İhsan Lâtif Sökmen, also known as Ali İhsan Pasha (1873–1955) was a Turkish soldier and politician who is notable for his participation in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Biography

After graduating from the Military Academy in 1895, he took part in the Greco-Turkish War and the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

. He served as the Military Attaché in Athens, the Chief of Staff of the Yemen Army Corps, the Commander of the Edremit Division, and the Commander of the Mus Division. When

began Caucasus Front's 9th Corps in carrying out the tasks Sarikamish battle during the Russian army fell prisoners on 22 December 1914, and was exiled to Siberia. He managed to escape from

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

in May 1915 and returned to

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

in September 1915 through

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. He retired in October 1915. He served as Istanbul Şehremaneti Yeniköy Mayor and Pursaklar Inspector. He returned to active duty in 1919. He was appointed as the Head of the Divan-ı War and War Department. In the same year, he was appointed as the Head of

Association for Defence of National Rights Associations for Defence of National Rights ( tr, Müdâfaa-i hukuk cemiyetleri) were regional resistance organisations established in the Ottoman Empire between 1918–1919. They would eventually unite into the Association for the Defence of Rights ...

, a secret organization, by the Ankara Government. In this capacity, he ensured that weapons and ammunition were sent to Anatolia. Sökmen was honored with Medal of Independence with Red Stripe for Achievement. After the

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

, he served as the Izmir Housing District Manager for a short time, and was appointed to the Izmir Governor's Office in 1924. He was elected as Istanbul deputy in the second parliamentary by-elections in 1926. He served as a deputy for Istanbul between 1927 and 1931 and Giresun between 1931 and 1946. IV. Period National Defense Committee Chief, V. and VI. Period Arzuhal Committee Headship, VI. and VII. He served as the Chairman of the Library Committee. He was married and had two children.

Works

*''Serencam-i Harp'' *''Iran's Military and its Policy''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sökmen, İhsan 1873 births 1955 deaths Ottoman Army generals Turkish Army generals Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars Ottoman military personnel of World War I Turkish military personnel of the Turkish War of Independence Recipients of the Medal of Independence with Red Ribbon (Turkey)