View source for First Army (Turkey)

{{About|a field army of the [[Turkey|Republic of Turkey]]|a field army of the [[Ottoman Empire]]|First Army (Ottoman Empire)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= First Army
|image= First Army Com. of Turkey.png
|image_size=200px
|caption=
|dates= November 1921 – June 1923<br />October 1923–present
|country= [[Turkey]]
|allegiance=
|branch=
|type=
|role=
|size=  120,000 men [[Field Army]]
|command_structure=[[Turkish Army]]
|garrison=[[Selimiye Barracks|Selimiye]], [[Istanbul]]
|garrison_label=
|equipment=
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|nickname=
|patron=[[Turkish citizenship|Citizens]] of the [[Turkey|Republic of Turkey]]
|motto=
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|anniversaries=
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<!-- Commanders -->
|current_commander=General Ali Sivri
|current_commander_label=
| commander2 =Brigadier General Faruk Metin
| commander2_label =Chief of Staff
|ceremonial_chief_label=
|notable_commanders=[[Ali İhsan Sâbis|Ali İhsan Pasha]] (1921–1922)<br />[[Nureddin Pasha]] (1922–1923)<br />[[Kâzım Karabekir|Kâzım Karabekir Pasha]] (1923–1924)<br />[[Ali Sait Akbaytoğan|Ali Sait Pasha]] (1924–1933)<br />[[Fahrettin Altay]] (1933–1943)<br />[[Cemil Cahit Toydemir]] (1943–1946)<br />[[Salih Omurtak]] (1946)<br />[[Nuri Yamut]] (1946–1949)
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}}

The '''First Army''' of the [[Republic of Turkey]] ({{Langx|tr|Birinci Ordu}}) is one of the four [[field army|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]].

==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===
[[File:Turkish First Army 18 January 1923.jpg|220px|thumb|Turkish commanders visited the headquarters of the First Army, 18 January 1923. From left to right: Vehbi Bey (Kocagüney), [[Nureddin Pasha|Nurettin Pasha]], [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha]] (Atatürk), [[Kâzım Karabekir|Kâzım Karabekir Pasha]], Mareşal [[Fevzi Çakmak|Fevzi Pasha]] (Çakmak), [[Asım Gündüz|Asım Bey]] (Gündüz).]]
[[File:Selimiye Kışlası.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Selimiye Barracks|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 Koral|Mehmet Emin Bey]]<ref name="Zafer">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070526133250/http://www.zafer.aku.edu.tr/komutan1.htm Kocatepe Zafer Yürüyüşü], Afyonkarahisar Kocatepe University</ref>)

*Army reserve
[[File:Commanders of the Turkish War of Independence.jpg|thumb|220px|Commanders after the [[Turkish War of Independence|War of Independence]]: ''From left to right:'' [[Mirliva]] [[Âsım Gündüz|Âsım (Gündüz)]], Mirliva [[Ali Hikmet Ayerdem|Ali Hikmet (Ayerdem)]], [[Ferik (rank)|Ferik]] [[Ali Sait Akbaytogan|Ali Sait (Akbaytogan)]], Mirliva [[Şükrü Naili Gökberk|Şükrü Naili (Gökberk)]], Mirliva [[Kâzım İnanç|Kazım (İnanç)]], Ferik [[Fahrettin Altay|Fahrettin (Altay)]], Mirliva [[Kemalettin Sami|Kemalettin Sami (Gökçen)]], Mirliva [[Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez|Cafer Tayyar (Eğilmez)]], Mirliva [[İzzettin Çalışlar|İzzettin (Çalışlar)]]]]
**3rd Cavalry Division ([[İbrahim Çolak (officer)|İbrahim Bey]])
**6th Infantry Division ([[Nazmi Solok|Nazmi Bey]])
*[[I Corps (Turkey)|I Corps]] ([[İzzettin Çalışlar|İzzettin Bey]])
**57th Infantry Division ([[Reşat Çiğiltepe|Reşat Bey]])
**14th Infantry Division ([[Ethem Necdet Karabudak|Ethem Necdet Bey]])
**15th Infantry Division ([[Ahmet Naci Tınaz|Ahmet Naci Bey]])
**23rd Infantry Division ([[Ömer Halis Bıyıktay|Ömer Halis Bey]])
*[[VI Corps (Turkey)|VI Corps]] ([[Kemalettin Sami Gökçen|Kemalettin Sami Bey]])
**11th Infantry Division ([[Ahmet Derviş|Ahmet Bey]])
**12th Infantry Division ([[Osman Nuri Koptagel|Osman Nuri Bey]])
**5th Caucasian Infantry Division ([[Halit Akmansü|Dadaylı Halit Bey]])
**8th Infantry Division ([[Kâzım Sevüktekin|Kâzım Bey]])
*[[II Corps (Turkey)|II Corps]] ([[Ali Hikmet Ayerdem|Ali Hikmet Bey]])
**7th Infantry Division ([[Ahmet Naci Eldeniz|Ahmet Naci Bey]])
**4th Infantry Division ([[Mehmet Sabri Erçetin|Mehmet Sabri Bey]])
**3rd Caucasian Infantry Division ([[Kâzım Orbay|Mehmet Kâzım Bey]])
*[[V Corps (Turkey)|V Cavalry Corps]] ([[Fahrettin Altay|Fahrettin Bey]])
**1st Cavalry Division ([[Mürsel Bakû|Mürsel Bey]])
**2nd Cavalry Division ([[Ahmet Zeki Soydemir|Ahmet Zeki Bey]])
**14th Cavalry Division ([[Mehmet Suphi Kula|Mehmet Suphi Bey]])

=== Order of Battle, 1941 ===
{{Main|Turkish Army order of battle in 1941}}
In June 1941, the First Army was organized as follows:<ref>Mete Tunçay, "İkinci Dünya Savaşı'nın Başlarında (1939–1941) Türk Ordusu", ''Tarih ve Toplum'', S. 35, Kasım 1986, p. 41. {{in lang|tr}}</ref>

'''First Army''' HQ ([[Istanbul]], Commander: [[Fahrettin Altay]])
*Thrace Area
**[[X Corps (Turkey)|X Corps]] ([[Kırklareli]])
*Çatalca Area
**[[XX Corps (Turkey)|XX Corps]]
**[[IV Corps (Turkey)|IV Corps]] ([[Çatalca]])
**Çatalca Fortified Area Command
**[[3rd Corps (Turkey)|3rd Corps]] ([[Çorlu]])
*Istanbul and Bosporus Area
**Istanbul Command
**[[Bosporus Fortified Area Command]]

=== Order of Battle, late 1980s ===
[[File:1st Corps Commander Colonel İzzettin is inspecting in Afyon Karacaören during the preparations for the Great Offensive..jpg|thumb|I Corps Commander Colonel [[İzzettin Çalışlar|İzzettin]] during military inspection in Afyon [[Karacaören, Şuhut|Karacaören]] in the Summer of 1922]]
In the late 1980s it comprised four corps:<ref>Nigel Thomas's ''NATO Armies 1949–87,'' published in 1988.</ref>

*[[2nd Corps (Turkey)|2nd Corps]] ([[Gelibolu]])
*[[3rd Corps (Turkey)|3rd Corps]] (Istanbul)
*[[5th Corps (Turkey)|5th Corps]] ([[Çorlu]])
*[[15th Corps (Turkey)|15th Corps]] (Köseköy, [[İzmit]])

=== Order of Battle, 2010===
As of November 2000, the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division Command (''3. Mekanize Piyade Tümen Komutanlığı'') existed.<ref>https://kararlar.uyusmazlik.gov.tr/Karar/Content/15a4adf8-54a5-410f-a197-af5991a196e3?excludeGerekce=False&wordsOnly=False {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> Also reported during a ceremony in October 2005 at [[Edirne]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.haber7.com/guncel/haber/117638-haci-ilbeyin-muhtesem-zaferi | title=Hacı İlbey'in muhteşem zaferi }}</ref>

[[15th Corps (Turkey)|15th Army Corps]] was established on April 8, 1915 at the Kalvert Farm in [[Çanakkale]] and was first commanded by German Brigadier General Weber, achieving success in the [[Gallipoli Campaign]].<ref name="Ozgurkocaeli">{{cite web |url=http://www.ozgurkocaeli.com.tr/haber/15nci-kolordu-artik-tumen-2422.html |title=15'nci Kolordu Artık Tümen |date=August 17, 2005 |publisher=Özgür Kocaeli |access-date=May 30, 2013 |language=Turkish |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111113743/http://www.ozgurkocaeli.com.tr/haber/15nci-kolordu-artik-tumen-2422.html |archive-date=January 11, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A total of 49 commanders, two of whom were colonels and 47 generals, served in the Corps from 1915 to 2005, which was deployed in Izmit in 1958.
Lieutenant General Zafer Özkan, the last commander of the 15th Corps, retired after serving for two years in August 2005. At that time, the corps was converted to the level of a division. Major General [[Cihangir Akşit]], who previously served as the Head of the Training Department of the General Staff was appointed as the Commander of the 15th Infantry Division, taking over from General Özkan.

[[File:1st Army (Turkish Army).png|thumb|Structure of 1st Army (Turkish Army)]]

*[[2nd Corps (Turkey)|2nd Corps]] ([[Gelibolu]], [[Çanakkale Province|Çanakkale]]){{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}
**[[4th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (Turkey)|4th Mechanised Infantry Brigade]] ([[Keşan]])
**[[8th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (Turkey)|8th Mechanised Infantry Brigade]] ([[Tekirdağ]])
**[[18th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (Turkey)|18th Mechanised Infantry Brigade]] ([[Çanakkale]])
**95th Armored Brigade ([[Malkara]])
**102nd Artillery Regiment ([[Uzunköprü]])
**Corps Engineer Combat Regiment ([[Gelibolu]])
*[[3rd Corps (Turkey)|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 Infantry Division (Turkey)|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 (Turkey)|5th Corps]] ([[Çorlu]], [[Tekirdağ Province|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 (Turkey)|15th Infantry Division]] (Köseköy, [[İzmit]])
*4th Army Aviation Regiment ([[Istanbul Samandıra Army Air Base]])

== Commanders ==
{{main|List of commanders of the First Army of Turkey}}

==See also==
{{commons category|First Army (Turkey)}}
*[[List of commanders of the First Army of Turkey]]

==References==
<references/>

{{Military of Turkey}}
{{Turkish army formations}}
{{Turkish Army during the War of Independence}}
{{Turkish Army during World War Two}}

[[Category:Field armies of Turkey|Turkish 01 Army]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of Turkey in the Turkish War of Independence]]
[[Category:Military in Istanbul]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1923]]
[[Category:1923 establishments in Turkey]]