Halil Sami Bey (1866 – 1925) was an Ottoman Army

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, who served in the

First World War 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 ...

. He successfully managed to fend off British forces during the

Landing at Cape Helles The landing at Cape Helles ( tr, Seddülbahir Çıkarması) was part of the Gallipoli Campaign the amphibious landings on the Gallipoli peninsula by British and French forces on 25 April 1915 during the First World War. Helles, at the foot o ...

Career

Halil Sami was in charge of the Ottoman 9th Division on the morning of 25 April 1915 known as The

First Battle of Krithia The First Battle of Krithia ( tr, Birinci Kirte Muharebesi) was the first Allied attempt to advance in the Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War. Starting on 28 April, three days after the Landing at Cape Helles, the defensive power of ...

. He was responsible for a very difficult section of the peninsula. His division faced the

British 29th Division The 29th Division, known as the ''Incomparable Division'', was an infantry division of the British Army, formed in early 1915 by combining various Regular Army units that had been acting as garrisons around the British Empire. Under the command o ...

landing on 5 individual beaches with an initial force of 6 infantry battalions and 2 infantry regiments. The total force on the beaches were the 6th Company defending Sarıtepe Altı and İkiz Koyu, 12th, 10th, 9th and 11th Companies defending Teke koyu and Ertuğrul koyu with a platoon defending the Zığındere (Gully Ravine). The 10th Company, with the heroic efforts of Yahya Çavuş who fought against 3000 British infantry with one squad under his command, was totally wiped out with all the other Turkish forces defending the beaches. After the 25th, the battle turned into continuous trench warfare with the British and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

forces not being able to reach Altçıtepe, a crucial hill which would open the way to the capturing of the peninsula from the south. The Kirte and Zigindere battles inflicted heavy casualties on both sides. Colonel Halil Sami did not die at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

. The memorials in Gallipoli accidentally state that he was killed in action but this is not true. There is not much information on what happened to him after the war but he probably got a commission in the Turkish army during 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 later quarreled with General Otto Liman von Sanders about the war plans. He was taken off the duty on 10 July 1915 and forced to retire from the army.

Resources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sami, Halil 1866 births 1925 deaths Ottoman Military Academy alumni Ottoman Army officers Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars Ottoman military personnel of World War I