The First Army of the

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

() is one of the four

field armies A field army (also known as numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps. It may be subordinate to an army group. Air armies are the equivalent formations in air forces, and fleets ...

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 ...

. Its headquarters is located at

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 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 ...

. It guards the sensitive borders of Turkey with

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, including the straits

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

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 ...

. The First Army is stationed in

East Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

History

Ali İhsan Sabis is the first commander of the 1st Army, which has been operating since the Ottoman Empire. The 1st army depends on 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 ...

. The army is responsible for the

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

region, the straits and the safety of Istanbul. Is commanded by a 4 star general. Under normal circumstances, the second duty of the Turkish Chief of General Staff is the next task. From 1983 to the present day, it was the first place where all the chiefs of the general staff served.

Formations

Order of Battle, 30 August 1922

On 30 August 1922, the First Army was organized as follows: First Army HQ (Commander:

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 ...

Nureddin Pasha Nureddin Ibrahim Pasha (; 1873 – 18 February 1932), known as Nureddin İbrahim Konyar Surname Law (Turkey), from 1934, was a Turkish people, Turkish military officer who served in the Ottoman Army (1861–1922), Ottoman Army during World Wa ...

, Chief of Staff: Miralay Mehmet Emin BeyKocatepe Zafer Yürüyüşü
Afyonkarahisar Kocatepe University) *Army reserve Commanders of the Turkish War of Independence

Commanders of the Turkish War of Independence

**3rd Cavalry Division ( İbrahim Bey) **6th Infantry Division ( Nazmi Bey) * I Corps ( İzzettin Bey) **57th Infantry Division ( Reşat Bey) **14th Infantry Division ( Ethem Necdet Bey) **15th Infantry Division ( Ahmet Naci Bey) **23rd Infantry Division ( Ömer Halis Bey) *

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 ...

( Kemalettin Sami Bey) **11th Infantry Division ( Ahmet Bey) **12th Infantry Division ( Osman Nuri Bey) **5th Caucasian Infantry Division ( Dadaylı Halit Bey) **8th Infantry Division ( Kâzım Bey) * II Corps ( Ali Hikmet Bey) **7th Infantry Division ( Ahmet Naci Bey) **4th Infantry Division ( Mehmet Sabri Bey) **3rd Caucasian Infantry Division ( Mehmet Kâzım Bey) * V Cavalry Corps ( Fahrettin Bey) **1st Cavalry Division ( Mürsel Bey) **2nd Cavalry Division ( Ahmet Zeki Bey) **14th Cavalry Division ( Mehmet Suphi Bey)

Order of Battle, 1941

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

, Commander: Fahrettin Altay) *Thrace Area **

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

(

Kırklareli Kırklareli () is a city in the East Thrace, European part of Turkey. It is the seat of Kırklareli Province and Kırklareli District.XX Corps **

IV Corps 4 Corps, 4th Corps, Fourth Corps, or IV Corps may refer to: France * 4th Army Corps (France) * IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * IV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperi ...

(

Çatalca Çatalca () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 1142 km2, making it the largest district in Istanbul Province by area. Its population is 77,468 (2022). It is in Eas ...

) **Çatalca Fortified Area Command ** 3rd Corps (

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 ...

) *Istanbul and Bosporus Area **Istanbul Command ** Bosporus Fortified Area Command

Order of Battle, late 1980s

In the late 1980s it comprised four corps: * 2nd 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 ...

) * 3rd Corps (Istanbul) * 5th Corps (

) * 15th Corps (Köseköy,

İzmit İzmit () is a municipality and the capital Districts of Turkey, district of Kocaeli Province, Turkey. Its area is 480 km2, and its population is 376,056 (2022). The capital of Kocaeli Province, it is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea ...

)

Order of Battle, 2010

As of November 2000, the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division Command (''3. Mekanize Piyade Tümen Komutanlığı'') existed. Also reported during at ceremony in October 2005 at

Edirne Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

. * 2nd Corps (

Keşan Keşan (; ; ; Byzantine Greek: Ρούσιον, ''Rusion'') is a town in Edirne Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Keşan District.8th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (

Tekirdağ Tekirdağ () is a city in northwestern Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. The city forms the urban part of the Süleymanpaşa district, with a population of 186,421 in 2022. Tekirdağ ...

) ** 18th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (

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.Malkara Malkara () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,243 km2 (the largest in Tekirdağ Province), and its population is 50,988 (2022). It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ and 190 km from Ist ...

) **102nd Artillery Regiment (

Uzunköprü Uzunköprü is a town in Edirne Province in Turkey. It is named after a historical stone bridge, claimed to be the world's longest, on the Ergene River. It is a strategically important border town, located on the routes connecting Turkey to the B ...

) **Corps Engineer Combat Regiment (

) * 3rd Corps (NATO Rapid Deployment Corps,

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 ...

) **52nd Tactical Armored Division (Hadımköy, Istanbul) **2nd Armored Brigade (

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 ...

) ** 66th Mechanized Infantry Division –

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 ...

** 23rd Tactical Motorized Infantry Division (Hasdal, Istanbul) ***6th Motorized Infantry Regiment (Hasdal, Istanbul) ***23rd Motorized Infantry Regiment (Samandıra, Istanbul) ***47th Motorized Infantry Regiment (Metris, Istanbul) * 5th Corps (

) **1st Armored Brigade (

Babaeski Babaeski (Greek: Αρτεσκός) is a town in Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Babaeski District.

) **3rd Armored Brigade (

Çerkezköy Çerkezköy is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey. Its area is 86 km2, and its population is 206,829 (2022). Çerkezköy is located in inland Thrace just to the west of the outlying Istanbul districts of Çatalca and Sil ...

) **54th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (

) **55th Mechanized Infantry Brigade ( Süloğlu) **65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (

Lüleburgaz Lüleburgaz (; Modern Greek: Λουλέ Μπουργκάς ''Lule Burgas''; Bulgarian: Люлебургаз ''Lyuleburgaz''), Bergoule (Ancient Greek: Βεργούλη) or Arcadiopolis (Ancient Greek: Ἀρκαδιούπολις ''Arkadiópolis'') ...

) **Corps Armored Cavalry Battalion (Ulaş) **105th Artillery Regiment (Çorlu) **Corps Engineer Combat Regiment (

Pınarhisar Pınarhisar, ancient Brysis (Βρύσις in Ancient Greek), is a town in Kırklareli Province in the Marmara Region, Turkey, Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Pınarhisar District.15th Infantry Division (Köseköy,

) *4th Army Aviation Regiment ( Istanbul Samandıra Army Air Base)

Commanders

References

{{Turkish Army during World War Two Turkish 01 Army Military units and formations of Turkey in the Turkish War of Independence Military in Istanbul Military units and formations established in 1923 1923 establishments in Turkey