First Army (Turkey)


The First Army of the Republic of Turkey 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.

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

On 30 August 1922, the First Army was organized as follows:
First Army HQ
  • Army reserve
  • *3rd Cavalry Division
  • *6th Infantry Division
  • I Corps
  • *57th Infantry Division
  • *14th Infantry Division
  • *15th Infantry Division
  • *23rd Infantry Division
  • VI Corps
  • *11th Infantry Division
  • *12th Infantry Division
  • *5th Caucasian Infantry Division
  • *8th Infantry Division
  • II Corps
  • *7th Infantry Division
  • *4th Infantry Division
  • *3rd Caucasian Infantry Division
  • V Cavalry Corps
  • *1st Cavalry Division
  • *2nd Cavalry Division
  • *14th Cavalry Division

Order of Battle, 1941

In June 1941, the First Army was organized as follows:
First Army HQ

Order of Battle, late 1980s

In the late 1980s it comprised four corps:

Order of Battle, 2010

As of November 2000, the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division Command existed. Also reported during a ceremony in October 2005 at Edirne.
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. 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.