Iraq Area Command (Ottoman Empire)

The Iraq Area Command or Iraq Regional Command of the Ottoman Empire (Turkish: Irak ve Havalisi Genel Komutanlığı) was one of the military formation of the Ottoman Army. It was formed in Iraq in the initial stage of World War I.

Iraq Area Command
Irak ve Havalisi Genel Komutanlığı
ActiveAugust 26, 1914[1] – April 19, 1916[2]
Country Ottoman Empire
TypeCorps-Army
Garrison/HQBasra, Baghdad
PatronSultans of the Ottoman Empire
EngagementsMesopotamian campaign
Fao Landing
Battle of Basra
Battle of Qurna
Battle of Es Sinn
Battle of Ctesiphon
Siege of Kut
Sheikh Sa'ad
Battle of Wadi
Battle of Hanna
Battle of Dujaila
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Cavit Pasha (August 26, 1914[1] – January 20, 1915[3]
Kaymakam Süleyman Askerî Bey (December 20, 1914[4]/January 20, 1915[3] – April 14, 1915)
Miralay Nureddin Bey (April 20, 1915[5] – January 10, 1916[2])
Miralay Halil Bey (January 10 – April 19, 1916[2])

Formations

Order of Battle, November 1914

In November 1914, the corps was structured as follows:[6]

  • Iraq Area Command (Commander: Cavit Pasha)
    • 38th Division

Order of Battle, January 1915

In January 1918, the corps was structured as follows:[4]

  • Iraq Area Command (Commander: Kaymakam Süleyman Askerî Bey)
    • 38th Division
    • Sahrıca Detachment (Provisional Dicle Division since January 25, 1915)
    • Kerha Group
    • Fırat Group

Because Süleyman Askerî Bey committed suicide on April 14, 1915, Nureddin Bey was appointed the commander on April 20. Nureddin Bey arrived in June to take command of the Iraq Area Command and he was appointed the Governor of Basra Province and Baghdad Province at the same time.[5] On December 21, 1915, German Generalfeldmarschall Colmar von der Goltz arrived at Baghdad and changed the name of the Command as the Iraq Army (Irak Ordusu).[2]

Order of Battle, Late 1915

In late 1915, the corps was structured as follows:[7]

Sources
  1. Birinci Dünya Harbi'nde Türk Harbi: Irak-İran Cephesi, 1914–1918, Vol. III, Part I, Genelkurmay Basım Evi, 1979, p. 42. (in Turkish)
  2. Orhan Avcı, Irak'ta Türk ordusu (1914–1918), Vadi Yayınları, 2004, ISBN 978-975-6768-51-8, p. 30. (in Turkish)
  3. Emin Demirel, Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa'dan Günümüze Gizli Servisler, IQ Kültür Sanat, 2002, p. 180. (in Turkish)
  4. Orhan Avcı, Irak'ta Türk Ordusu (1914–1918), Vadi Yayınları, 2004, ISBN 975-6768-51-7, p. 28. (in Turkish)
  5. T.C. Genelkurmay Harp Tarihi Başkanlığı Yayınları, Türk İstiklâl Harbine Katılan Tümen ve Daha Üst Kademelerdeki Komutanların Biyografileri, Genelkurmay Basım Evi, 1972, p. 32. (in Turkish)
  6. Edward J. Erickson, Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War, Greenwood Press, 2001, ISBN 0-313-31516-7, p. 43.
  7. Orhan Avcı, Irak'ta Türk Ordusu (1914–1918), Vadi Yayınları, 2004, ISBN 975-6768-51-7, p. 29. (in Turkish)
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