The Fifth Army of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
or Turkish Fifth Army was formed on March 24, 1915 and dissolved on November 21, 1918. It was assigned the responsibility of defending the
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...
straits in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The original commander of the army was the
German military advisor to the Ottoman Empire, General
Otto Liman von Sanders. The command passed to Vehip Pasha who became responsible for the Helles front while von Sanders still wielded considerable influence.
Order of battle, April 1915
Structure in late April 1915
*
III Corps (
Esat Pasha)
**
7th Division,
9th Division,
19th Division (
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...
)
*
XV Corps (Colonel
Hans Kannengiesser)
**
3rd Division,
11th Division
*
Dardanelles Fortified Area Command
* One aircraft
squadron
When the Allied
Battle of Gallipoli, which aimed to seize the Dardanelles, commenced, the Fifth Army comprised the III Corps defending the Gallipoli peninsula and the XV Corps ("Asian Group") defending the Asian shore. The
5th Division was north of the peninsula in the First Army.
Order of Battle, Late Summer 1915
The number of divisions involved in the defence of the peninsula expanded to ten with an independent infantry regiment and a brigade of cavalry before the
Battle of Sari Bair (August Offensive).
*
I Corps
**
2nd Division,
3rd Division
*
II Corps
**
4th Division,
5th Division,
6th Division
*
III Corps
**
7th Division,
8th Division,
9th Division,
19th Division
*
IV Corps
**
10th Division,
11th Division,
12th Division
*
V Corps
**
13th Division,
14th Division,
15th Division
*
Dardanelles Fortified Area Command
* One aircraft squadron
Three more divisions were in the "Asian Group". The four divisions at Anzac made up the III Corps (6 at Helles, 4 at Anzac) plus additional troops..
Order of Battle, August 1916
In August 1916, the army was structured as follows
*
I Corps
**
14th Division,
16th Division
*
Dardanelles Fortified Area Command
Order of Battle, December 1916
In December 1916, the army was structured as follows:
*
XIV Corps
**
57th Division,
59th Division
*
Dardanelles Fortified Area Command
Order of Battle, August 1917, January 1918
In August 1917, January 1918, the army was structured as follows:
*
XIV Corps
**
57th Division
*
XIX Corps
**
59th Division
*
XXI Corps
**
49th Division
*
Dardanelles Fortified Area Command
Order of Battle, June, September 1918
In June, September 1918, the army was structured as follows:
*
XIV Corps
**
57th Division
*
XIX Corps
** None
*
XXI Corps
**
49th Division
*
Dardanelles Fortified Area Command
After Mudros
Order of Battle, November 1918
In November 1918, the army was structured as follows:
*
I Corps
**
55th Division
*
XIV Corps
**
49th Division,
60th Division,
61st Division
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
External links
Turkish Army at Gallipoli
{{Ottoman Forces during World War I
Field armies of the Ottoman Empire
Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire in World War I