The Ottoman Seventh Army was a large military formation of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although designated as an
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 ...
, at least by 1918, it was only of
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
strength.
The Seventh Army was established in 1877 for service in
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
and the
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
. By 1908 it consisted of the 13th and 14th infantry divisions, one cavalry regiment and one artillery regiment and they were involved in combatting insurgent tribesmen in the Yemen.
World War I
Order of Battle, August 1917
In August 1917, the army was structured as follows:
[Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 170.]
*Seventh Army,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
(Mirliva
Mustafa Kemal Pasha
Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى
, Muṣṭafā) is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world.
Given name Mou ...
)
**
III Corps
***
24th Division,
50th Division
**
XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to:
*XV Corps (British India)
* XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I
* 15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I
*XV Royal Bav ...
***
19th Division,
20th Division
**
German Asia Corps
In late 1917, commanded by Fevzi Pasha, the Seventh Army was ordered to advanced across the desert in order to bring pressure to bear upon Allenby's inland flank in Palestine. While Allenby attacked the
Ottoman Eighth Army, his Australian Mounted Division was sent to hold back the advance of the Seventh Army. The Seventh Army did manage to force the Australians to retreat by several miles but ultimately the Australians held their line. After the British victory in the
Battle of Mughar Ridge
The Battle of Mughar Ridge, officially known by the British as the action of El Mughar, took place on 13 November 1917 during the Pursuit phase of the Southern Palestine Offensive of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War. Figh ...
on 13 November (which did not directly involve the Seventh Army), Fevzi decided to withdraw the Seventh Army to guard Jerusalem.
Order of Battle, January 1918
In January 1918, the army was structured as follows:
[Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 181.]
*Seventh Army (Mirliva
Mustafa Fevzi Pasha)
**
III Corps
***
1st Division, 19th Division, 24th Division
**
XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to:
*XV Corps (British India)
* XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I
* 15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I
*XV Royal Bav ...
***
26th Division,
53rd Division
**
3rd Cavalry Division
**German Asia Corps
Order of Battle, June 1918
In June 1918, the army was structured as follows:
[Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 188.]
*Seventh Army (Mirliva
Mustafa Fevzi Pasha)
**
III Corps
***1st Division, 24th Division, 3rd Cavalry Division
**
XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to:
*XV Corps (British India)
* XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I
* 15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I
*XV Royal Bav ...
***26th Division, 53rd Division, 19th Division
**German Asia Corps
Order of Battle, September 1918
In September 1918, the army was structured as follows:
[Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 197.]
*Seventh Army (Mirliva
Mustafa Kemal Pasha
Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى
, Muṣṭafā) is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world.
Given name Mou ...
)
**
III Corps (Miralay
İsmet Bey)
***1st Division,
11th Division
**
XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to:
*XV Corps (British India)
* XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I
* 15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I
*XV Royal Bav ...
(Miralay
Ali Fuat Bey)
***26th Division, 53rd Division
The Seventh Army was destroyed by British aerial bombardment during its retreat from Nablus on 21 September 1918.
After Mudros
Order of Battle, November 1918
In November 1918, the army was structured as follows:
[Edward J. Erickson, ''Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', Greenwood Press, 2001, , p. 202.]
*Seventh Army (Mirliva
Ali Fuat Pasha, deputy)
**
III Corps
***11th Division, 24th Division
**
XX Corps
***1st Division,
43rd Division
References
{{Ottoman Forces during World War I
Field armies of the Ottoman Empire
Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire in World War I