The Status and Actions of the 25th Istanbul-based 25th Corps during the Armistice Period
Enes Mert DemirThe Ottoman army was organised as 9 corps after the Armistice of Mondros. One of these corps was the 25th Corps, which had its headquarters in the capital Istanbul. The 25th Corps, which was stationed on the Istanbul-Izmit line with the 1st Division and the 10th Caucasian Division under its command, was the only corps that could not directly participate in the National Struggle due to the occupation of the capital. However, the 1st Division in Izmit came under the command of Ankara in time. This study examines the organisational structure and activities of the 25th Corps, about which there is no original study. Thus, it is aimed to explain the status of the Corps during this period. The sources of the study are the documents in the Ottoman Archive and ATASE Archive and the literature on the period. The findings obtained were evaluated with the qualitative analysis method in the perspective of the political and military developments of the period.
İstanbul Merkezli 25. Kolordunun Mütareke Dönemi’ndeki Vaziyeti ve İcraatları
Enes Mert DemirOsmanlı ordusu, Mondros Mütarekesi sonrası 9 kolordu hâlinde teşkilatlandırılmıştır. Bu kolordulardan biri de başkent İstanbul’da karargâhı bulunan 25. Kolordudur. Emrindeki 1. Tümen ve 10. Kafkas Tümeni ile İstanbul-İzmit hattında konuşlanan 25. Kolordu, başkentin işgal altında bulunması sebebiyle Millî Mücadele’ye doğrudan katılamayan tek kolordudur. Ancak İzmit’teki 1. Tümen, zaman içerisinde Ankara’nın emrine girmiştir. Bu makalede, hakkında özgün bir çalışma bulunmayan 25. Kolordunun teşkilat yapısı ve faaliyetleri incelenmiştir. Böylece Kolordunun bu süreçteki vaziyetinin izah edilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Çalışmanın kaynaklarını Osmanlı Arşivi ve ATASE Arşivi’ndeki belgeler ile döneme ilişkin literatür oluşturmaktadır. Elde edilen bulgular, dönemin siyasi ve askerî gelişmeleri perspektifinde nitel analiz metoduyla değerlendirilmiştir.
By September 1918, Bulgaria, an ally of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, had withdrawn from the war after suffering a defeat on the Macedonian Front. Consequently, the Thracian border and the capital Istanbul faced a new danger for the Ottoman Empire. Thereupon, the Commander-in-Chief’s Office took precautions and organised the 25th Corps in addition to the 1st Corps. However, due to the lack of sufficient troops, divisions from the Caucasian Front were assigned to the organisation of the Corps. Therefore, it would not be possible for the troops of the 25th Corps to reach Istanbul immediately. The Ottoman Empire, on the other hand, aimed to withdraw from the war by reaching an armistice as soon as possible. As a result, the First World War ended for the Ottoman Empire with the Armistice of Mondros signed on 30 October 1918.
The heavy terms of the armistice paved the way for the Allied powers to occupy the Ottoman territories, including the capital Istanbul, in a short time. Of course, the reduction of the Ottoman army strength, arms and ammunition to a low number was also among the conditions of the armistice. In general, the governments established after the Armistice adopted a passive attitude in the face of the occupations and demands of the Entente states. However, the Ministry of War aimed to retain and protect the army as much as possible. Therefore, even though it demobilised and ostensibly disbanded the armies, it preserved the divisions, regiments and battalions under the main organisation of corps. Undoubtedly, the number of soldiers in the corps and the capabilities of the units were limited. However, the main backbone of the organisational structure for a mobilisation was preserved.
Within this framework, the Ottoman army was restructured into 9 corps and 20 divisions in April 1919. One of the corps was the 25th Corps, headquartered in the capital Istanbul. The 25th Corps, which was responsible for Istanbul, Çatalca, İzmit, Adapazarı, Düzce, Bolu and Zonguldak lines with the 1st Division and 10th Caucasian Division under its command, carried out its activities under the Istanbul-based 1st Army Inspectorate between May and August (1919), and directly under the Ministry of War after the inspectorates were abolished.
Undoubtedly, due to the presence of the occupation forces, the 25th Corps could not fulfil its duties and responsibilities comfortably. So much so that the places where the Corps’ troops were stationed in Istanbul, the amount of troops or even the dispatch of troops to a region for security and public order purposes posed a problem for the occupation forces.
The Ministry of War, on the other hand, tried to take the necessary measures through the 25th Corps as much as possible. As a matter of fact, the duties of the Corps Command and the Istanbul Guard were merged within the scope of the centralised execution of the public order of Istanbul and the military measures to be taken. As a matter of fact, during Cemal Pasha’s
term as Minister of War, the 25th Corps acted relatively more effectively in establishing public order and security, and dispatched its troops to the regions where they were needed. However, with the official occupation of Istanbul on 16 March 1920, the occupation of the Corps headquarters and the arrest of its commander Ali Sait Pasha, the influence of the Corps was completely eliminated and its command and organisation structure became dysfunctional.
As a result, it is observed that the 25th Corps and the 10th Caucasian Division were ineffective due to their presence in occupied Istanbul, while the 1st Division stationed in Izmit acted more easily due to its location. In this context, the Division Commanders were in direct contact with Mustafa Kemal Pasha and contributed to the National Struggle by fulfilling his directives. The 1st Division Command assumed responsibilities especially in establishing and expanding the national organisation in its area of responsibility, taking measures against the attempts and rebellions against it, as well as preventing bandits operating in the region and establishing security.
It should be noted that the troops under the command of the Corps headquarters and the 10th Caucasian Division were generally assigned to ensure the public order and security of the capital city, and could not directly support the National Struggle due to the fact that they were operating under close surveillance.
As a conclusion, the 25th Corps was the only corps that could not directly participate in the National Struggle due to the occupation of the capital. The 1st Division of the Corps, with the advantage of its location, was placed under the command of Ankara after the occupation of Istanbul and reorganised on the Western Front and performed important duties. Some of the officers assigned to the Corps headquarters and the 10th Caucasian Division in Istanbul travelled to Anatolia in various ways and joined the National Struggle.
