Fawzi al-Qawuqji (, ; 19 January 1890 – 5 June 1977) was an Arab nationalist military figure in the interwar period.The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives, by Gilbert Achcar, (NY: Henry Holt and Co.; 2009), p. 92: "Arab nationalism's leading military figure in the interwar period ... served as a commander in all the Arab national battles of the period." He served briefly in Palestine in 1936 fighting the British Mandatory suppression of the Palestinian Revolt.Matthew Hughes, Britain's Pacification of Palestine: The British Army, the Colonial State, and the Arab Revolt, 1936–1939 Cambridge University Press, 2019 pp. 20, 98 A political decision by the British enabled him to flee the country in 1937. He was a colonel in the Nazi Wehrmacht during World War II and served as the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) field commander during the 1948 Palestine War.
Early life Fawzi al-Qawuqji was born in 1890 into a Turkmen family in the city of Tripoli, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire."Ruhmloses Zwischenspiel: Fawzi al-Qawuqji in Deutschland, 1941–1947", by Gerhard Höpp in Peter Heine, ed., Al-Rafidayn: Jahrbuch zu Geschichte und Kultur des modernen Iraq (Würzburg: Ergon Verlag, 1995), (http://www.zmo.de/biblio/nachlass/hoepp/01_30_064.pdf ) p. 1 He was the son of Abd al-Majid al-Qawuqji, who served in the Ottoman Army, and Fatima al-Rifa'i. He was the great-grandson of the Lebanese Muslim scholar and jurist Abu al-Mahasin al-Qawuqji.
In 1912, he graduated from the military academy in Istanbul.Höpp, 1995, p. 1. Gilbert Achcar has described him as "Arab nationalism's leading military figure in the interwar period ... served as a commander in all the Arab national battles of the period."
World War I He served as a captain (Yuzbashi) in the 12th Ottoman corps garrison in Mosul, and in several battles during the First World War, including at Qurna in Iraq and at Beersheba in Ottoman Palestine. He was decorated with the Ottoman Majidi Medal for his role in these battles. He was also awarded the German Iron Cross, second class, for his bravery in the battle around Nabi Samwil. The book O Jerusalem! claims he fought alongside General Otto von Kreiss's Prussian unit during this period.Collins, Larry and Lapierre, Dominique (1972): O Jerusalem!, Simon & Schuster, pp. 143–145 Al-Qawuqji conducted infiltrations behind British lines to report back directly to General Otto Liman von Sanders,Parsons 2017 p. 26 and in his operations, he served as special assistant to a cavalry officer, a certain von Leyser.Laila Parsons, The Commander: Fawzi al-Qawuqji and the Fight for Arab Independence, 1914–1948 2017 pp. 27–31. When his loyalty as an Ottoman officer was questioned because of his Arab origins, von Leyser wrote a letter in his defense, which states: This is to confirm that First Lieutenant Fawzi Bey served with me in his capacity as companion and aide from 1/3/16 until 12/5/17. I can testify to the fact that he offered outstanding service to his country during this period and distinguished himself with unusual energy and experience. (H)e is of good character and intelligent and perceptive, and he has perfected the German language in a few months in a way that has amazed everyone.Parsons, 2017 p. 30
Interwar period The Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I. Al-Qawuqji supported the independence of the short-lived Arab Kingdom of Syria. In 1920, he fought at the Battle of Maysalun, serving in the army of King Faisal as a captain (ra'is khayyal) in a squadron commanded by Taha al-Hashimi.
After the unsuccessful outcome of the campaign to establish the Arab Kingdom of Syria, Syria became a French Mandate. Al-Qawuqji then joined the Syrian Legion (also known as the French-Syrian Army) which had been created by the French mandatory authorities. Al-Qawuqji received formal training at the French École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr.Provence, 2005, pp. 95–103. He became commander of a cavalry squadron in Hama.
During the rebellion of 1925–1927, he deserted the French Army to join the rebellion, leading the uprising in Hama in early October 1925. al-Qawuqji remained an outlaw thereafter.Lyman, p. 21
Shakib Arslan brought al-Qawuqji to the Hejaz to help train the army of Saudi monarch Abdul-Aziz. Al-Qawuqji relates that he was unimpressed with Abdul-Aziz, depicting him as self-infatuated and suspicious, who disappointingly attempted to justify his collaboration with the British."Achcar", p. 121n.
In 1936, al-Qawuqji began fighting the British in Mandatory Palestine in actions that would become known as the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine. He represented the Iraqi Society for the Defense of Palestine, which was separate from forces under the control of Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin Husseini.Höpp, 1995, p. 2. Al-Qawuqji resigned his commission in the Iraqi army and his position at the Royal Military College to lead approximately fifty armed guerrillas into Mandatory Palestine.Iraq Between the Two World Wars: The Militarist Origins of Tyranny, by Reeva Spector Simon, (New York: Columbia University Press; 2013), pp. 65, 124. In June he contacted Fritz Grobba, who was acting as German ambassador to Iraq. This was probably al-Qawuqji's first encounter with a representative of Nazi Germany.Höpp, 1995, p. 3. In August, he commanded about 200 volunteers, consisting of Iraqis, Syrians, Druze and Palestinians whom he organized into four reinforced platoons, each with an intelligence unit attached,Hughes, 2019 p. 113. operating in the Nablus–Tulkaram–Jenin triangle until the end of October. His title was "Supreme Commander of the Arab Revolution in South-Syrian Palestine". His troops managed to shoot down several RAF warplanes near Tulkaram in September.Matthew Hughes, Britain's Pacification of Palestine: The British Army, the Colonial State, and the Arab Revolt, 1936–1939 Cambridge University Press, 2019 p. 100 The military performance of al-Qawuqji's troops became hampered by internal dissensions and animosity between him and Grand Mufti Husseini, the Arab Higher Committee, and the Mufti's kinsman Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, who commanded forces that were active in the area around Jerusalem. After a ceasefire had been agreed to on 12 October 1936, the British ordered their troops to desist from hunting him. al-Qawuqji in turn issued an order saying he would personally impose severe penalties on any Arab who opened fire on British soldiers. He was proud of his military achievements in the field, which he considered instrumental in bringing Britain to the negotiating table. Both the British and Haj Amin considered him a threat. With the assistance of 5,000 local villagers, and the connivance of British authorities, on orders from London, who refrained from acting on their intelligence, and had vacated the area, interdicting attempts to intercept him, he crossed the Jordan River with his troops on the night of 25/26 October into Transjordan.Matthew Hughes, Britain's Pacification of Palestine: The British Army, the Colonial State, and the Arab Revolt, 1936–1939 Cambridge University Press, 2019 pp. 418–423 In November 1936, the leading Sheikhs of Bani Sakhr, Mithqal Al-Fayez and Haditha Al-Khraisha, accompanied Fawzi Al-Qawuqji, Supreme Commander of the Arab Revolution in South-Syrian Palestine, through the desert to ensure his safe journey. A few weeks later he returned to Iraq.Höpp, 1995, p. 4.
Although al-Qawuqji and Grand Mufti al-Husseini had periods of considerable friction and discord, particularly during the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine, the two men subsequently reached a rapprochement. Al-Qawuqji followed the Mufti from Lebanon to Iraq in October 1939, along with other members of the Mufti's entourage, including Jamal al-Husayni, Rafiq al-Tamimi, and Sheikh Hasan Salama. Al-Qawuqji became the Mufti's military advisor in the 'Arab Committee' that Haj Amin Husseini formed in Baghdad. Husseini's group, including, al-Qawuqji, played critical roles in the pro-Axis coup.Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World by Jeffrey Herf (Yale University Press, 2009) . p. 37. His frequently demonstrated prowess won him fame among the Arab population and the esteem of Haj Amin Husseini. His popular following, however, was not altogether to the Mufti's liking.Collins & Lapierre, p. 160. He was prominent in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Rashid Ali coup of 1941 and, during the subsequent Anglo-Iraqi War, he again fought against the British. Al-Qawuqji led approximately 500 "irregulars" in the area between Rutbah and Ramadi.Lyman, p. 88 He established a reputation as bold fighter. He was also known to either execute or mutilate his prisoners. After the Rashid Ali regime collapsed, al-Qawuqji and his irregular forces were targeted for destruction by the Mercol flying column and were chased out of Iraq. While still in Iraq, a British plane strafed and almost killed him.Time, I Have Returned
World War II Berlin After suffering serious wounds fighting the British in Iraq, al-Qawuqji was transported to Vichy French-held Syria, and then made his way to Nazi Germany.Lyman, p. 87 He remained in Germany for the remainder of World War II, recuperated from his wounds, and married a German woman named Anneliese Müller.Collins & Lapierre, pp. 159, 160
Al-Qawuqji's sojourn in Germany has been the subject of considerable controversy.Palestinian Arab National Movement, 1929–1939: From Riots to Rebellion, by Yehoshua Porath, (London: Cass; 1977), pp. 236, 237 Gilbert Achcar recounts stories of conflicts during his Berlin period: In his memoirs, he tells how, during his stay in hospital, he came under heavy pressure from German civilian and military officials to declare his allegiance to the führer. He even had an altercation with an SS officer who proffered threats when al-Qawuqji insisted that Germany first formally acknowledge the Arab's right to independence. The next day, his son died of poisoning. Al-Qawuqji, convinced that the Nazis had murdered the young man, refused to take part in the funeral they organized."Achcar", p. 92
Achcar reports that al-Qawuqji was as bewildered by rivalries between competing Arab leaders (Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini and exiled Iraqi former Prime Minister Rashid Ali) as by the Axis foot-dragging over support for Arab nationalist goals. He opposed incorporating Arab units into the Axis armed forces, since he preferred their formation into an independent Arab nationalist army.
In May 1942, after the Axis powers signed secret documents to support the Arab nationalists, al-Qawuqji expressed dissatisfaction with the results, commenting that they were "just symbolic and not an agreement".Nazi Palestine: The Plans for the Extermination of the Jews in Palestine. by Klaus-Michael Mallmann and Martin Cuppers, trans. by Krista Smith, (Enigma Books, published in association with the United States Holocaust Museum, NY; 2010), p. 92
German military service He was awarded the rank of a colonel of the Wehrmacht (German Army), and given a captain to act as his aide, along with a chauffeured car, and an apartment in Berlin. His expenses were paid by Wehrmacht High Command and by Rashid Ali's Foreign Minister. The Germans used al-Qawuqji's name and reputation extensively in their propaganda.Höpp, 1995, p. 16, "Der Syrer, dem der Rang eines Obersten der Wehrmacht verliehen worden war, erfreute sich eines Adjutanten im Hauptmannsrang und eines Dienstwagens mit Chauffeur sowie einer Wohnung in der Cuxhavenerstraße, nahe der Klinik am Hansaplatz; bezahlt wurde sein Aufenthalt aus einem Sonderfonds des Reichsaußenministers für al-Kaylani sowie durch das Oberkommando der Wehrmacht. Der Name al-Qawuqji's war des Weiteren fester Bestandteil der deutschen Propaganda, und er figurierte als Kandidat für einen "arabischen Führerrat", dessen Gründung das Auswärtige Amt Hitler vorschlug."