III Corps (Ottoman Empire)
Encyclopedia
The III Corps of the Ottoman Empire
(Turkish
: 3üncü Kolordu or Üçüncü Kolordu) was one of the corps
of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the early 20th century during Ottoman military reforms.
. The Corps before the First Balkan War
in 1911 was structured as such:
The Ottoman III Corps has been described as consisting of 7th, 8th and 9th Infantry Divisions from the beginning of the war to late April 1915 when the 19th Infantry Division was added while it was serving at Gallipoli. In August 1916 while serving in the Caucasus it is said to have consisted of 1st, 7th, 14th and 53rd Infantry Divisions and by August 1917 it formed part of the 7th Army in Palestine and made up of the 224th and 50th Infantry Divisions. By January 1918 it consisted of 1st, 19th and 24th Infantry Divisions with the 3rd Cavalry Division added in June 1918.
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,...
: 3üncü Kolordu or Üçüncü Kolordu) was one of the corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in the early 20th century during Ottoman military reforms.
Order of Battle, 1911
With further reorganizations of the Ottoman Army, to include the creation of corps level headquarters, by 1911 the III Corps was headquartered in Kırk KiliseKirklareli
Kırklareli is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. The province has a coastline on the Black Sea. There is a Jewish community.-Name:It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name...
. The Corps 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 was structured as such:
- III Corps, Kırk KiliseKirklareliKırklareli is the capital of Kırklareli Province in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. The province has a coastline on the Black Sea. There is a Jewish community.-Name:It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name...
- 7th Infantry Division, Kırk Kilise (Miralay Hilmi)
- 19th Infantry Regiment, YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
- 20th Infantry Regiment, Kırk Kilise
- 21st Infantry Regiment, TırnovacıkMalko TarnovoMalko Tarnovo is a town in Burgas Province, Southeastern Bulgaria, located 5 km away from the Turkish border. It is the only town in the interior of the Bulgarian Strandzha Mountains. Malko Tarnovo is the administrative centre of the homonymous Malko Tarnovo Municipality...
- 7th Rifle Battalion, Yemen
- 7th Field Artillery Regiment, Kırk Kilise
- 7th Division Band, Kırk Kilise
- 19th Infantry Regiment, Yemen
- 8th Infantry Division, ÇorluÇorluÇorlu is a northwestern Turkish city in inland Eastern Thrace that falls under the administration of the Province of Tekirdağ. It is a rapidly developing industrial center built on flatland located off the E80 highway between Istanbul and Turkey's border with Greece and Bulgaria. As of the 2000...
(Mirliva Celâl Pasha)- 22nd Infantry Regiment, Çorlu
- 23rd Infantry Regiment, SaraySaray, TekirdagSaray is a town and district of Tekirdağ Province inland in Thrace, the European part of Turkey. Population is about 17,100. It covers an area of 612 km², and the elevation is 140 m. The district has cold wet winters and hot dry summers. The mayor is Nazmi Çoban .-Geography:Saray is 78 km...
- 24th Infantry Regiment, SamakofDemirköyDemirköy is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The inhabitants are mainly descendants of Muslims from the village of Tisovo and other villages from the Greek side of the Chech region who were settled in Demirköy in 1923/1924. The mayor is Muhlis Yavuz . The...
- 8th Rifle Battalion, Çorlu
- 8th Field Artillery Regiment, Çorlu
- 8th Division Band, Çorlu
- 9th Infantry Division, BabaeskiBabaeskiBabaeski is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The countyship has a population of 27,712 and the total area of the district is 652 km².-Name:...
(Miralay Kadri)- 25th Infantry Regiment, Yemen
- 26th Infantry Regiment, Babaeski
- 27th Infantry Regiment, LüleburgazLüleburgazLüleburgaz, is a town and district of Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey.-Facts:The city has a population of 100,412 and is the largest town in Kırklareli Province....
- 9th Rifle Battalion, Yemen
- 9th Field Artillery Regiment, Lüleburgaz
- 9th Division Band, Babaeski
- 7th Infantry Division, Kırk Kilise (Miralay Hilmi)
- Units of III Corps
- 3rd Rifle Regiment, Kırk Kilise
- 3rd Cavalry Brigade, Kırk Kilise
- 7th Cavalry Regiment, Çorlu
- 8th Cavalry Regiment, Kırk Kilise
- 10th Cavalry Regiment, Marmara Ereğlisi
- 2nd Mountain Artillery Battalion, Marmara Ereğlisi
- 3rd Mountain Artillery Battalion, Marmara Ereğlisi
- 2nd Field Howitzer Battalion, AdrianopleEdirneEdirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
- 3rd Engineer Battalion, Adrianople
- 2nd Transport Battalion, Kırk Kilise
- Border companies x 2
Order of Battle, October 17, 1912
On October 17, 1912, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Thrace, under the command of the Eastern ArmyEastern Army (Ottoman Empire)The Eastern Army of the Ottoman Empire was one of the field armies of the Ottoman Army. It was formed during the mobilization phase of the First Balkan War. It confronted Bulgarian forces...
)- 7th Division, 8th Division, 9th Division
- Afyon Karahisar Redif Division
Order of Battle, October 29, 1912
On October 29, 1912, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Thrace, under the command of the Second Eastern ArmySecond Eastern Army (Ottoman Empire)The Second Eastern Army of the Ottoman Empire was one of the field armies of the Ottoman Army. It was formed during the initial phase of the First Balkan War. It confronted Bulgarian forces...
)- 7th Division, 8th Division, 9th Division
- Konya Redif Division, Amasya Redif Division
Order of Battle, November 17, 1912
On November 17, 1912, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Thrace, under the command of the Chataldja ArmyChataldja ArmyThe Chataldja Army or Çatalca Army of the Ottoman Empire was one of the field armies of the Ottoman Army. It was formed after Ottoman retreat to the Chataldja line during the First Balkan War. It confronted Bulgarian forces...
)- 7th Division, 8th Division, 9th Division
- South Wing Detachment
- III Provisional Reserve Corps
- Selimiye Redif Division, Fatih Redif Division, Afyon Redif Division
Order of Battle, March 25, 1913
On March 25, 1913, the corps was structured as follows:- III Provisional Reserve Corps (Thrace, under the command of the Chataldja ArmyChataldja ArmyThe Chataldja Army or Çatalca Army of the Ottoman Empire was one of the field armies of the Ottoman Army. It was formed after Ottoman retreat to the Chataldja line during the First Balkan War. It confronted Bulgarian forces...
)- 3rd Division
- Yozgat Redif Division
- III Corps (Thrace, under the command of the Chataldja ArmyChataldja ArmyThe Chataldja Army or Çatalca Army of the Ottoman Empire was one of the field armies of the Ottoman Army. It was formed after Ottoman retreat to the Chataldja line during the First Balkan War. It confronted Bulgarian forces...
)- 7th Division, 8th Division, 9th Division
Order of Battle, July 1913
- III Corps
- 7th Division, 8th Division, 9th Division
World War I
Order of Battle, August 1914, November 1914
In August 1914, November 1914, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Thrace)
- 7th Division, 8th Division, 9th Division
Order of Battle, April 1915
In Late April 1915, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Gallipoli)
- 7st Division, 9th Division, 19th Division
Order of Battle, Late Summer 1915, January 1916
In Late Summer 1915, January 1916, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Gallipoli)
- 7st Division, 8th Division, 9th Division, 19th Division
Order of Battle, August 1916
In August 1916, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Caucasus)
- 1st Division, 7th Division, 14th Division, 53rd Division
Order of Battle, August 1917
In August 1917, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Syria)
- 24th Division, 50th Division
Order of Battle, January 1918
In January 1918, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Palestine)
- 1st Division, 19th Division, 24th Division
Order of Battle, September 1918
In September 1918, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Palestine)
- 1st Division, 11th Division
The Ottoman III Corps has been described as consisting of 7th, 8th and 9th Infantry Divisions from the beginning of the war to late April 1915 when the 19th Infantry Division was added while it was serving at Gallipoli. In August 1916 while serving in the Caucasus it is said to have consisted of 1st, 7th, 14th and 53rd Infantry Divisions and by August 1917 it formed part of the 7th Army in Palestine and made up of the 224th and 50th Infantry Divisions. By January 1918 it consisted of 1st, 19th and 24th Infantry Divisions with the 3rd Cavalry Division added in June 1918.
Order of Battle, November 1918
In November 1918, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Syria)
- 11th Division, 24th Division
Order of Battle, January 1919
In January 1919, the corps was structured as follows:- III Corps (Anatolia, Sivas, Commander: 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...
Selâhaddin BeySelâhattin KöseoğluSelâhattin Köseoğlu also known as Çolak Selâhattin, Hüseyin Selâhattin Bey was a military offocer of the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army. A politician of the Republic of Turkey....
)- 15th Division (SamsunSamsunSamsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Samsun Province and a major Black Sea port.-Name:...
)- 9th Infantry Regiment, 13th Infantry Regiment, 15th Infantry Regiment
- 5th Caucasian Division (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...
)- 13th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Regiment, 56th Infantry Regiment
- 15th Division (Samsun
See also
- Central Army (Turkey)Central Army (Turkey)The Central Army is one of the field armies of the Army of the Grand National Assembly during the Turkish War of Independence. Its headquarters was located at Amasya....