First Army (Turkey)

This article is about a field army of the Republic of Turkey. For a field army of the Ottoman Empire, see First Army (Ottoman Empire).

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.

First Army
Active	November 1921 – June 1923 October 1923–present
Country	Turkey
Size	120,000 men Field Army
Part of	Turkish Army
Garrison/HQ	Selimiye, Istanbul
Patron	Citizens of the Republic of Turkey
Commanders
Current commander	General Ali Sivri
Chief of Staff	Brigadier General Faruk Metin
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)

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 army is responsible for the Thrace 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

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).

1st Army Command building

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

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)

• • 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 (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

Main article: Turkish Army order of battle in 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, late 1980s

I Corps Commander Colonel İzzettin during military inspection in Afyon Karacaören in the Summer of 1922

In the late 1980s it comprised four corps:^[3]

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

Order of Battle, 2010

As of November 2000, the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division Command (3. Mekanize Piyade Tümen Komutanlığı) existed.^[4] Also reported during at ceremony in October 2005 at Edirne.^[5]

Structure of 1st Army (Turkish Army)

• 2nd Corps (Gelibolu, Çanakkale)^{[citation needed]}
  • 4th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (Keşan)
  • 8th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (Tekirdağ)
  • 18th Mechanised 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 Division – Tekirdağ Province
  • 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)

Commanders

Main article: List of commanders of the First Army of Turkey

See also

• List of commanders of the First Army of Turkey