View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE This article was downloaded by: [McGill University Library] provided by ZENODO On: 11 October 2012, At: 05:08 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Royal United Services Institution. Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rusi19 The Turkish Army in the Great War Lieut.-Colonel C. C. R. Murphy a a Indian Army Version of record first published: 11 Sep 2009. To cite this article: Lieut.-Colonel C. C. R. Murphy (1920): The Turkish Army in the Great War, Royal United Services Institution. Journal, 65:457, 90-104 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03071842009419360 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and- conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. THE TURKISH ARMY IN THE GREAT WAR. By LIEUT.-COLONELC. C. R. MURPHY,Indian Army. IN the following article it is proposed to set down certain facts and figures regarding the Turkish Army and to explain some of its more obscure formations. Orders of battle at several decisive stages of the war have been added by way of further elucidating the part played by Turkey in the great struggle. A complete order of battle of the whole Turkish Army is unfortunately too lengthy a statement to be included in this article, as it deals with no less than 63 replar'infantry divisions and seven Caucasus infantry divisions, or 70 in all ; also with 191 regular regiments and 17 Caucasus regiments. Of the 70 divisions some 24 regular and all the Caucasus divisions were formed after the outbreak of war. The records in the Ministry of War at Constantinople show that in August, 19x4, the Turkish army consisted of thirty-nine infantry divisions, namely, those numbered from one to forty, excluding the 19th and 20th, which were not formed until the beginning of 1g15,.and the 57th Division, which.was in the Fifth Army in the Adalia area. Very few of these divisions were up to peace strength, and there were not more than 150,000 combatants in the whole Turkish Army. From the date of the order for general mobilization up to the signing of the Armistice, nearly 2,700,000 men were called to arms, making a grand total of 2,850,000 men. When it is considered-that the number of adult males in the Ottoman Empire, including Arabs, Circassians, Kurds, Moslem immigrants from many lands, Armenians, Jews, Greeks, and others, who were eligible for military service when war was declared, or who became eligible during the four succeeding years, was perhaps less than four and a half million, it will be admitted that these Turkish mobilization figures represent a great achievement. The strength of the Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 05:08 11 October 2012 Turkish Army appears to have reached its maximum about May, 1916, that is to say, just after the fall of Kut-al-Amarah, when it comprised forty-three divisions and aggregated roughly G50,ooo combatants. The Turkish General Staff estimate their total casualties; up to the signing of the Armistice, at nearly two and a quarter millions1 including deserters. The number of the latter will never be known with any accuracy, but it is supposed to have reached the amazing total of four hundred thousand. 1 This is merely an estimate and probably a high one at that. The organization necessary for keeping an accurate record of casualties did not exist in the Turkish Army. TILE TURKISII ARMY IN THE GRE.IT \VAR 91 During this war the Turkish Army has contained several formations and units which have puzzled us considerably. A description of some of these may therefore be of interest. The Yildiriiit Army Grotcp.-Yilhirim means lightning ; it was applied as a nickname to Sultan Bayazid at the end of the 14th century, and alluded to the rapidity of his movements. The Yildirim Army Group was formed on July 15th~ 1917, with the object of recapturing Baghdad, and was to consist of the 6th Amy, already in Mesopotamia, and the 7th Army, which was being newly formed in Constantinople from the troops returning from Galicia, Rumania, and hiacedonia. The original scheme was, however, practically strangled at birth. For strategical reasons the Palestine front, which was then being held by the 4th Army, was taken over by the 8th Army, the 4th Army Command being changed to that of “ The Syrian and Western Arabian General Command,” with its headquarters at Damascus. This change did not last long and on January 17th, 1918, it again became that of the 4th Army and was placed under the Yildirim Army Group, the 48th Division, the Amman Expeditionary Force, and some scattered units being added on February ~3rd.Two days later the 6th Army joined the Yildirim, which now therefore consisted of the 4th, 7th, and 8th Armies. Marshal Liman von Sanders was appointed to the Yildirim Command in February, 1918, in place of Marshal von Falkenhayn, but he did not actually take over the command till March 1st. After the Palestine retreat the 8th Army headquarters were disbanded at Smyrna on October 10th. Those of the 4th Army were disbanded on October 15th~and those of the 7th and Yildirim Army Group itself on November 4th. At the time of the retreat the 2nd Army was also placed under. the Yildirim. Its headquarters were disbanded on December 15th. The following is a translation of the original order for the formation of the Yildirim Army Group :- General Headquarters, 15th September, 1917. I. A new Group Command will be formed under the name of the Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 05:08 11 October 2012 Yildirim Army Group Command. The Group Commander will remain in Constantinople for the present. a. Field-Marshal von Falkenhayn Pasha has been appointed Com- mander of the Yildirim Army Group and Colonel von Dummes Bey has been appointed Chief of his Staff. 3. The 6th and 7th Armies will come under the Yildirim Army Group. 4. For the present the Order of Battle will be as follows :- (a) 6th Amy. 13th Army Corps. and, 6th, and 46th Divisions. 18th Army Corps. 14th, SIst, and 52nd Divisions. 92 THE TURKISH ARJIY IN TIIE GREAT U’AR (b) 7th Army. 3rd Army Corps. ~4th~50th~ and 59th Divisions. 15th Army Corps. 19th and 20th Divisions. (c) Germnit Asiatic Colitittit. 5. The 6th Army will be placed under the command of the Yildirim Army Group from the 16th September, 1917. 6. The headquarter personnel of the 7th Army will be completed by the RIinistry of War as soon as possible. IVhen this has been done the 7th Army will come under the command of the Yildirim Army Group. 7. For the present the headquarters of the 7th Army will be in Constantinople. The troops of the 7th Army will be placed under the command of that Army as soon as they-reach Constantinople. The 1st Army in Constantinople will keep the 7th Army Command informed as to the arrival of these troops. 8. The instructions regarding the official relationship between the Army Commands and the Yildirim Army Group Command will be issued as a separate order. 9. The 2nd and 4th Armies and the Yildirim Army Gfoup will exchange Daily War Reports. 10. The telegraphic address of the Yildirim Army Group head- quarters will be *‘ Yildirim Group Command Constantinople.” 11. This address will be sent to all telegraphic centres in the Empire by the Yildirim Army Group Command who will be responsible that this order is carried out. (Signed) ENVER, No. 5392. Mevleui BaffnZiorts.-At the outbreak of war the Mevlevi, or dancing dervish, community offered their services to the Empire i,n order to encourage recruiting and to give religious support to the army. It will be recalled that these BIevlevis have monasteries in various parts of the Ottoman Empire and have considerable influence amongst certain classes of the people. The offer was accepted and a battalion 800 strong, Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 05:08 11 October 2012 consisting entirely of hkvlevi dervishes, was formed in December, 1914, at Konia, the Mevlevi capital. From there it was sent down to Damascus, where it remained for two years. At the end of August, 1916, a second battalion was added and the two battalions formed into the RZevlevi Regiment, The 2nd Battalion was not composed of dervishes, but of ordinary recruits. The regiment did no fighting until the final phases of the Palestine operations, and was disbanded at the end of September, 1918. The Cotistnittiitople Fire Brigade,-A famous regiment forming part of the 1st Army. Their permanent station is Constantinople and their principal duties are those of an ordinary city fire brigade, but they also TIIE TURKISH ARMY IN THE GREAT WAR 93 furnish guards at places like the Ministry of War and they attend cere- monial parades, such as the Selamlik, in which they take a picturesque part.