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).

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)

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

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, 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

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

↑ 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. (Turkish)
↑ 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

Turkish Army Formations

Commands

1st Army

II Corps	4th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 8th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 18th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 95th Armored Brigade 102nd Artillery Regiment Corps Engineer Combat Regiment 5th Commando Brigade

III Corps	52nd Tactical Armored Division 2nd Armored Brigade 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 23rd Tactical Motorized Infantry Division 6th Motorized Infantry Regiment 23rd Motorized Infantry Regiment 47th Motorized Infantry Regiment

V Corps	1st Armored Brigade 3rd Armored Brigade 54th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 55th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Corps Armored Cavalry Battalion 105th Artillery Regiment

2nd Army

IV Corps	28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 58th Artillery Regiment 1st Commando Brigade 2nd Commando Brigade Presidential Guard Regiment

VI Corps	5th Armored Brigade 39th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 106th Artillery Regiment 6th Commando Brigade

VII Corps	3rd Tactical Infantry Division 34th Border Brigade 16th Mechanized Brigade 20th Mechanized Brigade 70th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 172nd Armored Brigade 2nd Motorized Infantry Brigade 6th Motorized Infantry Brigade 3rd Commando Brigade 107th Artillery Regiment Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade

3rd Army

VIII Corps	1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade 12th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 10th Motorized Infantry Brigade 34th Motorized Infantry Brigade 49th Motorized Infantry Brigade 51st Motorized Infantry Brigade 4th Commando Brigade 108th Artillery Regiment 17th Motorized Infantry Brigade

IX Corps	9th Tactical Infantry Division 4th Armored Brigade 14th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 25th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 9th Motorized Infantry Brigade 48th Motorized Infantry Brigade 109th Artillery Regiment

Aegean Army

Cyprus Turkish Peace Force	28th Infantry Division 39th Infantry Division 14th Armored Brigade Cyprus Special Forces Regiment Cyprus Artillery Regiment

Army units	Logistics Division 57th Artillery Training Brigade 19th Infantry Brigade 11th Motorized Infantry Brigade 5th Army Aviation School Command 2nd Infantry Regiment Commando Training School Command 3rd Infantry Training Brigade 1st Infantry Training Brigade

Army of the Government of the Grand National Assembly during the Turkish War of Independence

Fronts	Eastern Font (Turkish–Armenian War) El Cezire Front Western Front (Greco-Turkish War) Southern Front (Franco-Turkish War)

Field armies	Central Army 1st Army 2nd Army

Corps/Area commands	I II III IV V Cavalry VI VII VIII IX X XII XV XVIII XX Kocaeli Gr. Adana Area Kastamonu Area Ankara Command, Istanbul Command

Fortified areas	Dardanelles Bosporus Çatalca İzmir Erzurum Kars

Others	Menderes Detachment Özdemir Detachment

Turkish Army during World War II

Army	1st Army 2nd Army 3rd Army

Areas	Thrace Çatalca Istanbul and Bosphorus Dardanelles and Marmara Aegean and Mediterranean coasts East Kocaeli Syrian Border

Corps	I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XII XVII XVIII XX Istanbul Command

Fortified Areas	Dardanelles Bosporus Çatalca Demirkapı İzmir Erzurum Kars

Infantry Divisions	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 15 16 24 17 20 22 23 24 25 28 29 32 33 39 41 46 48 51 52 53 57 61 62 63 64 66 67 69 70 71

Other Divisions	1 Cav. 2 Cav. 14 Cav.

Brigades	26th Infantry Brigade Kırklareli Brigade 72nd Infantry Brigade Antalya Brigade 68th Infantry Brigade Independent Armored Brigade

Others	Çakmak Line 941-A Seferî Kuruluş

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