The 66th Mechanized Infantry Division, is a

mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps). As defined by the United States Army, me ...

and division of the

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

, headquartered in

Çorlu Çorlu () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, northwestern Turkey. Its area is 531 km2, and its population is 300,296 (2024). It is a rapidly growing industrial center built on flatland located on the motorway Otoyol 3 and ...

, Turkey. It consists of approximately 4,200 troops and has participated in NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) since 2021, when Turkey assumed leadership of the force for the first time. It is part of the 3rd Corps and the

NATO Rapid Deployable Corps The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. SHAPE is situated in the v ...

(NRDC-T). Along with VJTF, the total personnel strength expands to around 6,400 soldiers.

Structure

The 66th Mechanized Infantry Division is part of the 3rd Corps under the command of the First Army, located in

Şişli Şişli () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 10 km2, and its population is 276,528 (2022). Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş ...

, Istanbul. Within the division, the 52nd Armored Division is included, which consists of the 1st and 2nd Armored Brigades. The 1st Armored Brigade is stationed in Hadımköy, while the 2nd Armored Brigade is based in

Kartal Kartal () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 38 km2, and its population is 483,418 (2022). It is located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Marmara Sea between Maltepe and Pendik. De ...

, both in Istanbul. The 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade was previously located in Hasdal, Istanbul. However, it was relocated to

Tekirdağ Province Tekirdağ Province (, ) is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey. Its area is 6,190 km2, and its population is 1,142,451 (2022). It is located in the East Thrace region of the country, also known as European Turkey, one of only t ...

. * First Army –

Selimiye Barracks Selimiye Barracks (), also known as Scutari Barracks, is a Turkish Army barracks located in Selimiye in the Üsküdar district on the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey. It was originally built in 1800 by Sultan Selim III for the soldiers of the ...

, Istanbul ** 3rd Corps –

, Istanbul *** 52nd Armored Division **** 1st Armored Brigade – Hadımköy, Istanbul **** 2nd Armored Brigade – Kartal, Istanbul ****66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade –

Coup attempt

In the indictment concerning 132 high-ranking officers, 55 of whom were under arrest as of 2017, details emerged about their involvement in the 2016 coup attempt orchestrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). These personnel were allegedly responsible for organizing the coup on the European Side of Istanbul and held a meeting at the 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command in

Esenler Esenler is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 43 km2, and its population is 445,421 (2022). It is on its European side. Esenler is mainly densely packed, working class residential in the midst of its indust ...

. The brigade played a central role during the coup attempt, with armored vehicles being deployed to key locations such as

Atatürk Airport Atatürk Airport is an airport currently in use for private jets. It used to be the primary international airport of Istanbul and the hub of Turkish Airlines until it was closed to commercial aviation, commercial passenger flights on 6 April ...

and Vatan Avenue. The indictment included details reflected in the crime scene's camera footage, providing crucial evidence of the events that transpired at the brigade command. Following the failed coup attempt,

armored vehicle Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighti ...

s were relocated from the Baştabya Barracks, affiliated with the 66th Mechanized Armored Infantry Brigade Command. This was part of a broader initiative to move military barracks out of Istanbul and

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 ( ...

. Since the coup was executed, the brigade was permanently moved to

district of

in the same year on 22 August 2016.

Land allotment

A 130-hectare section of military land in

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 ...

, home to the 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command, was allocated to

TÜRGEV TÜRGEV (Turkish Youth and Education Service Foundation) is a foundation established in 1996 under the leadership of the then Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It continues its activities as a non-profit foundation ...

(Turkish Youth and Education Service Foundation) to build a university. However, the allocation was canceled following TÜRGEV's involvement in the December 17 corruption investigation, which linked the foundation to

Bilal Erdoğan Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan (born 23 April 1981) is a Turkish businessman and the second-born child of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Early life Necmettin Bilal was born on 24 April 1981, the second child of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Emine Erdoğ ...

, the son of prime minister

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

. The process was suspended by the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

Footnotes

References

{{reflist Mechanized divisions of Turkey Infantry divisions of Turkey