Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938)
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938) was the founder of modern Turkey and the Turkish republic. He was born in the Kocakasım ward of Salonika, then under Turkish rule. He had the single name of "Mustafa." The name Kemal was added by his elementary school teachers. It means perfection or maturity. The appellation "Ataturk" means "father of Turkey." Little Mustafa Kemal was to become an extraordinary soldier and statesman.
Mustafa's parents were Ali Rıza Efendi and Zübeyde Hanım. His paternal grandfather, Hafız Ahmed Efendi was descended from the Kocacık nomads who settled in Macedonia several hundred years earlier. His mother Zübeyde Hanım was the daughter of an Old Turkish family who had settled in the town of Langasa near Salonika. Ali Rıza Efendi, who worked as militia officer, title deed clerk and lumber trader, married Zübeyde Hanım in 1871. Of his five siblings, only one sister, Makbule (Atadan) survived to Atatürk died at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, on November 10, 1938, at the age of 57. Atatürk's funeral called forth both sorrow and pride in Turkey, and seventeen countries sent special representatives, while nine contributed with armed detachments to the cortège. He was temporarily buried in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara.
On November 1953 his Mausoleum was completed.
His lifestyle had always been strenuous. Alcohol consumption during dinner discussions, smoking, long hours of hard work, very little sleep, and working on his projects and dreams had been his way of life. As the historian Will Durant had said, "men devoted to war, politics, and public life wear out fast, and all three had been the passion of Atatürk."
adulthood, and died in1956.
Ataturk's father died in 1888. Young Mustafa stayed at the farm of his maternal uncle for a period and returned to Salonika to complete his studies. He registered at the Salonika Mülkiye Rüştiye (secondary school) but soon transferred to a military school.
Ataturk attended the Manastır Military School between 1896 - 1899 and later the Military School in İstanbul, He graduated in 1902 with the rank of lieutenant. He entered the Military Academy and graduated on January 11, 1905 with the rank of major. Between 1905 - 1907 he was stationed in Damascus with the 5th. Army. In 1907 he was promoted to the rank of "Kolağası" (senior major) and was posted with the III rd Army , which was stationed in Manastır.
Kemal was one of the officers who took part in the Young Turks revolution of 1908. He eventually became disillusioned with the "Young Turks" and his relations with Enver Pasha were strained. Thus, Mustafa Kemal was excluded from the center of power once Enver Pasha had emerged as the foremost military leader after 1913.
In 1910, Atatürk participated in the Picardie army maneuvers in France, and in 1911, served at the Ministry of War (Harbiye Nezareti) in Istanbul. Later in 1911, he was posted to the province of Trablusgarp (in present-day Libya) to fight against the Italian invasion. After the successful defense of Tobruk on December 22, 1911, he was appointed the commander of Derne on March 6, 1912.
Kemal Ataturk returned to Istanbul after the outbreak of the Balkan Wars in October 1912. During the First Balkan War, Kemal fought against the Bulgarian army at Gallipoli and at Bolayır on the coast of Thrace. He played a crucial role in the recapture of Edirne and Didymoteicho during the Second Balkan War. In 1913, he was appointed military attaché to Sofia. By March 1914, while serving in Sofia, Kemal was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in World War I
Ataturk favored Turkish neutrality in World War I, with the possibility of eventual Turkish intervention on the side of the allies, but he was overruled by Enver Pasha. Ataturk fought under the German "advisor" Otto Liman von Sanders, who was in charge of the defense of the Gallipoli peninsula. This long and pitched confrontation was one of the greatest disasters of the allied armies. Gallipoli guarded the Dardanelles, which provided an potential trade route for Russia through the Black Sea. Russia was desperate for foreign currency that could be had by selling its wheat, but it had no way to export it. Therefore, the opening of the Dardanelles was thought to be crucial to allied success. The British and French lost their nerve and failed to carry through an attempt to take the Dardanelles by sea, whereupon the Turks had time to fortify both land and sea positions before the allies could divert troops from the Western front and mount a land expedition. Successive allied landings were repulsed with heavy losses. Each side lost about 250,000 men at Gallipoli. The allied disaster was due to underestimation of the Turks, incompetence, failure to learn the terrain, and poor judgment and over-caution of naval officers. It was also due to the incredible bravery of the Turks and the leadership of Ataturk. Allied forces that had landed at Arıburnu on 25 April 1915 were stopped by 19th Division under Mustafa Kemal at Conkbayırı. Mustafa Kemal was consequently promoted to the rank of colonel. English forces attacked at Arıburnu once more on 6-7 August 1915. Mustafa Kemal, as the Commander of the Anafartalar Forces, repulsed them on 6-7 August 1915. This victory was followed by the victories of Kireçtepe on August 17, and the Second Anafartalar victory on August 21. Though the allies gave much of the credit for the victory to von Sanders, subsequent events seemed to indicate that von Sanders was at best a mediocre general. Mustafa Kemal is said to have addressed his soldiers with the words "I am not giving you an order to attack, I am ordering you to die!"
Mustafa Kemal was stationed at Edirne and Diyarbakır after the Gallipoli campaign and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on 1 April 1916. He fought against the Russian forces and recaptured Muş and Bitlis. Following short assignments at Damascus and Allepo, he came to İstanbul in 1917. He traveled to Germany with Vahdettin Efendi, the heir to the throne. He returned to Allepo on 15 August 1918 as the Commander of the 7th army. Ataturk inherited the Turkish armies that had been under the command of Liman von Sanders after these collapsed in Palestine before the advance of General Allenby. Turkey had signed an armistice at Mudros on October 30, 1918. Kemal Ataturk became commander of von Sanders' Yıldırım Orduları (Thunderbolt army) one day after the armistice was signed, only to disband the army.
When this army was disbanded, he came to İstanbul on November 13, 1918 and started to work at the Ministry of War.
http://www.mideastweb.org/Middle-East-Encyclopedia/kemal-ataturk.htm
Another account
Mustafa's parents were Ali Rıza Efendi and Zübeyde Hanım. His paternal grandfather, Hafız Ahmed Efendi was descended from the Kocacık nomads who settled in Macedonia several hundred years earlier. His mother Zübeyde Hanım was the daughter of an Old Turkish family who had settled in the town of Langasa near Salonika. Ali Rıza Efendi, who worked as militia officer, title deed clerk and lumber trader, married Zübeyde Hanım in 1871. Of his five siblings, only one sister, Makbule (Atadan) survived to Atatürk died at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, on November 10, 1938, at the age of 57. Atatürk's funeral called forth both sorrow and pride in Turkey, and seventeen countries sent special representatives, while nine contributed with armed detachments to the cortège. He was temporarily buried in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara.
On November 1953 his Mausoleum was completed.
His lifestyle had always been strenuous. Alcohol consumption during dinner discussions, smoking, long hours of hard work, very little sleep, and working on his projects and dreams had been his way of life. As the historian Will Durant had said, "men devoted to war, politics, and public life wear out fast, and all three had been the passion of Atatürk."
adulthood, and died in1956.
Ataturk's father died in 1888. Young Mustafa stayed at the farm of his maternal uncle for a period and returned to Salonika to complete his studies. He registered at the Salonika Mülkiye Rüştiye (secondary school) but soon transferred to a military school.
Ataturk attended the Manastır Military School between 1896 - 1899 and later the Military School in İstanbul, He graduated in 1902 with the rank of lieutenant. He entered the Military Academy and graduated on January 11, 1905 with the rank of major. Between 1905 - 1907 he was stationed in Damascus with the 5th. Army. In 1907 he was promoted to the rank of "Kolağası" (senior major) and was posted with the III rd Army , which was stationed in Manastır.
Kemal was one of the officers who took part in the Young Turks revolution of 1908. He eventually became disillusioned with the "Young Turks" and his relations with Enver Pasha were strained. Thus, Mustafa Kemal was excluded from the center of power once Enver Pasha had emerged as the foremost military leader after 1913.
In 1910, Atatürk participated in the Picardie army maneuvers in France, and in 1911, served at the Ministry of War (Harbiye Nezareti) in Istanbul. Later in 1911, he was posted to the province of Trablusgarp (in present-day Libya) to fight against the Italian invasion. After the successful defense of Tobruk on December 22, 1911, he was appointed the commander of Derne on March 6, 1912.
Kemal Ataturk returned to Istanbul after the outbreak of the Balkan Wars in October 1912. During the First Balkan War, Kemal fought against the Bulgarian army at Gallipoli and at Bolayır on the coast of Thrace. He played a crucial role in the recapture of Edirne and Didymoteicho during the Second Balkan War. In 1913, he was appointed military attaché to Sofia. By March 1914, while serving in Sofia, Kemal was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in World War I
Ataturk favored Turkish neutrality in World War I, with the possibility of eventual Turkish intervention on the side of the allies, but he was overruled by Enver Pasha. Ataturk fought under the German "advisor" Otto Liman von Sanders, who was in charge of the defense of the Gallipoli peninsula. This long and pitched confrontation was one of the greatest disasters of the allied armies. Gallipoli guarded the Dardanelles, which provided an potential trade route for Russia through the Black Sea. Russia was desperate for foreign currency that could be had by selling its wheat, but it had no way to export it. Therefore, the opening of the Dardanelles was thought to be crucial to allied success. The British and French lost their nerve and failed to carry through an attempt to take the Dardanelles by sea, whereupon the Turks had time to fortify both land and sea positions before the allies could divert troops from the Western front and mount a land expedition. Successive allied landings were repulsed with heavy losses. Each side lost about 250,000 men at Gallipoli. The allied disaster was due to underestimation of the Turks, incompetence, failure to learn the terrain, and poor judgment and over-caution of naval officers. It was also due to the incredible bravery of the Turks and the leadership of Ataturk. Allied forces that had landed at Arıburnu on 25 April 1915 were stopped by 19th Division under Mustafa Kemal at Conkbayırı. Mustafa Kemal was consequently promoted to the rank of colonel. English forces attacked at Arıburnu once more on 6-7 August 1915. Mustafa Kemal, as the Commander of the Anafartalar Forces, repulsed them on 6-7 August 1915. This victory was followed by the victories of Kireçtepe on August 17, and the Second Anafartalar victory on August 21. Though the allies gave much of the credit for the victory to von Sanders, subsequent events seemed to indicate that von Sanders was at best a mediocre general. Mustafa Kemal is said to have addressed his soldiers with the words "I am not giving you an order to attack, I am ordering you to die!"
Mustafa Kemal was stationed at Edirne and Diyarbakır after the Gallipoli campaign and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on 1 April 1916. He fought against the Russian forces and recaptured Muş and Bitlis. Following short assignments at Damascus and Allepo, he came to İstanbul in 1917. He traveled to Germany with Vahdettin Efendi, the heir to the throne. He returned to Allepo on 15 August 1918 as the Commander of the 7th army. Ataturk inherited the Turkish armies that had been under the command of Liman von Sanders after these collapsed in Palestine before the advance of General Allenby. Turkey had signed an armistice at Mudros on October 30, 1918. Kemal Ataturk became commander of von Sanders' Yıldırım Orduları (Thunderbolt army) one day after the armistice was signed, only to disband the army.
When this army was disbanded, he came to İstanbul on November 13, 1918 and started to work at the Ministry of War.
http://www.mideastweb.org/Middle-East-Encyclopedia/kemal-ataturk.htm
Another account
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