Cengiz Topel (September 2, 1934 – August 8, 1964) was a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

of the Turkish Air Force, who was tortured to death after his plane was shot down while supporting the Turkish army during the 1964 inter-communal conflict "Erenköy Resistance", known as the Battle of Tylliria in

Greek Cypriot Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2011 census, 659,115 r ...

parlance.

Career

Topel was born in

İzmit İzmit () is a district and the central district of Kocaeli province, Turkey. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. As of the last 31/12/2019 estimation, the c ...

on September 2, 1934, to Hakkı Bey, a tobacco expert from

Trabzon Trabzon (; Ancient Greek: Tραπεζοῦς (''Trapezous''), Ophitic Pontic Greek: Τραπεζούντα (''Trapezounta''); Georgian: ტრაპიზონი (''Trapizoni'')), historically known as Trebizond in English, is a city on the Bl ...

and Mebuse Hanım in

, where his father was working for the Turkish tobacco company Tekel. He was the third sibling of four children. Cengiz Topel was schooled in

Bandırma Bandırma () is a city in northwestern Turkey with 161,894 inhabitants as of 2021 on the Sea of Marmara. Bandırma is a district of Balıkesir Province. Bandırma is located in the south of the Marmara Sea, in the bay with the same name, and is a ...

and Gönen of

Balıkesir Province Balıkesir Province ( tr, ) is a province in northwestern Turkey with coastlines on both the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea, Aegean. Its adjacent provinces are Çanakkale Province, Çanakkale to the west, İzmir Province, İzmir to the southw ...

. He finished the primary and the secondary school in

Kadıköy Kadıköy (), known in classical antiquity and during the Roman and Byzantine eras as Chalcedon ( gr, Χαλκηδών), is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district in the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey, on the northern shore of the Sea of ...

, İstanbul, where his family moved following his father's death. After a brief time at

Haydarpaşa High School Haydarpaşa High School ( ) is an Anatolian High School in Üsküdar district of Istanbul, Turkey established in 1934. History The school was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 26 September 1934 as a boys' school. It was a boarding and day schoo ...

, he entered

Kuleli Military High School Kuleli Military High School was the oldest military high school in Turkey, located in Çengelköy, Istanbul, on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus strait. It was founded on September 21, 1845, by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I. After the 2016 Tur ...

, from which he graduated in 1953. Cengiz Topel joined the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in 1955 with the rank of a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

following his education at the Turkish Military Academy. His interest in aviation took him to the Turkish Air Force. He was sent to Canada for flight training. In 1957, he returned to Turkey and was appointed to the 5th Air Wing in

Merzifon Air Base Merzifon Airport or Amasya Merzifon Airport is a military airport located in the city of Merzifon in the Amasya Province of Turkey. Airlines and destinations Statistics Military usage Merzifon is the 5th Air Wing (''Ana Jet Üs'' or ''AJÜ ...

. Cengiz Topel served from 1961 on at the 1st Tactical Air Force Command at

Eskişehir Air Base Eskişehir Air Base ( tr, Eskişehir Hava Üssü) is a military airport in the city of Eskişehir, Turkey. Military usage Eskişehir Air Base is home to the 1st Air Wing (''Ana Jet Üs'' or ''AJÜ'') of the 1st Air Force Command (''Hava Kuvvet ...

. In 1963, he became an Air Force

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Combat mission

On August 8, 1964, Topel was appointed to a

combat mission ''Combat Mission'' is the name of a successful series of computer wargames simulating tactical battles. The series has progressed through two distinct game engines. The original game engine, referred to as 'CMx1' by the developer, Battlefront.co ...

during Turkey's military intervention during the Battle of Tylliria. He led a four-fighter flight of the 112th Air Squadron leaving Eskişehir Air Base around 17:00 local time for

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. Topel's

F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

was hit by 40mm anti-aircraft fire from a Greek Cypriot gun emplacement and shot-down as he was strafing the ''Arion'', a Greek Cypriot patrol boat. He was able to eject from his aircraft and made a safe parachute jump over land. He was promptly captured and brought to a hospital. However, in violation of the

Geneva Conventions upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conven ...

, members of the

Cyprus National Guard , name2 = National Guard General Staff , image = Emblem of the Cypriot National Guard.svg , image_size = 100px , caption = Emblem of the National Guard of Cyprus , image2 = Flag of the ...

allegedly took him from the hospital to their headquarters at

Kykkos Monastery Kykkos Monastery ( el, Ιερά Μονή Κύκκου or [] for short, tr, Cikko Manastırı), which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monastery, monasteries in Cyprus. The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of ...

. An autopsy of his body showed that he was heavily tortured and his corpse was shot afterwards. In detaille: One of his eyes was goughed out, a metal construction nail was hammerd in his skull, in his both arms were holes drilled, his testicals was smashed, his legs were broken. Some of his inner organs has been robbed. He suffered unimaginable pain till he got shot and murdered. His corpse was returned on August 12, 1964, to the Turkish authorities only after insistent attempts. On August 14, 1964, he was laid to rest at the

Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery The Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery ( tr, Edirnekapı Şehitliği), one of the largest burial grounds of Istanbul, Turkey, is located in the neighborhood of Edirnekapı of Eyüp district, in the European part of the city. It consists of an old ...

in Istanbul. He is known as the first Turkish pilot to be killed in action.

Legacy

A former Turkish Air Force base located near İzmit, currently in use as

Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station ( tr, Cengiz Topel Deniz Hava Üssü), a.k.a. Topel Airport or formerly Cengiz Topel Air Base, is a Turkish Navy air station located east of İzmit in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. The airport is in joint use for milit ...

, is named after him. A monument was erected on the coastal road in the village Gemikonağı near

Lefke Lefka ( el, Λεύκα; tr, Lefke) is a town in Cyprus, overlooking Morphou Bay. It is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. In 2011, the town proper had 3,009 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Lefke District of Northern Cyprus ...

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...

, where he had landed by parachute. A bronze statue in Eskişehir depicts him in flight suit. A number of places, schools in Turkey and a hospital in Northern Cyprus are named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topel, Cengiz People from İzmit 1934 births 1964 deaths Haydarpaşa High School alumni Kuleli Military High School alumni Turkish Military Academy alumni Turkish aviators Turkish Air Force officers Turkish military personnel of the Cyprus conflicts Shot-down aviators Turkish prisoners of war Burials at Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery Turkish torture victims Turkish military personnel killed in action Deaths by firearm in Cyprus