The First Army or First Guards Army of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

( Turkish: ''Birinci Ordu'' or ''Hassa Ordusu'') was one of the

field armies A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and wit ...

of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the middle 19th century during Ottoman military reforms.

Formations

Order of Battle, 1877

In 1877, it was stationed in Selimiye. It was composed of: *

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

: Seven line regiments and seven rifle battalion.Ian Drury, Illustrated by Raffaele Ruggeri, ''The Russo-Turkish War 1877'', Men-at-Arms 277, Ospray Publishing Ltd., Reprinted 1999, , p. 35. **1st Regular Infantry Division (''Birinci Nizamiye Fırkası'')Edward J. Erickson, ''Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912-1913'', Westport, Praeger, 2003, p. 6. **2nd Regular Infantry Division (''İkinci Nizamiye Fırkası'') *

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...

: Five line regiments and one

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

brigade. **Cavalry Division (''Süvari Fırkası'') *

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

: Nine field and three horse batteries, one İhtiyat regiment. **Artillery Division (''Topçu Fırkası'') *

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

: One sapper company, eight companies of engineers, one company of artificers. **Engineer regiment (''İstihkâm Alayı'') x 2

Order of Battle, 1908

After the Young Turk Revolution and the establishment of the

Second Constitutional Era The Second Constitutional Era ( ota, ایكنجی مشروطیت دورى; tr, İkinci Meşrutiyet Devri) was the period of restored parliamentary rule in the Ottoman Empire between the 1908 Young Turk Revolution and the 1920 dissolution of the ...

on July 3, 1908, the new government initiated a major military reform. Army headquarters were modernized. Its operational area was

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

and the

Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

, and it had units in Europe and Asia Minor. It commanded the following active divisions: The First Army also had inspectorate functions for four ''Redif'' (reserve) divisions: *First Army Headquarters: **1st Infantry Division (''Birinci Fırka'') **2nd Infantry Division (''İkinci Fırka'') **1st Cavalry Division (''Birinci Süvari Fırkası'') **1st Artillery Division (''Birinci Topçu Fırkası'') ** Chataldja Fortified Area Command (''Çatalca Müstahkem Mevkii Komutanlığı'') * Redif divisions of the First Army (name of the division denotes its location) **1st

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

Reserve Infantry Division (''Birinci Bursa Redif Fırkası'') **2nd

Kastamonu Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. (Population of the urban center in 2010 is 91,012.) The ...

Reserve Infantry Division (''İkinci Kastamonu Redif Fırkası'') **3rd

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

Reserve Infantry Division (''Üçüncü Ankara Redif Fırkası'') **4th

Kayseri Kayseri (; el, Καισάρεια) is a large industrialised city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri province. The Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality area is composed of five districts: the two central districts of Kocasina ...

Reserve Infantry Division (''Dördüncü Kayseri Redif Fırkası'')

Order of Battle, 1911

With further reorganizations of the Ottoman Army, to include the creation of corps level headquarters, by 1911 the Army was headquartered in Harbiye. The Army before the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

in 1911 was structured as such: *Army Headquarters, Harbiye, Constantinople *

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

, Harbiye, Constantinople (Ferik Zeki Pasha) **1st Infantry Division, Harbiye, Constantinople (Colonel Hasan İzzet Bey) **2nd Infantry Division, Selimiye, Constantinople (Mirliva Prens Aziz Pasha) **3rd Infantry Division, Pangaltı, Constantinople (Mirliva Osman Pasha) ** War Academy, Harbiye, Constantinople **

Bosporus Fortified Area Command The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

, Constantinople *

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

, Tekfur Dağı (Mirliva Şevket Turgut Pasha) **4th Infantry Division, Tekfur Dağı **5th Infantry Division, Gallipoli **6th Infantry Division, Izmir **

Dardanelles Fortified Area Command The Dardanelles Fortified Area Command or Mediterranean Strait Fortified Area Command or Çanakkale Fortified Area Command ( Turkish: ''Bahr-i Sefîd Boğazı Mevki(i) Müstahkem Komutanlığı'' or ''Akdeniz Boğazı Müstahkem Mevki(i) Komutanl� ...

, Çanakkale *

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of t ...

, Kırk Kilise **7th Infantry Division, Kırk Kilise **8th Infantry Division, Çorlu **9th Infantry Division,

Babaeski Babaeski is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The countyship has a population of 29,342 and the total area of the district is 652 km2. Name The name Babaeski is believed to have originated accordin ...

* IV Corps,

Adrianople Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis ( Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian border ...

(Ferik Ahmet Abuk Pasha) **10th Infantry Division, Adrianople **11th Infantry Division, Dedeağaç **12th Infantry Division, Gümülcine ** Adrianople Fortified Area Command, Adrianople

World War I

Commanders

* Otto Liman von Sanders (November 1914–March 1915) * Colmar von der Goltz (March–October 1915) * Esat Pasha (October 1915–24 February 1918)

Order of Battle, August 1914

In August 1914, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 38. *

** 1st Division, 2nd Division, 3rd Division *

** 4th Division,

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *5th Division (Australia) * 5th Division (People's Republic of China) * 5th Division (Colombia) * Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) *5th Light Cavalry Division (France) * 5th M ...

, 6th Division *

** 7th Division, 8th Division, 9th Division *1st Cavalry Brigade

Order of Battle, November 1914

In November 1914, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 43. *

**1st Division, 2nd Division, 3rd Division *

**4th Division, 5th Division, 6th Division *

**7th Division, 8th Division, 9th Division * IV Corps ** 10th Division, 11th Division, 12th Division * 19th Division * 20th Division *1st Cavalry Brigade

Order of Battle, Late April 1915

In late April 1915, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 86. *

**1st Division, 2nd Division *

**4th Division, 5th Division, 6th Division * IV Corps **10th Division, 12th Division *20th Division *1st Cavalry Brigade

Order of Battle, Late Summer 1915, January 1916

In late Summer 1915, January 1916, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 109, 126. *1st Division *20th Division *1st Cavalry Brigade

Order of Battle, August 1916

In August 1916, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 134. *1st Cavalry Brigade * 49th Division

Order of Battle, December 1916

In December 1916, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 154. *

**14th Division, 16th Division *1st Cavalry Brigade

Order of Battle, August 1917

In August 1917, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 170. *

** 42nd Division *1st Cavalry Brigade

Order of Battle, January 1918

In January 1918, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 181. *

**42nd Division *1st Cavalry Brigade * 15th Division * 25th Division

Order of Battle, June 1918

In June 1918, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 188. *

**42nd Division *1st Cavalry Brigade *25th Division

Order of Battle, September 1918

In September 1918, the army was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 197. *

**42nd Division *1st Cavalry Brigade

After Mudros

First Army Troops Inspectorate, May 1919

In April 1919, Şevket Turgut Pasha,

Cevat Pasha Cevat is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Cevat Rıfat Atilhan (1892–1967), Turkish career officer, antisemitic writer, initiator of the 1934 Thrace pogroms * Cevat Çobanlı (1870–1938), military commander of the Ottoman ...

and Kavaklı Mustafa Fevzi Pasha hold a secret meeting in Constantinople. They prepared a report called "Trio Oath" (''Üçler Misâkı'') and decided to establish army inspectorate for the defense of homeland. In late April, Kavaklı Mustafa Fevzi Pasha submitted this report to the Minister of War Şakir Pasha. On April 30, 1919, the War Ministry and Sultan

Mehmed VI Mehmed VI Vahideddin ( ota, محمد سادس ''Meḥmed-i sâdis'' or ''Vaḥîdü'd-Dîn''; tr, VI. Mehmed or /; 14 January 1861 – 16 May 1926), also known as Şahbaba () among the Osmanoğlu family, was the 36th and last Sultan of the ...

ratified the decision about the establishing of army inspectorates that had been accepted by the Chief of General Staff And then the First Army Troops Inspectorate (stationed in Constantinople, Kavaklı Mustafa Fevzi Pasha), the Yildirim Troops Inspectorate (stationed in Konya, Mersinli Cemal Pasha, later Second Army Inspectorate) Inspectorate, the Ninth Army Troops Inspectorate (stationed in Erzurum, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, later Third Army Inspectorate) was formed. Additionally, the Rumeli Military Troops Inspectorate (

Nureddin Pasha Nureddin Ibrahim Pasha ( tr, Nurettin Paşa, Nureddin İbrahim Paşa; 1873 – 18 February 1932), known as Nureddin İbrahim Konyar from 1934, was a Turkish military officer who served in the Ottoman Army during World War I and in the Turkis ...

) would be established and the XIII Corps would be under the direction of the Ministry of War. In May 1919, the army inspectorate was structured as follows:Zekeriya Türkmen, ''Mütareke Döneminde Ordunun Durumu ve Yeniden Yapılanması (1918-1920)'', Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, 2001, , pp. 109-110. *First Army Troops Inspectorate (''Birinci Ordu Kıt'aatı Müfettişliği'', Constantinople, Inspector: Ferik Kavaklı Mustafa Fevzi Pasha) **

(Adrianople, Miralay Cafer Tayyar Bey) ***49th Division ***60th Division **

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

(Tekfurdağı,

Mirliva ''Mirliva'' or ''Mîr-i livâ'' was a military rank of the Ottoman Army and Navy. It corresponds to a brigadier general (modern Turkish: ''Tuğgeneral'') in the modern Turkish Army. ''Mirliva'' is a compound word composed of ''Mir'' ( command ...

Yusuf Izzet Pasha Yusuf Izzet Pasha (; born 1876 in Yozgat – died April 15, 1922 in Ankara) was a Turkish general of Circassian origin, who served both the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army. See also *List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of ...

) ***55th Division ***61st Division ** XVII Corps (Smyrna, Mirliva

Ali Nadir Pasha ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

, transferred to the Yildirim Army Troops Inspectorate after the Occupation of Smyrna) ***56th Division ***57th Division ** XXV Corps (Constantinople, Mirliva Ali Sait Pasha) ***1st Division ***10th Caucasian Division

Commanders

* Müşir (

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

) Hasan Rıza Pasha (September 6, 1843 – February 3, 1847) * Müşir Mehmet Rüşdi Pasha (February 3, 1847-March 1849) * Müşir Mahmut Pasha (March 1849-Aug 7, 1852) * Müşir Mehmet Selim Pasha (August 8, 1852 – May 15, 1853, May 1855-November 1857) * Müşir Mehmet Reşit Pasha (September 1854-May 1855) * Müşir Mehmet Vasıf Pasha (November 1856-September 4, 1857, -1860) * Müşir Namık Pasha (July 1860-September 1861) * Müşir Mehmet Fuat Pasha (September 1861-June 1863) * Müşir Hüseyin Avni Pasha (June 1863-20 Aralık 1865) * Müşir Abdülkerim Nadir Pasha (December 20, 1865 – June 3, 1868) * Müşir Ömer Lütfi Pasha (June 4, 1868 – December 3, 1869) * Müşir Mehmet İzzet Pasha (December 4, 1869 – August 27, 1870, January 1873-February 1873) * Müşir Ahmet Esat Pasha (August 27, 1870 – September 1, 1871) * Şehzade Yusuf İzzettin Efendi (September 1, 1871-January 1873) * Müşir Mehmet Redif Pasha (February 1873-June 1876) * Müşir Derviş İbrahim Pasha (June 1876-June 1877) * Ferik Hüseyin Hüsnü Pasha (June 1877-March 1878) * Müşir

Osman Nuri Pasha Osman Nuri Pasha ( ota, عثمان نوری پاشا‎; 1832, Tokat, Ottoman Empire – 4 to 5 April 1900, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire), also known as Ghazi Osman Pasha ( tr, Gazi Osman Paşa), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman field mars ...

(March 1878-July 12, 1880) * Müşir İsmail Hakkı Pasha (July 12, 1880 – 1881) * Müşir Mehmed Rauf Pasha bin Abdi Pasha (1881–1908) * Ferik Ömer Yaver Pasha (August 24, 1909 – June 3, 1910) * Ferik Zeki Pasha (June 4, 1910 – March 1, 1911) * Mirliva Mahmut Şevket Pasha (March 2, 1911 – August 30, 1912) * Müşir Abdullah Pasha (August 31, 1912 – 1913) * Müşir Otto Liman von Sanders (August 3, 1914 – April 2, 1915) * Müşir Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz (April 2, 1915 – October 5, 1915) * Mirliva Mehmet Esat Pasha (October 12, 1915 – February 17, 1918)

Sources

External links

* Haşim Söylemez
"Birinci Ordu, kıt’a dur!"
'' Aksiyon'', Sayı: 778 / Tarih: 2 Kasım 2009. {{Ottoman Forces during World War I Field armies of the Ottoman Empire Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire in World War I