The Second Army () of the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

has headquarters in

Malatya Malatya (; ; Syriac language, Syriac ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city has been a human settlement for thousands of y ...

. It protects

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

and it patrols the border with

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. Modern Turkish corps are referred to in TGS literature in

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...

(1st) numerals. It is not clear when the change occurred. An arbitrary date of 1945 has been chosen as the point at which to start referring to corps in Ottoman Turkish numerals.

History

The former headquarters of the 2nd Army, which was transferred from

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

to Malatya in 1983, was in Konya.

Formations

Order of battle, August 30, 1922

On August 30, 1922, the Second Army was organized as follows: Second Army HG (Commander:

Yakup Şevki Subaşı Yakup Şevki Subaşı (1876 in Harput – December 20, 1939 in Istanbul), also known as Yakub Shevki Pasha, was a general of the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army. He participated in the Defense of Gallipoli during World War I and after the ...

, Chief of Staff:

Hüseyin Hüsnü Emir Erkilet Hüseyin Hüsnü Emir Erkilet (12 March 1883 – 2 April 1958) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army. In the fall 1941 he, along with General Ali Fuad Erden, visited the occupied territories in Ukraine (includi ...

) *

III Corps III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * I ...

(

Şükrü Naili Gökberk Şükrü Naili Gökberk (1876 in Selanik, Salonica Vilayet, Ottoman Empire – 26 October 1936 in Edirne, Turkey]) was an officer of the Ottoman Army (1861–1922), Ottoman Army during World War I, reaching the rank of miralay ( senior col ...

) **61st Infantry Division (

Salih Omurtak Salih Omurtak (1889 – 23 June 1954) was a Turkish people, Turkish general and the fourth List of Chief Turkish General Staff, Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. Biography He was born 1889 in Thessaloniki, in the Salonic ...

) **41st Infantry Division (

Alâaddin Koval Alâaddin Koval (1882; Constantinople (Istanbul) - August 8, 1930; Istanbul) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army. See also *List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of Independence This list includes h ...

) **1st Infantry Division (

Abdurrahman Nafiz Gürman Abdelrahman or Abd al-Rahman or Abdul Rahman or Abdurrahman or Abdrrahman ( or occasionally ; DMG ''ʿAbd ar-Raḥman'') is a male Arabic Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' ...

) *

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army dur ...

(

Kâzım İnanç Kâzım İnanç (1880 – 21 September 1938) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army. He was of Kurdish origin.Nurettin Özsü Nurettin Özsü also known as Hussein Nureddin Bey or Hussein Nureddin Pasha (1879 in Istanbul – June 9, 1937) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army. He was well known for his defences on the Gallipoli peninsul ...

) **16th Infantry Division (

Aşir Atlı Aşir Atlı (1881; Kilis – October 23, 1957; Istanbul) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Armed Forces. He was of Circassian origin. See also *List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of Independence ...

)

Order of Battle, 1941

In June 1941, the Second Army was organized as follows: Second Army HQ (

Balıkesir Balıkesir () is a city in the Marmara Region, Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Balıkesir Province, which is also a Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality. As of 2022, the population of Balıkesir Province ...

, Commander:

) *Dardanelles and Marmara ** II Corps (

Gelibolu Gelibolu is a town in Çanakkale Province of the Marmara Region, located in Eastern Thrace in the European part of Turkey. It is located on the southern shore of the Gallipoli, peninsula named after it on the Dardanelles strait, away from Lapsek ...

) **Demirkapı Fortified Area Command ** I Corps (

Çanakkale Çanakkale is a city and seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. It is the seat of Çanakkale Province and Çanakkale District.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� ...

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

(

Bursa Bursa () 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 Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

) *Aegean and Mediterranean coasts **

XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII ( ...

(

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

) **İzmir Fortified Area Command

The 1970s and operation of Cyprus

From August 1970 to August 1972 Semih Sancar commanded 2nd Army Command. The ground forces detailed for the operation were put under the command of the 6th Corps/Second Army. They included the "Cakmak Special Strike Force", a brigade-level unit which would conduct the amphibious landing, the Commando Brigade, the Parachute Brigade, the 39th Infantry Division, the 28th motorised infantry division and elements of the 5th Armoured Brigade and the Jandarma. About 6,000 Turkish Cypriot fighters were stationed inside the Gönyeli enclave.

Order of Battle, 2010

Şükrü Sarıışık Şükrü Sarıışık (born 1945, Konya) is a retired Turkish general. He was Secretary-General of the National Security Council from 2003 to 2004, and then Commander of the Second Army. Sarıışık was appointed Commander of the Aegean Army ...

commanded 2004-06. From 30 August 2006 - 30 August 2008 General

Hasan Iğsız Hasan Iğsız (born 1946, Istanbul, Turkey) is a retired General in the Turkish Army. He was Commander of the First Army of Turkey from 2009 to 2010. He was formerly a defendant in the Internet Memorandum trial, where he was tried together with Tu ...

commanded 2nd Army. General

Necdet Özel Necdet Özel (born 1950) is a Turkish general, who served as the 28th Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces. He also served as the commander of the Turkish Land Forces. Özel is only the second in this position not to have NATO ex ...

commanded the army in 2008-2010. Estimated order of battle includes: * 6th Corps (

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

) **5th Armored Brigade (

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

) - units despatched to Turkish border August 17, 2012, during Syrian uprising.Army sends more guns, soldiers, to borderline

Hürriyet ''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is a major List of newspapers in Turkey, Turkish newspaper, founded in 1948. it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' combines entertainment with news coverage and ...

, August 17, 2012 **39th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (

İskenderun İskenderun (), historically known as Alexandretta (, ) and Scanderoon, is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Hatay Province, Turkey. Its area is 247 km2, and its population is 251,682 (2022). It is on the Mediterranean coas ...

) **106th Artillery Regiment (

İslahiye İslahiye is a municipality and district of Gaziantep Province, Turkey. Its area is 865 km2, and its population is 67,650 (2022). It is a railway border crossing into Syria. Near İslahiye is the site of ancient Nicopolis. The railway stat ...

) * 7th Corps (

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...

) **3rd Tactical Infantry Division (3 üncü Piyade Tümen Komutanlığı) (

Yüksekova Yüksekova (; ) is a municipality (belde) in the Yüksekova District of Hakkâri Province in Turkey and is the largest city in the province. The city is populated by Kurds of different tribal backgrounds including non-tribal and is considered p ...

) **16th Mechanized Brigade (Diyarbakır) **20th Mechanized Brigade (

Şanlıurfa Urfa, officially called Şanlıurfa (), is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. The city was known as Edessa from Hellenistic times and into Christian times. Urfa is situated on a plain about east of the Eup ...

) - units despatched to Turkish border August 17, 2012, during Syrian uprising. ** 70th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (

Mardin Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...

) **172nd Armored Brigade (

Silopi Silopi () is a city and seat of Silopi District in the Şırnak Province of Turkey. The city is mainly populated by Kurds of Sipêrtî and Zewkan tribes and had a population of 108,880 in 2023. Adalet Fidan of the HDP was elected mayor in ...

) ** 2nd Motorized Infantry Brigade (

Lice Louse (: lice) is the common name for any member of the infraorder Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera was previously recognized as an order, until a 2021 genetic study determined th ...

) ** 6th Motorized Infantry Brigade ( Akçay) **3rd Commando Brigade (

Siirt Siirt (; ; ; ) is a city in the Siirt District of Siirt Province in Turkey. It had a population of 160,340 in 2021. The city is predominantly inhabited by Kurds. Neighborhoods The city is divided into the neighborhoods of Afetevlerı, Alan, ...

) **107th Artillery Regiment (

Siverek Siverek (; ; ) is a municipality and district of Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. Its area is 3,936 km2, and its population is 267,942 (2022). Siverek is in the Şanlıurfa province but is geographically closer to the large city of Diyarbakır (a ...

)

Reported order of battle, 2012, during Syrian uprising

The 2nd Army Command, headquartered in

, has the second-highest number of troops after the

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

-based 1st Army Command, comprising roughly 100,000 soldiers. It is under the control of the Commander of the Land Forces, and includes these affiliated units:TSK düğmeye bastı
/ref> * 4th Corps (

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

) * 6th Corps (

) * 7th Corps (

) *3rd Tactical Infantry Division (

) *28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade ( Mamak) *58th Artillery Brigade (

Polatlı Polatlı (formerly Ancient Greek: Γόρδιον, Górdion and Latin: Gordium) is a municipality and district of Ankara Province, Turkey. Its area is 3,618 km2, and its population is 128,378 (2022). It is 80 km west of the Turkish capital ...

) *1st Commando Brigade ( Talas) *2nd Commando Brigade (

Bolu Bolu is a city in northern Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province and of Bolu District,Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

) *39th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (

) *106th Artillery Regiment (

) *34th Border Brigade (

Şemdinli Şemdinli (, or ) is a town located in the Şemdinli District of Hakkari Province in Turkey and had a population of 18,220 in 2023. The current mayor is Tahir Saklı from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), elected in 2019. The town is ...

) *16th Mechanized Brigade (Diyarbakır) *20th Armored Brigade (

) *70th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (

) *172nd Armored Brigade (

) *2nd Motorized Infantry Brigade (

) *6th Motorized Infantry Brigade ( Akçay) *3rd Commando Brigade (

) *107th Artillery Regiment (

)

Commanders

Notes

External links

*http://www.noev-kovcheg.ru/mag/2007-06/719.html - Russian page with details on 7th Corps of Second Army *https://www.iswresearch.org/2020/03/turkeys-military-buildup-in-syrias.html - Turkish deployments in Syria, 2020 {{Turkish army formations Turkish 02 Army Military units and formations of Turkey in the Turkish War of Independence Malatya Military units and formations established in 1923 Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1923 1923 establishments in Turkey