Fourth Army (Ottoman Empire)
Encyclopedia
The Fourth Army of the Ottoman Empire
(Turkish
: Dördüncü Ordu) was one of the field armies
of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the middle nineteenth century, during Ottoman military reforms.
. It was composed of:
and the establishment of the Second Constitutional Era
on 3 July 1908, the new government initiated a major military reform. Army headquarters were modernized. The Fourth Army's new operational area was Caucasia and its many troops were scattered along the frontier to keep an eye on the Russian Empire
. It commanded the following active divisions and other units:
The Fourth Army also had inspectorate functions for four Redif (reserve) divisions:
. Before the First Balkan War
in 1911, the Army was structured as:
By late 1915, the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
: Dördüncü Ordu) was one of the field armies
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the middle nineteenth century, during Ottoman military reforms.
Order of Battle, 1877
In 1877, it was stationed in AnatoliaAnatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. It was composed of:
- InfantryInfantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
: Five line regiments and six rifle battalions - CavalryCavalryCavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
: Three line regiments - ArtilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
: One line regiment (12 batteries) - EngineerMilitary engineerIn military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
: One sapper company
Order of Battle, 1908
After the Young Turk RevolutionYoung Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reversed the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, marking the onset of the Second Constitutional Era...
and the establishment of the Second Constitutional Era
Second Constitutional Era (Ottoman Empire)
The Second Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire began shortly after Sultan Abdülhamid II restored the constitutional monarchy after the 1908 Young Turk Revolution. The period established many political groups...
on 3 July 1908, the new government initiated a major military reform. Army headquarters were modernized. The Fourth Army's new operational area was Caucasia and its many troops were scattered along the frontier to keep an eye on the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. It commanded the following active divisions and other units:
- 7th Infantry Division (Yedinci Fırka)
- 8th Infantry Division (Sekicinci Fırka)
- 19th Infantry Division (On Dokuzuncu Fırka)
- 4th Artillery Division (Dördüncü Topçu Fırkası)
- Erzurum Fortress Artillery Regiment
The Fourth Army also had inspectorate functions for four Redif (reserve) divisions:
- 13th ErzincanErzincan-Trivia:Erzincan has the largest man made of Portrait of Atatürk, located north of the city, 176m×43m. It covers 7,500 square meter. Turkish Army made it 1982, in 29 days by 3,000 soldier, 100 tons of black and white paint was used...
Reserve Infantry Division (On Üçüncü Erzincan Redif Fırkası) - 14th TrabzonTrabzonTrabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
Reserve Infantry Division (On Dördüncü Trabzon Redif Fırkası) - 15th Diyarbekir Reserve Infantry Division (On Beşinci Diyarbekir Redif Fırkası)
- 16th Sivas Reserve Infantry Division (On Altıncı Sivas Redif Fırkası)
Order of Battle, 1911
With further reorganizations of the Ottoman Army, to include the creation of corps level headquarters, by 1911 the Army's headquarters were BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. Before the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
in 1911, the Army was structured as:
- Army Headquarters, BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
- XII CorpsXII Corps (Ottoman Empire)The XII Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the early 20th century during Ottoman military reforms.- Order of Battle, 1911 :...
, MusulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
- 35th Infantry Division, Musul
- 36th Infantry Division, KerkükKirkukKirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
- XIII CorpsXIII Corps (Ottoman Empire)The XIII Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the early 20th century during Ottoman military reforms.-Order of Battle, 1911 :...
, Baghdad- 37th Infantry Division, Baghdad
- 38th Infantry Division, BasraBasraBasra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
- XII Corps
Order of Battle, November 1914
In November 1914, the army was structured a:- Fourth Army (Syria)
- VIII CorpsVIII Corps (Ottoman Empire)The VIII Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the early 20th century during Ottoman military reforms.- Order of Battle, 1911 :...
- 23rd Division
- 25th Division
- 27th Division
- XII CorpsXII Corps (Ottoman Empire)The XII Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the early 20th century during Ottoman military reforms.- Order of Battle, 1911 :...
- 35th Division
- 36th Division
- VIII Corps
By late 1915, the
Order of Battle, Late April 1915
In Late April 1915, the 8th Division and 10th Division had been added to VIII Corps.Order of Battle, Late Summer 1915, January 1916
In Late Summer 1915, January 1916, the army was structured as:- Fourth Army (Syria-Palestine)
- VIII Corps
- 23rd Division
- 24th Division
- 27th Division
- XII Corps
- 41st Division
- 42nd Division
- 46th Division
- VIII Corps
Order of Battle, August, December 1916
Between August and December 1916, the army was structured as:- Fourth Army (Syria-Palestine)
- VIII Corps
- 3rd Division
- 23rd Division
- 24th Division
- 27th Division
- XII Corps
- 41st Division
- 42nd Division
- 43rd Division
- 46th Division
- VIII Corps
Order of Battle, August 1917
In August 1917, the army was structured as:- Fourth Army (Syria-Palestine)
-
- 3rd Cavalry Division
- VIII Corps
- 48th Division
- XII Corps
- 23rd Division
- 44th Division
- XV CorpsXV Corps (Ottoman Empire)The XV Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed during the World War I...
- 43rd Division
- XX CorpsXX Corps (Ottoman Empire)The XX Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed during the World War I.- Order of Battle, December 1916 :In December 1916, the corps was structured as follows:...
- 16th Division
- 54th Division
- XXII CorpsXXII Corps (Ottoman Empire)The XXII Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed during the World War I.- Order of Battle, August 1917 :In August 1917, the corps was structured as follows:...
- 3rd Division
- 7th Division
- 53rd Division
-
Order of Battle, January, June 1918
Between January and June 1918, the army was structured as follows:- Fourth Army (commanded by Jemal) (Syria-West Arabia)
- VIII Corps (commanded by Ali Fuad Bey)
- 43rd Division
- 48th Division
- XII Corps
- 23rd Division
- 41st Division
- 44th Division
- Hejaz CorpsHejaz Corps (Ottoman Empire)The Hejaz Corps or Hejaz Group of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed during World War I.- Order of Battle, January, June 1918 :...
- 58th Division
- Provisional Infantry Divisions x 3
- VIII Corps (commanded by Ali Fuad Bey)
Order of Battle, September 1918
In September 1918, the army was structured as:- Fourth Army (MirlivaMirlivaMirliva or Mîr-i livâ was a military rank of the Ottoman Army. It corresponds to a Brigadier General or Major General . Mirliva is a compound word composed of Mir and Liva...
Mersinli Cemal PashaCemal MersinliCemal Mersinli also known as Mehmed Djemal Pasha, Mersinli Djemal, Djemal Kuchuk, or the lesser Djemal - October 7, 1941; Ankara) was a general of the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army...
)- II CorpsII Corps (Ottoman Empire)The II Corps of the Ottoman Empire was one of the corps of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the early 20th century during Ottoman military reforms.- Order of Battle, 1911 :...
(MiralayColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Galatalı Şevket Bey)- 62nd Division
- Provisional Divisions x 3
- Jordan Group
- 24th Division
- 3rd Cavalry Division
- VIII Corps (Miralay Yasin Hilmi BeyYasin al-HashimiYasin al-Hashimi was an Iraqi politician who served twice as that country's prime minister. Like many of Iraq's early leaders, Hashimi, who was born Yasin Hilmi Salman, served as an officer during Ottoman control of the country...
)- 48th Division
- UmmanAmmanAmman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
Provisional Division
- II Corps