Action Army

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Together with the Turkish Action Army Staff and the officers of the I. Corps at the III. Army Headquarters in Thessaloniki (13 April 1909) Hareket Ordusu - Staff of the Turkish Action Army, 1909.jpg
Together with the Turkish Action Army Staff and the officers of the I. Corps at the III. Army Headquarters in Thessaloniki (13 April 1909)

The Action Army (Turkish : Hareket Ordusu), also translated as the Army of Action or Operation Army, was a rebellion force formed by elements of the Ottoman Army sympathetic to the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) during the 31 March Incident, sometimes referred to as the 1909 countercoup. Mobilised in Selanik (modern Thessaloniki) by Mahmud Shevket Pasha, [1] it occupied Istanbul and successfully suppressed the uprising in the 31 March Incident. [2]

Contents

Background

The Action Army marching on Makri Keuy (modern Bakirkoy) Action Army marching on Makri Keuy.jpg
The Action Army marching on Makri Keuy (modern Bakırköy)

The 1908 Young Turk Revolution, led by the Committee of Union and Progress, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II to restore a system of constitutional monarchy, ushering in the Second Constitutional Era. The 1909 countercoup was instigated by a mutiny of dissatisfied troops in Istanbul, who were joined by reactionary religious protestors demanding a return to autocracy under Abdul Hamid and sharia (sacred law). [3] With the resignation of Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha's cabinet the mutiny developed into a wider political crisis. [4]

Composition

The Action Army was organised by Mahmud Shevket Pasha, commander of the Third Army based in Selanik. A number of staff officers opposed to the countercoup gathered in Selanik to join the force. [5] It was also supported by divisions from the Second Army stationed in Adrianople (modern Edirne). [5]

Staff of the Action army. To Sevket Pasha's left, Huseyin Husnu, behind Husnu and second from left Ismet Pasha, to his right Ismail Hakki Bey, to his right Enver Bey. Staff of the Ottoman Action Army.jpg
Staff of the Action army. To Şevket Pasha's left, Hüseyin Hüsnü, behind Hüsnü and second from left Ismet Pasha, to his right İsmail Hakkı Bey, to his right Enver Bey.

The force numbered around 20,000–25,000 Ottoman soldiers and was supplemented by 15,000 volunteers, including 4,000 Bulgarians, 2,000 Greeks and 700 Jews. Çerçiz Topulli and Bajram Curri brought 8,000 Albanians troops, and Major Ahmed Niyazi Bey arrived with 1,800 men from Resne. [6]

Legacy

Action Army forces entering Istanbul Young Turks 1909 1.jpg
Action Army forces entering Istanbul

Some have compared the Action Army to a band of marauders ( çapulcu in Turkish). [7] One such example is Shaykh Nazim in some of his discourses. Mustafa Kemal Bey was involved as a captain. [8]

Marching song

TurkishEnglish

Selanik'tan çıktılar, İstanbul'u tuttular,
İstibdadı yıktılar,
Kimdir onlar?
Hareket ordusu!

Adu yoluna durdular, kılıca el vurdular,
Zalimleri kırdılar,
Kimdir onlar?
Hareket ordusu!

They left Thessaloniki, they captured Istanbul,
They destroyed the tyranny,
Who are they?
The Action Army!

They set out on the road to the foe, they put their hand to the sword,
They smashed the tyrants,
Who are they?
The Action Army!

References

  1. Süssheim, Karl; Flemming, Barbara; Schmidt, Jan (2002). The Diary of Karl Süssheim (1878-1947): Orientalist Between Munich and Istanbul. Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN   9783515075732.
  2. Baykal, Erol A. F. (2019). The Ottoman Press (1908-1923). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. p. 1. doi:10.1163/9789004394889_002. ISBN   978-90-04-39488-9.
  3. Der Matossian, Bedross (August 2011). "From Bloodless Revolution to Bloody Counterrevolution: The Adana Massacres of 1909 Adana Massacres of 1909". Genocide Studies and Prevention. 6 (2): 153. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  4. Swenson, Victor R. (1970). "The Military Rising in Istanbul 1909". Journal of Contemporary History. 5 (4): 171–184. doi:10.1177/002200947000500410. ISSN   0022-0094. JSTOR   259871. S2CID   162348476.
  5. 1 2 Ahmad, Feroz; Şenses, Bülent (2017). "Hareket Ordusu" [Action Army]. In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Denis, Matringe; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam (3rd ed.). Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_30322 . Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  6. Gawrych, George (2006). The Crescent and the Eagle: Ottoman rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874–1913. London: IB Tauris. pp. 167–168. ISBN   9781845112875.
  7. "AKP'li Eroğlu, Hareket Ordusu'na 'çapulcu ordusu' dedi". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  8. Büyük Larousse Ansiklopedisi, "Hareket Ordusu" maddesi, cilt 8, sayfa 5031