| Unit Name: | Third Army |
| Dates: | August 5, 1914 – October 15, 1918[1] |
| Type: | Field Army |
| Battles: | Balkan Wars Caucasus Campaign (World War I) |
| Notable Commanders: | Hasan Izzet Pasha (November 1 – December 19, 1914) Enver Pasha (December 22, 1914 – January 10, 1915) Hafiz Hakki Pasha (January 12– February 13, 1915) Mahmud Kâmil Pasha (February 13, 1915 – February 23, 1915) Abdul Kerim Pasha (February 23, 1915 – February 16, 1916) Vehib Pasha (February 1916 – June 1918) Esad Pasha (June–October 1918) |
The Third Army was originally established in Skopje and later defended the northeastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Its initial headquarters was at Salonica, where it formed the core of the military forces that supported the Young Turk Revolution of 1908. Many of its officers who participated in the Revolution, including Enver Pasha and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, rose to fame and power.
By 1911, the Army had been moved to Erzincan in northeastern Anatolia, and with the onset of World War I, it was moved to Erzurum. During the war, it fought against the Russian Caucasus Army, Armenian volunteer units and behind the lines dealt with the Armenian Resistance within its designated area. During this period, the Battle of Sarikamish, Battle of Koprukoy and the Battle of Erzurum were significant engagements. The army's headquarters was moved to Susehir (a town near Sivas) after the disastrous Battle of Erzurum, and by late 1916 the army lacked any offensive capability. After the Russian Revolution, the Russian Caucasus Army disintegrated.
Between 1917 and 1918 it advanced against forces of the Armenian national liberation movement established by Armenian Congress of Eastern Armenians which became the Armenian Army with the declaration of the Democratic Republic of Armenia. During this period, the Third Army engaged the Armenian forces at Sardarapat, Abaran, and Karakilisa.
After the Young Turk Revolution and the establishment of the Second Constitutional Era on July 3, 1908, the new government initiated a major military reform. Army headquarters were modernized. Its operational area was Western Rumelia, and it had units in Europe (Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia) and Minor Asia (Aydın). It commanded the following active divisions:[2] The Third Army also had inspectorate functions for twelve Redif (reserve) divisions:[3] [4]
With further reorganizations of the Ottoman Army, to include the creation of corps level headquarters, by 1911 the Army was headquartered in Erzincan. The Army before the First Balkan War in 1911 was structured as such:[5]
The acting commander Hasan Izzet Pasha (October–December 1914) and Enver Pasha (December 1914 – January 1915). Prior to Sarikamish, the Army consisted of 118,660 troops in the following units and commanders:[6] [7]
Following the battle of Sarikamish, it was reduced to some 20,000 men with loss of all guns and heavy equipment.[6] [8]
The acting commander Hafiz Hakki Pasha (January 12 – February 1915) died of typhus in Erzerum in 1915. Mahmut Kamil Paşa (February 1915 – February 1916) took the command.
In 1915 the 3rd Army was slowly brought back up to strength. In July of that year, it was strong enough to win a victory against the Russians at Malazgirt. Later in the year the losses the Ottomans took at Gallipoli diverted manpower away from the 3rd Army, and it would never again reach its normal strength, and numbered 60,000 in the fall of 1915.[9]
The acting commander Vehip Pasha (February 1916–June 1918).
also: 2nd Cavalry Division, 15-20 battalions of frontier guards and gendarmes, and a few thousand Kurdish irregular.
When the Russians launched their surprise offensive in January 1916, culminating in the Battle of Koprukoy the army numbered 65,000 men and 100 guns.[10] The army lost nearly 15,000 killed, wounded, for frozen, and about 5,000 prisoners. There were also about an estimated 5,000 deserters.[11] About 20-30 guns were lost. The XI Corps took the heaviest losses, about 70% of its effective strength. The army fell back on the fortified city of Erzurum, its base.
The army could expect reinforcements from the 1st and 2nd Armies after their victory at Gallipoli, but due to the poor nature of the Ottoman railroad it was going to take time for them to reach the 3rd Army. The army numbered about 50,000 troops.[12] The army was also short machine guns and needed more artillery to properly defend the city. Mahmut Kamil returned from leave and resumed command of the army from Abdul Kerim.
The Russians stormed the city, penetrating its outer defenses, forcing Mahmut Kamil to abandon the city and retreat to the west. The army numbered perhaps 25,000 men and 30 or 40 guns.[13] Morale was very poor. Mahmut Kamil was replaced by Vehip Pasa.[14] The army continued to retreat, losing Trebizond on the coast. A counterattack by the army was unable to retake the city.
In July 1916 the Russians launched another series of attacks on the 3rd Army, costing the army about 30% of its strength and leaving its morale badly shaken.[15] By September 1916 the army was very weak and desertions were a major problem. By October there were an estimated 50,000 deserters in the rear of the army.[16] The 3rd Army could not play any role in the Ottoman offensives planned for that fall.
The acting commander Vehib Pasha (February 1916–June 1918).
The army underwent a major reorganization at the winter of 1916. At the turn of 1917, it was reorganized as follows:[16]
Over the winter of 1916–17, the Russian Revolution effectively stopped the Russian Army in its tracks, and eventually caused the Russian Army in the Caucasus to melt away.
The Third Army later advanced and recaptured in 1917 and 1918 all that it had lost, and even advanced to and captured Kars, which had been lost to the Russians in 1877. These actions achieved what the Ottomans had wanted at Brest-Litovsk by regaining the Ottoman Empire's prewar boundaries under the Treaty of Batum.