Ismail Enver

Ismail Enver (November 22, 1881 in Istanbul - August 4, 1922), known to Europeans during his political career as Enver Pasha (Turkish: Enver Paşa) or Enver Bey was a Turkish military officer and a leader of the Young Turk revolution. He was the main leader of the Ottoman Empire during all of World War 1. Download high resolution version (537x762, 116 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (537x762, 116 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Young Turks were a Turkish nationalist reform party, officially known as the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) — in Turkish the Ittihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti — whose leaders led a rebellion against Sultan Abdul Hamid II (who was officially deposed and exiled in 1909). ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Sogut (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

Background

Born to a wealthy family in Istanbul, he studied in Germany and became interested in German theories of military organization and strategy. He rose rapidly in the Ottoman army upon his return, becoming a Pasha by 1913 at the age of thirty-two. Enver was a vocal advocate of the idea of a Greater Turkey. In practice this meant he wanted all non-Turks removed from Turkish territory. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

In April 1912 the Young Turks (officially the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP)) won an overwhelming majority in an election, but the loss of the province of Libya to Italy and other setbacks eroded its support to the point that in July the CUP was forced to yield to a political coalition called the Liberal Union. 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article refers to the Turkish nationalist reform party. ...

The Three Pashas

In a coup on January 23, 1913, the CUP overthrew the Liberal Union coalition and introduced a military dictatorship headed, within a few months, by the "Three Pashas" - Enver Pasha, Talat Pasha, and Djemal Pasha. While Enver's portfolio was only minister of war, the other two Pashas usually defered to Enver. A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Mehmed Talat Pasha (Turkish: Mehmet Talat PaÅŸa) (1872-1921) was one of leaders of the Young Turks, Ottoman statesman, grand vizier (1917) , and leading member of the Sublime Porte from 1913 until 1918. ... Ahmed Cemal (Djemal) Pasha was born in 6th May 1872, in Midilli. ...

One week before the Ottoman government declared war on Russia by shelling Odessa, Enver gave himself a new position Vice-Generalissimo, making him the near dictator of the Ottoman government at the age of 34. As soon as the war started, October 31, 1914, Enver ordered that all men of military age report to army recruiting offices. The offices were unable to handle the vast flood of men and long delays occurred. This had the effect of ruining the crop harvest for that year. The geographical situation of Odessa city and province within Ukraine Odessa (Ukrainian: Одеса, Odesa; Russian: ) is a city in southwestern Ukraine, a major port on the Black Sea, and the administrative centre of the countrys Odessa Oblast. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Defeat at Sarikamis

Enver thought of himself as a great military leader while the German military advisor, Limon von Sanders, thought of him as a military buffoon. The reality was, Enver ordered a complex attack on the Russians, placed himself in personal control of the Third Army, and was utterly defeated at the Battle of Sarikamis in December-January 1914-1915. Enver's much larger army was defeated by a weaker Russian force and in the subsequent retreat, tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers died. This was the single worst defeat of a Turkish army in all of World War One. Otto Liman von Sanders (February 17, 1855 - August 22, 1929) was a German general who served as adviser to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V during World War I. He was born in Stolp in Pomerania. ... Combatants Russia Ottoman Empire Commanders General Vorontsov General Yudenich Enver Pasha Strength 100,000 90,000 (plus aprox. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

On suspicions that Russian sympathisers within the Armenian community had sabotaged his failed offensive and were now planning a revolt, he ordered that all Armenian recruits in the Ottoman forces be disarmed, demobilized and assigned to labor camps, where they were summarily executed. Turkish sources claim, however, that the demobilized Armenian soldiers were not killed but returned on their own to Armenia. The degree of Enver's direct involvement in the alleged Armenian genocide of 1915 is up for debate, but according to Armenian resources, on May 19, 1916, Enver declared, "The Ottoman Empire should be cleaned up of the Armenians and the Lebanese. We have destroyed the former by the sword, we shall destroy the latter through starvation." He further stated, "I am entirely willing to accept the responsibility myself for everything that has taken place." The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust or the Armenian Massacre) is a term which refers to the forced mass evacuation and related deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians, during the government of the Young Turks from 1915 to 1917 in the Ottoman Empire. ... The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust or the Armenian Massacre) is a term which refers to the forced mass evacuation and related deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians, during the government of the Young Turks from 1915 to 1917 in the Ottoman Empire. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 - The Royal Army Medical Corps first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ...

After his defeat at Sarikamis, Enver returned to Istambul and took command of the Turkish forces around the capital. The British and French were planning an attack on the center of the Ottoman government and by so doing, knocking Turkey out of the war early. A large Allied Fleet assembled and staged an attack on the Dardanelles on March 18, 1915. The attack (the forerunner to the failed Gallipoli campaign) left the Turks - and Enver - demoralized. As a result, Enver turned over command to the Limon von Sanders, who commanded the successful defence of Gallipoli. This article needs cleanup. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Battle of Gallipoli Conflict First World War Date 19 February 1915 - 9 January 1916 Place Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey Result Ottoman victory The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli in 1915 during the First World War. ...

Enver proved to be ineffective as a war minister and frequently over the next four years the Germans would have to support the Ottoman government with generals such as Limon von Sanders, Falkenhayn, Baron von der Goltz, and Kress von Kressenstein. The Germans also gave the Ottoman government military supplies, soldiers, and even fuel. Enver's government spent much more than it took in and the inflation rate over the four years of war was greater than 1600%. Erich von Falkenhayn Chief of the General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn (11 November 1861 - 8 April 1922) was a German soldier and Chief of the General Staff during World War I. Falkenhayn was a career soldier. ... Warning: this article is based primarily on information from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica and does not reflect modern scholarship. ... Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein (1870 - 1948) was a German General and a member of the group of German officers who directed the Ottoman Army during World War I. Von Kressenstein was part of Otto Liman von Sanders military mission to Turkey. ...

The Last Year

In 1918, with Ottoman forces defeated in Palestine and Mesopotamia, Enver looked for victory in Russia. During 1917, due to the Russian Revolution and subsequent Civil War, the Russian army in the Caucusus had ceased to exist. When Enver discussed his plans for taking over southern Russia, the Germans told him to keep out. Undetered, Enver ordered the creation of a new military force called the Army of Islam which would have no German officers. Early in 1918, the Ottoman army attacked Armenia, destroying most of the forces of the new Republic of Armenia. The Army of Islam marched into Russia, eventually reaching Baku in September of 1918. Sinai and Palestine Campaign during World War I: Sinai campaign Battle of Romani Battle of Magdhaba Battle of Rafa Palestine campaign First Battle of Gaza Second Battle of Gaza Third Battle of Gaza Battle of Beersheba Battle of Megiddo Categories: Battles of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign ... The Mesopotamian Campaign was a theater of the First World War fought between Allied forces represented by British and Anglo-Indian troops, and Central forces of the Ottoman Empire. ... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political events in Russia, which, after the elimination of the Russian autocracy system, and the Provisional Government (Duma), resulted in the establishment of the Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ... The Russian Civil War was fought from 1918 to 1922. ... In 1918, Enver Pasha, the War Minister for the Ottoman Empire ordered the creation of a new military force. ... Satellite view of Baku The Baku harbour on the south of Absheron peninsula The Maiden Tower in old town Baku Baku (Azerbaijani: Bakı), sometimes known as Baky or Baki, is the capital of Azerbaijan. ...

These conquests in the Caucusus counted for very little in the war as a whole. With the destruction of their army in Palestine, the collapse of Austria-Hungary, and the loss of Mesopotamia, the war was lost. First to go was Talat Pasha, who resigned days before the empire capitulated and signed an armistice on October 30. Enver resigned with the rest of CUP Cabinet two days later, and the "Three Pashas" all fled into exile. Enver first went to Germany in October 1918 where he had relations with German Communist figures like Karl Radek. A post-war tribunal in Istanbul tried him in absentia for crimes related to the massacres and condemned him to death. Former Minister of Justice Ibrahim Bey was condemned as well. Sinai and Palestine Campaign during World War I: Sinai campaign Battle of Romani Battle of Magdhaba Battle of Rafa Palestine campaign First Battle of Gaza Second Battle of Gaza Third Battle of Gaza Battle of Beersheba Battle of Megiddo Categories: Battles of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... The Mesopotamian Campaign was a theater of the First World War fought between Allied forces represented by British and Anglo-Indian troops, and Central forces of the Ottoman Empire. ... A white flag is traditionally used to represent a truce. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Karl Bernhardovich Radek (October 31, 1885 - May 19, 1939) was a Bolshevik and an international Communist leader. ... Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... Ibrahim Beys mansion on Al-Rudah Island, near Cairo Ibrahim Bey (1735 - 1817) was an Mameluke chieftain, military commander and joint ruler of Egypt. ...

Enver was killed in action participating in a revolt against the Bolshevik Red Army on August 4, 1922, near Baldzhuan in Turkestan (present-day Tajikistan). Leaders of the Bolshevik Party and the Communist International, a painting by Malcolm McAllister on the Pathfinder Mural in New York City and on the cover of the book Lenin’s Final Fight published by Pathfinder. ... The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (in Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya), the armed forces first organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Map of Turkestan (green) with borders of modern states in white Turkestan (Persian: ترکستان ) (also spelled Turkistan or Türkistan) is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic people. ...

See also

• Caucasus Campaign
• Battle of Gallipoli

The Caucasus Campaign was fought from 1914 until 1918 in the Caucasus during World War I between the Russian Empire a member of the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire a member of the Central Powers. ... Combatants United Kingdom France India Australia New Zealand Newfoundland Ottoman Empire Commanders Sir Ian Hamilton Otto Liman von Sanders Strength 5 divisions (initial) 14 divisions (final) 6 divisions (initial) 14 divisions (final) Casualties 252,000 (205,000 British, 47,000 French) dead 97,000 wounded 145,000+ sick 253,000...

Sources

• Fromkin, David (1989). A Peace to End All Peace, Avon Books.

External links

• Enver's biography
• Highly critical accounts of genocide against Armenians and Greeks, quoting documents, giving dates