This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
The First Army of the Republic of Turkey (Template:Lang-tr) 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 | |
|---|---|
 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 | 120,000 men Field Army |
| Part of | Turkish Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Selimiye, Istanbul |
| Patron | Citizens of the Republic of Turkey |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | General Salih Zeki Çolak |
| 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) |
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)
- 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
- Çatalca Area
- Istanbul and Bosporus Area
- Istanbul Command
- Bosporus Fortified Area Command
Order of Battle, 1974
In 1974 it consisted of four corps:[3]
Order of Battle, 2010 [citation needed]
- 2nd Corps (Gelibolu, Çanakkale)
- 3rd Corps (NATO Rapid Deployment Corps, Şişli, 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
- ^ Kocatepe Zafer Yürüyüşü, Afyonkarahisar Kocatepe University
- ^ Mete Tunçay, "İkinci Dünya Savaşı'nın Başlarında (1939-1941) Türk Ordusu", Tarih ve Toplum, S. 35, Kasım 1986, p. 41. Template:Tr icon
- ^ 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