gallipoli as a volunteer German pioneer, and he loved the Turks. He fought through the whole war, and in the German civil war after it, and he felt that the Turkish troops were the best troops he encountered, as allies or as enemies, with the exception of a few elite German storm units, such as the Storm Battalion Rohr. They were not the best technically, but in their heart, their bravery.
After the war my father was happy to help get some German weapons to Turkey, which was being invaded by the Greeks, and most of the "West" would not help in any way.
We will be happy to have you contribute to our discussions. Most English-language sources have very poor insight into the Ottoman side of the history.
I have a particular question of my own. I believe that the Germans gave the Ottoman Army 30 flame throwers during the war, and I believe I have seen a picture of a Turkish flame thrower team training at a training ground in Galicia, on the East Front. Do you know anything about any use of these weapons in the war by the Ottoman Army? I even went to the Military Library at the Askeri Muze (pardon the missing accent) in Istanbul last September, with no success. Any guidance would be very welcome.
Bob Lembke
I think that the Ottoman Army did rather well, generally, considering their many serious problems, such as there serious losses just before in the Balkan Wars, their many shortages of equipment and supplies, etc., etc. They of course performed better when closer to home, such as Gallipoli. Most people do not know that, at Gallipoli, not only did the Turks have problems such as very little artillery ammunition, and what they had usually not exploding on impact, but also at almost every phase of the battle they actually were outmanned, as well as out-gunned.
My father fought at Gallipoli as a volunteer German pioneer, and he loved the Turks. He fought through the whole war, and in the German civil war after it, and he felt that the Turkish troops were the best troops he encountered, as allies or as enemies, with the exception of a few elite German storm units, such as the Storm Battalion Rohr. They were not the best technically, but in their heart, their bravery.
After the war my father was happy to help get some German weapons to Turkey, which was being invaded by the Greeks, and most of the "West" would not help in any way.
We will be happy to have you contribute to our discussions. Most English-language sources have very poor insight into the Ottoman side of the history.
I have a particular question of my own. I believe that the Germans gave the Ottoman Army 30 flame throwers during the war, and I believe I have seen a picture of a Turkish flame thrower team training at a training ground in Galicia, on the East Front. Do you know anything about any use of these weapons in the war by the Ottoman Army? I even went to the Military Library at the Askeri Muze (pardon the missing accent) in Istanbul last September, with no success. Any guidance would be very welcome.
Bob Lembke