Ottoman Army of Islam

Army of Islam was a military unit of the Ottoman Empire established between March–August 1918. Its creation was ordered by the Enver Pasha, War Minister. This force was composed entirely of Muslims, many of whom were Turkic-speaking. The purpose of this military force was to conquer new lands for the Ottoman Empire in the southern Caucasus.

Battle Order, 1918

• Army of Islam (commanded by Nuri Killigil)
  • 1st Caucasus division
  • 2nd Caucasus division
  • 3rd Caucasus division

This Unit is attached to Third Army, of the Caucasian Army Group. Caucasian Army Group established in March of 1917, because of the very low levels in 2nd Army and 3rd Army. Enver Pasha named this Corps level unit which had between 14,000 and 25,000 men as "Army of Islam." This unit did not have German officers (advisors). The Army of Islam answered only to Enver Pasha.

Activities

During 1917, due to the Russian Revolution and subsequent Civil War, the Russian army in the Caucasus had ceased to exist. Meanwhile, Committee of Union and Progress, moved to win the friendship of the Bolsheviks with the signing of the Ottoman-Russian friendship treaty (January 1, 1918). The exclusion of German officers from this army was deliberate. By the end of 1917, Enver Pasha concluded that the Germans and the Ottoman Empire did not have compatible goals after the Russian Empire had collapsed. This feeling was confirmed by the terms of the treaty of Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which was very favorable to the Germans. Enver looked for victory where Russia left in the Caucasus. When Enver discussed his plans for taking over southern Russia, the Germans told him to keep out.

The army marched without much opposition through Democratic Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The British sent a small military force under the command of General Lionel Charles Dunsterville into Baku, which arrived around August 4, 1918. But a month later the British withdrew after being defeated by the Ottomans and their Azerbaijani allies in the Battle of Baku. With the end of the war (based on the armistice of October 30, 1918) and the political fall of Enver Pasha, the Army of Islam soon disintegrated.

Sources

• Fromkin, David (1989). A Peace to End All Peace, pp. 354-355. Avon Books.

Notes

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