The Iraq Area Command or Iraq Regional Command 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) ...
( tr, Irak ve Havalisi Genel Komutanlığı) was one of the military formation of the
Ottoman Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire.
Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...
. It was formed in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
in the initial stage of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Formations
Order of Battle, November 1914
In November 1914, the corps 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.
*Iraq Area Command (Commander: Cavit Pasha)
** 38th Division
Order of Battle, January 1915
In January 1918, the corps was structured as follows:
*Iraq Area Command (Commander:
Kaymakam
Kaymakam, also known by many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been retained a ...
Süleyman Askerî Bey)
** 38th Division
**Sahrıca Detachment (Provisional Dicle Division since January 25, 1915)
**Kerha Group
**Fırat Group
Because Süleyman Askerî Bey committed suicide on April 14, 1915, Nureddin Bey was appointed the commander on April 20. Nureddin Bey arrived in June to take command of the Iraq Area Command and he was appointed the Governor of Basra Province and Baghdad Province at the same time. On December 21, 1915, German
Generalfeldmarschall
''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...
Colmar von der Goltz
Wilhelm Leopold Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz (12 August 1843 – 19 April 1916), also known as ''Goltz Pasha'', was a Prussian Field Marshal and military writer.
Military career
Goltz was born in , East Prussia (later renamed Goltzhausen; now ...
arrived at
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
and changed the name of the Command as the Iraq Army (''Irak Ordusu'').
Order of Battle, Late 1915
In late 1915, the corps was structured as follows:Orhan Avcı, ''Irak'ta Türk Ordusu (1914–1918)'', Vadi Yayınları, 2004, , p. 29.
*Iraq Area Command (Commander: