Cevat Çobanlı (14 September 1870Mesut Aydın, Türkiye ve Irak Hudûdu Mes'elesi, Avrasya Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi Yayınları, 2001, p. 53. or 1871 – 13 March 1938) was a Turkish military commander of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Armed Forces who was notable for causing major Naval losses to the Allies during their Dardanelles campaign in World War I.
Early life Cevat was born on 14 September 1870 in Sultanahmet (Istanbul, Ottoman Empire). He belonged to the Çobanoğulları family from Arapgir. His father was Marshal Şakir Pasha, a graduate of the 2nd/21st class of the War Academy. His mother was Emine Hanım.
Cevat Pasha completed his secondary education at Galatasaray High School in Istanbul. In 1888, he entered the Ottoman Military Academy, graduating fourth in his class in 1891. He then entered the Ottoman Army as a junior infantry lieutenant. In 1892, he was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. In 1894, he graduated from the military college as a Staff Captain and began his service in the General Staff of the Palace as an aide-de-camp of Sultan.Genelkurmay, Türk İstiklâl Harbine Katılan Tümen ve Daha Üst Kademelerdeki Komutanların Biyografileri, p. 23.
In November 1894, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. As a lieutenant colonel, he was assigned to the repair of barracks damaged by the great Istanbul earthquake of 1894. For his efforts and success in repairing military buildings, he was awarded the " Silver Medal of Merit ." In May 1895, he became a major and in August of the same year, he went to France to participate in military maneuvers. In June 1896, he received his third Order of Mecidi and in January 1897, he became a lieutenant colonel. In 1898, he received the "Order of Merit" from the Bulgarian Prince. In 1899, he went to Bulgaria and was sent to the Disarmament Conference held in The Hague that same year. He was promoted to colonel in January 1899 and to brigadier general (mirliva) in November 1901. In May 1902, he received decorations from the Spanish and German governments. In July 1904, he attended the ceremony marking the completion of the Hejaz railway from Damascus to Maan. In December 1906, he became a lieutenant general. In March 1907, he was assigned to the Second Army and returned to Istanbul in July 1907.
Cevat Bey served in the Imperial Guard during the proclamation of the Second Constitutional Era and the 31 March Incident, commanding the 2nd Division within that army. Approximately four months after the 31 March Incident, Cevat Bey's rank was reduced from brigadier general to lieutenant colonel on August 19, 1909, by the Law on Rank Demotion, which was enacted on the grounds that some commanders in the army were being promoted too quickly. Cevat Bey did not take this as a blow to pride and continued his military career. Despite his demotion, he was not considered a commander to be discarded. Indeed, immediately after the demotion, on August 28, 1909, he was appointed director of the newly opened General Staff School. He remained in this position until January 9, 1911. During this tenure, he was promoted again, rising to the rank of colonel on September 29, 1910. In July 1912, he served as Acting Deputy Chief of the General Staff; around the same time, he was given the position of Chief of Staff of the First Army Inspectorate.
Military career
Balkan Wars
During the Balkan Wars, Cevat Bey served successively as Chief of Staff of the Eastern Army, Chief of Staff of the Çatalca Fortified Position and General Artillery Command (First Battle of Çatalca), and Commander of the 9th Division (Second Battle of Çatalca). He received a medal of merit due to his excellent service.
Dardanelles campaign
He was appointed as the Commander of the Çanakkale Fortified Area on November 29, 1914.Genelkurmay, Türk İstiklâl Harbine Katılan Tümen ve Daha Üst Kademelerdeki Komutanların Biyografileri, p. 23. During his tenure, the Turks, under his leadership, created a powerful defense to protect the strait. The defense was based on minefields, which threatened bloodshed if not properly cleared, and precluded any attempt to storm the slow-firing forts. The Turkish command also had large-calibre guns in the forts and torpedo tubes at its disposal.
Between February 25 and March 18, the Allied fleet conducted various mine-clearing and fortification-destroying operations, but their efforts proved unsuccessful. Consequently, an attempt was made to break through the strait on March 18, 1915.Peter Hart, Gallipoli, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 32.
The Battle of March 18 began at 10:30 AM. The first British line opened fire from Eren Köy Bay around 11:00 AM. Shortly after midday, de Robeck ordered the French line to pass and approach the forts in the strait.Peter Hart, Gallipoli, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 33-36. Although the naval fire did not destroy the Ottoman batteries, it temporarily weakened their fire. By 1:25 PM, the Ottoman fortifications were largely quiet, so de Robeck decided to withdraw the French line and advance the second British line, along with the ships Swiftsure and Majestic.Corbett, J. S., Naval Operations, Longmans Green, 1920, p. 216–217, 223, 225.
At 2:00 PM, the ship Bouvet was hit by a heavy shell in quick succession, then almost immediately struck a mine. Disappearing, the ship took with it Captain Rajo de la Touche and 638 of his crew. A total of only sixty-six men survived, picked up by the British.Peter Hart, Gallipoli, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 38-39.
The British continued their attack. Around 4:00 PM, the battleship Inflexible, having already sustained several shell hits, struck a mine near the site of the Bouvet's sinking. Ultimately, she survived only by running aground off Tenedos Island. About 10 minutes later, the Irresistible also struck a mine, while the Turks redoubled their efforts to finish her off. Fortunately, most of the crew was evacuated by the destroyer Ware.Peter Hart, Gallipoli, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 41.Corbett, J. S., Naval Operations, Longmans Green, 1920, p. 219-221.
Once they were safe, de Robeck ordered the lead ships to retreat, then at 5:50 PM, he ordered a "general recall."
As the retreat began, the Ocean, unsuccessfully attempting to tow the Irresistible, circled around, and it came as no surprise to observers when, at 6:05 PM, she too struck a mine. Once again, casualties were few, as the escorting destroyers rushed to rescue the crew. The Ocean was finally abandoned at 7:30 PM.Peter Hart, Gallipoli, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 41-42.
Allied losses after the battle of March 18 amounted to approximately three battleships sunk and three more seriously damaged out of sixteen battleships, effectively losing a third of their available force.Peter Hart, Gallipoli, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 43. Thus, the fleet lost more ships than the Royal Navy had lost since the Battle of Trafalgar.Marder, Arthur J, The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era 1904-1919, Naval Institute Press, 1961, p. 252.
During the naval battles at Çanakkale Cevat Pasha demonstrated exemplary fighting ability thanks to his military strategy and planning. This success earned him the title of "Hero of March 18". As the commander of the 3rd Corps, Esat Pasha, put it further: "The first person to prevent the enemy fleet from breaking through the strait to Istanbul was Cevat Pasha" Cevat Pasha was also promoted to major general and during the victory at Çanakkale on March 18, 1915.Nurdan Baş, Çanakkale Cephesi Deniz Savaşlarında 18 Mart Kahramanı Cevat (Çobanlı) Paşa, 2015, p. 95.
He was appointed as the commander of the 14th Corps towards the september of 1915 and was involved in the trench warfare that dominated the last phase of that conflict.Nurdan Baş, Orgeneral Cevat Çobanlı'nin askeri ve siyasi faaliyetleri, 2013, p. 25. After the successful defense of Galipoli and defeat of the Allies, he was appointed as the Group Commander of the region.
Expedition to Galicia
The XV Corps suffered heavy losses in the first weeks of fighting in Galicia, especially under its previous commander, Yakup Şevki. Therefore, the Germans raised the issue of replacing the XV Corps command with Cevat Çobanlı.Piotr Nykıel, The 15th Corps of the Imperial Ottoman Army on the Eastern Galician Front (1916-1917), 2015, p. 344-345.
Unlike his predecessor, he knew how to act tactfully in any situation and had no aversion to the German language, which he spoke fluently. His achievements during the Dardanelles Campaign were highly respected by the Germans. Therefore, from November 18, 1916, he was appointed commander of the XV Corps.Genelkurmay, Türk İstiklâl Harbine Katılan Tümen ve Daha Üst Kademelerdeki Komutanların Biyografileri, p. 23.
In early November, the tactical situation on the Turkish sector of the front was so favorable that the Germans withdrew their Ledabor detachments. Large-scale Russian attacks occurred throughout December, but the Turks repulsed them without any loss of ground. Turkish casualties were around 3,000 in November and December. Overall losses for 1916 numbered 18,000: 5,000 killed, 10,000 wounded, and 3,000 captured.Edward J. Erickson, Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War, Greenwood Press, 2001, p. 239.
Several skirmishes occurred between January-February: At 5:00 AM on January 28, the Russians launched an attack on units of the XV Corps. After attacking toward the 397th Chekilan Heights, some of the trenches fell into Russian hands but were recaptured in a counterattack. On February 17, a reconnaissance attack was launched on Chekilan Hill but was repelled. On February 25, the enemy also attempted an attack in the Chekilan area, but was unsuccessful.Cihat Akçakayalıoğlu, Birinci Dünya Harbi Avrupa Cepheleri, Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Harp Tarihi Dairesi, 1967, p. 63.
On the morning of March 5, 1917, the Russians preluded a three-division attack on a part of the Turkish sector with heavy artillery bombardment. However, the Russians had launched an attack while the XV Corps occupied the very defensible high ground overlooking Zlotalpia River valley and repulsed the Russians. A similar attack was repulsed in April 1917.Edward J. Erickson, Order to Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War, Greenwood Press, 2001, p. 141.Cihat Akçakayalıoğlu, Birinci Dünya Harbi Avrupa Cepheleri, Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Harp Tarihi Dairesi, 1967, p. 64. A period of relative calm that lasted about two weeks was broken on May 5 by intense and large-scale shelling from Russian artillery, while the enemy infantry did not fire a single shot.Cihat Akçakayalıoğlu, Birinci Dünya Harbi Avrupa Cepheleri, Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Harp Tarihi Dairesi, 1967, p. 65.
The XV Corps' final battle on the Galician Front was the Russian offensive on June 19. On the very first day, Turkish positions came under intense artillery fire. Just before the offensive, the Russians again deployed gas. The fierce fighting that continued in this sector for several days was expected to unfold according to a similar scenario. In total, the Tsarist troops lost approximately thirteen thousand men in the Brzeżany area. In mid-July, the Russian command ordered a general retreat.Piotr Nykıel, The 15th Corps of the Imperial Ottoman Army on the Eastern Galician Front (1916-1917), 2015, p. 346.