The First Army or First Guards 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 ...

( Turkish: ''Birinci Ordu'' or ''Hassa Ordusu'') was one of the field armies 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, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

: 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 groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

: Five line regiments and one Cossack brigade. **Cavalry Division (''Süvari Fırkası'') *

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

: 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, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

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

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and the

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

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

Kastamonu Kastamonu, formerly Kastamone/Castamone () and Kastamon/Castamon (), is a city in northern Turkey. It is the seat of Kastamonu Province and Kastamonu District.

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

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 ( ...

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

Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...

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 lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

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

, Constantinople * II Corps, Tekfur Dağı (Mirliva Şevket Turgut Pasha) **4th Infantry Division, Tekfur Dağı **5th Infantry Division, Gallipoli **6th Infantry Division, Izmir ** Dardanelles Fortified Area Command, Çanakkale * III Corps, Kırk Kilise **7th Infantry Division, Kırk Kilise **8th Infantry Division, Çorlu **9th Infantry Division, Babaeski * IV Corps, Adrianople (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. * I Corps ** 1st Division, 2nd Division, 3rd Division * II Corps ** 4th Division, 5th Division, 6th Division * III Corps ** 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. * I Corps **1st Division, 2nd Division, 3rd Division * II Corps **4th Division, 5th Division, 6th Division * III Corps **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. * I Corps **1st Division, 2nd Division * II Corps **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. * I Corps **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. * I Corps ** 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. * I Corps **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. * I Corps **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. * I Corps **42nd Division *1st Cavalry Brigade

After Mudros

First Army Troops Inspectorate, May 1919

In April 1919, Şevket Turgut Pasha, Cevat Pasha 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 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) 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) ** I Corps (Adrianople, Miralay Cafer Tayyar Bey) ***49th Division ***60th Division ** XIV Corps (Tekfurdağı,

Mirliva ''Mirliva'' or ''Mîr-i livâ'' was a military rank of the Ottoman Army and Navy. It corresponds to brigadier general ( modern Turkish: ''Tuğgeneral'') and division general ( modern Turkish: ''Tümgeneral'') in the modern Turkish Army. ''M ...

Yusuf Izzet Pasha) ***55th Division ***61st Division ** XVII Corps (Smyrna, Mirliva Ali Nadir Pasha, 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, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

) 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 (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 Military units and formations established in the 1800s