First Army (Turkey)

First Army
Turkish commanders visited the headquarters of the First Army, 18 January 1923. From left to right: Vehbi Bey (Kocagüney), Nurettin Pasha, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatürk), Kâzım Karabekir Pasha, Mareşal Fevzi Pasha (Çakmak), Asım Bey (Gündüz).
Active	November 1921-June 1923 October 1923-present
Country	Turkey
Size	Field Army
Part of	Turkish Army
Garrison/HQ	Selimiye, Istanbul
Patron	Citizens of the Republic of Turkey
Commanders
Current commander	General Yalçın Ataman
Notable commanders	Ali İhsan Pasha (1921-1922) Nureddin Pasha (1922–1923) Kâzım Karabekir Pasha (1923–1924) Ali Sait Pasha (1924–1933) Fahrettin Altay (1933–1943) Cemil Cahit Toydemir (1943–1946) Salih Omurtak (1946) Nuri Yamut (1946–1949)

The First Army of the Republic of Turkey (Turkish: Birinci Ordu) is one of the four field armies of the Turkish Army. Its headquarters is located at Selimiye Barracks in Istanbul. It guards the sensitive borders of Turkey with Greece and Bulgaria, including the straits Bosporus and Dardanelles. The First Army is stationed in East Thrace.

Formations

Order of Battle, 30 August 1922

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

First Army HQ (Commander: Mirliva Nureddin Pasha, Chief of Staff: Miralay Mehmet Emin Bey^[1])

• Army reserve
  • 3rd Cavalry Division (İbrahim Bey)
  • 6th Infantry Division (Nazmi Bey)

Commanders after the War of Independence: From left to right: Mirliva Âsım (Gündüz), Mirliva Ali Hikmet (Ayerdem), Ferik Ali Sait (Akbaytogan), Mirliva Şükrü Naili (Gökberk), Mirliva Kazım (İnanç), Ferik Fahrettin (Altay), Mirliva Kemalettin Sami (Gökçen), Mirliva Cafer Tayyar (Eğilmez), Mirliva İzzettin (Çalışlar)

• 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 (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:^[2]

First Army HQ (Istanbul, Commander: Fahrettin Altay)

• Thrace Area
  • X Corps (Kırklareli)
• Çatalca Area
  • XX Corps
  • IV Corps (Çatalca)
  • Çatalca Fortified Area Command
  • 3rd Corps (Çorlu)
• Istanbul and Bosporus Area
  • Istanbul Command
  • Bosporus Fortified Area Command

Order of Battle, 1974

In 1974 it consisted of four corps:^[3]

• 2nd Corps (Gelibolu)
• 3rd Corps (Istanbul)
• 5th Corps (Çorlu)
• 15th Corps (Köseköy, İzmit)

Order of Battle, 2010 ^{[citation needed]}

• 2nd Corps (Gelibolu, Çanakkale)
  • 4th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (Keşan)
  • 8th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (Tekirdağ)
  • 18th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (Çanakkale)
  • 95th Armored Brigade (Malkara)
  • 102nd Artillery Regiment (Uzunköprü)
  • Corps Engineer Combat Regiment (Gelibolu)

• 3rd Corps (NATO Rapid Deployment Corps, Şişli, Istanbul)
  • 52nd Tactical Armored Division (Hadımköy, Istanbul)
  • 2nd Armored Brigade (Kartal)
  • 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (Istanbul)
  • 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 (Çorlu, Tekirdağ)
  • 1st Armored Brigade (Babaeski)
  • 3rd Armored Brigade (Çerkezköy)
  • 54th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (Edirne)
  • 55th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (Süloğlu)
  • 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (Lüleburgaz)
  • Corps Armored Cavalry Battalion (Ulaş)
  • 105th Artillery Regiment (Çorlu)
  • Corps Engineer Combat Regiment (Pınarhisar)
• 15th Infantry Division (Köseköy, İzmit)

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

References

1. ↑ Kocatepe Zafer Yürüyüşü, Afyonkarahisar Kocatepe University
2. ↑ Mete Tunçay, "İkinci Dünya Savaşı'nın Başlarında (1939-1941) Türk Ordusu", Tarih ve Toplum, S. 35, Kasım 1986, p. 41. (Turkish)
3. ↑ British Military Attache's Annual Report on the Turkish Army, Annex A to DA/48, dated 30 March 1974, FCO 9/2127 via Public Record Office, Kew

See also

• List of Commanders of the First Army of Turkey