German Tigris-Euphrates Flotilla

[Peter H]

Seeking information of this naval force in Mesopotamia.Has anyone any details?


I found this as well,courtesy of Rick Research here: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1 ... 0&start=20

Motor launches (ironically enough built by Thornycroft) armed with machine guns or a "pom-pom" type light gun. © 1919 "Jane's Fighting Ships"...Total personnel unknown to me. They were commanded by a Korvettenkapitän and a Kapitänleutnant at different times. With a dozen or so "canoes," I doubt there were ever more than 200 German sailors involved at any one time.

Thornycroft Motor Launches in Ottoman Service are mentioned here:

http://www.gwpda.org/naval/fdon0001.htm

Motor Launches 22 Includes 18 Thornycroft-type with 140 h.p. motors (11 knots). 9 launches remained in 1918.

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Do you have the name of the German commander of the German Tigris-Euphrates Flottilla? What actions did this flottilla did during WWI?

Edward L. Hsiao

[stevebecker]

Mate,

tough question when there is no record of who were there other then the odd name in accounts.
There were a number of commanders of the German Naval units attach with other German units like Signals.
A quick check gives these names

Böning August WO Marine Zahlmeister (Paymaster) Coal Bureau Ottoman Fleet 12-15 to Assistant Paymaster Zahlmeisteraspirant SMS Goeben (Yavuz) 1-16 to Fleet Paymaster Ottoman Fleet (shown on SMS Breslau (Midilli) 4-16 to Tigris-Euphrates Flotila Det 7-17 to 6-18 to Paymaster U Boat Half Flotilla 8-18 to 9-18

Busse Wilhelm Kor-Kapt (Maj) to (Col) Marine (I Asto) Admiral Staff Officer MMD (Military Mediterranean Division) (CofS to Admiral Souchon) on SMS Goeben (Yavuz) 1914 to Commander of the Naval Regiments in Iraq - Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri Kurmay Baskani Irak'taki deniz Alaylari komutani (Turkish Navy Chief of Staff Navy 11-14 to 11-15 to Chief of the River Flotilas Eurphrates and Tigris 11-15 to 10-16 (commander Navy 6th Army in Iraq) German Irakgruppe Mesopotamia to Von Mackensen and Bulgarian Sea Forces 11-16 to 5-17 to Dept Head in the Admirals Staff of Navy 5-17 to 11-18

Engelkind (Engelking) Oskar Kapt-Lt Marine Firat'ta Dogan Hücüm botu komutani (Dogan Force botto commander at Firat (Euphrates) River) Mesopotamia - shown Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) to commander gunboat "Dogan" on the Tigris

Fischer Lt Dicle'de Kutel Amara'da (In Kutle Amara in Dicle (Tigris) River Det Mesopotamia)

Ney Otto ObLtzS to Kapt-Lt Marine Rollenofficer (watch officer) SMS Goeben (Yavuz) 1914 - RTG returned to Commander Iraq Flotilla Det 11-15 to 10-16 - Dicle nehri üzerindeki deniz birliklerinin komutani (Commander of naval units over the Dicle (Tigris) River) RTG to U Boat School Crew 4/04 to U 109 IV Flotilla 11-17 to 26-1-18 U Boat

Wefelscheidt Lt Dicle'de Kut Ül Amara'da (In Dicle at Kut Ul Amara) possibly Tigris River Det Mesopotamia

These names show up but Tigris is not mentioned

Angst Bernhard Matrose Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Dept - II Mat Div 1 Abtl Mesopotamia

Bäcker Otto ObHeizer d.S II Marine der Seewehr II - Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Böhmer Wilhelm Boots-Maat deR Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Boltz Wilhelm ObLtzS to Kapt-Lt aD Marine SMS Breslau (Midilli) - OC first MG det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Naval MG Sects Marine-Landungsabteilung (Naval Shore Det) shown last commander 1-16 RTG returned to Commander Navay Academy at Heybeliada - Firat nehri üzerindeki deniz birliklerinin komutani (Commander of naval units over the Firat (Euphrates) River) Mesopotamia

Böning August WO Marine Zahlmeister (Paymaster) Coal Bureau Ottoman Fleet 12-15 to Assistant Paymaster Zahlmeisteraspirant SMS Goeben (Yavuz) 1-16 to Fleet Paymaster Ottoman Fleet (shown on SMS Breslau (Midilli) 4-16 to Tigris-Euphrates Flotila Det 7-17 to 6-18 to Paymaster U Boat Half Flotilla 8-18 to 9-18

Braun Gustav Heizer Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Brinkmann (Brinckman) Franz ObLtzS Marine SMS Breslau (Midilli) to Ottoman Battleship "Barbaros Hayreddin" sunk 8-8-15 and Battleship "Torgut Reit" (Turgut Reis) 1916 RTG returned to Staff Adjt Iraq and Palestine - Üstegmen Brinckman Firat nehir gemilerinde komutan (Commander on the Firat (Euphrates) River ships) Mesopotamia

Cappeln Martin von Kapt-Lt Marine shown at Rayak - Firat nehri üzerindeki deniz birliklerinin komutani (Commander of naval units over the Firat (Euphrates) River) Mesopotamia

Dannigkeit Hermann ObMatrose Marine Euphrates-Stamm-Detachement - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Engelkind (Engelking) Oskar Kapt-Lt Marine Firat'ta Dogan Hücüm botu komutani (Dogan Force botto commander at Firat (Euphrates) River) Mesopotamia - shown Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) to commander gunboat "Dogan" on the Tigris

Etzdorf Rüdiger von LtzS Marine joins special forces Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) 7-17 to Range officer in the Euphrates river det

Foerster Max ObMatrose Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det Mesopotamia

Friedrich Franz Ober-Matrose Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) wireless station at Haditha Mesopotamia

Fürst Wilhelm ObBoots-Maat Marine CPO Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) wireless station at Anah Mesopotamia
Giese Dietrich WO (Ing) Marine Ingenieur (Engineer officer) SMS Goeben (Yavuz) and Ottoman Torpedo Boat RTG 1917 return to Euphrates River Det

Hofmeister Franz Art-Matrose Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - IV Mat Artillery Abtl 4 Komp - Euphratfluß Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Klebingat Emil Ober-Signal-Gast Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - I Matr Div 3 Abtl.

Kosik Robert ObHeizer Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Langenegger Sgt Euphrates River Det Mesopotamia (not identified)

Lübbe Otto ObBoots-Maat d.S II Marine der Seewehr II - Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Metge Ernst August ObLt deR Dr Oberassistenzarzt naval staff doctor at Ottoman Naval Hosp Taskisla to German medical service Euphrates River Det - Hekim Üstegmen

Metzke Lt Firat'in sag cenahinda (right on the Firat (Euphrates) River Det Mesopotamia

Mielke Emil ObLtzS Marine Senior Paymaster OberZahlmeister of the Torpedo Boat Flotilla and Euphrates River Det

Moog Wilhelm Ober-Heizer Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl - II Wehr Div 1 Komp - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Mücke (Muecke) Hellmuth von LtzS to Kapt-Lt Marine 1st officer "SMS Emden" sayed after escape on the Ayesha across the Indian Ocean - Firat Nehir birlikleri Komutani (Firat (Euphrates) River Forces Commander) Mesopotamia

Öder (Oeder) Paul Heizer / Stoker Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - I Wehr Div 2 Komp - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Peterren Marine Euphrates River Det Mesopotamia from Eskischehir 5-2-17

Peyer Herbert ObMatrose Marine Euphrates-Stamm-Detachement - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Pulway Bernhard Art-ObMatrose deR Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Putzer Kapt Marine Firat Nehir Topçu Birlik.Komutani Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutani Emir subayi (Firat (Euphrates) River Artillery Unity Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces Commander) Mesopotamia

Raspel Karl ObLtzS (Kapt) Marine Watch officer SMS Goeben (Yavuz) - Naval MG Sects Marine Landungsabteilung (Naval Shore Det) at Gallipoli commander MG Detachment II att 11th Div Keretsch Tepe (Kalkberg) at Helles (replaced ObLt Keiner) 11-15 RTG - returned to Firat nehir gemilerinde komutan (Commander on the Firat (Euphrates) River ships) Mesopotamia - Responsible for surveying and mapping the Euphrates RTG returned Commander Euphrates Flotilla

Roth Wilhelm Boots-Maat Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) wireless station at Haditha Mesopotamia

Rupp Eduard Boots-Maat Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) wireless station at Anah Mesopotamia

Schütz Oswald Minen-ObHeizer Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) wireless station at Anah Mesopotamia

Senft Otto Matrose Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. Matr-Div. 3. Komp.- Mesopotamia

Seyffarrdt (Seyffardt) Paul Kapt-Lt Marine Firat nehir birliklerinde (Firat (Euphrates) River Det Mesopotamia

Stritez Freidrich Graf von Deym Freiherr von ObLtzS a.D Marine Istanbul RTG returned to Naval MG Sects Marine-Landungsabteilung (Naval Shore Det) at Gallipoli Commander Det II att 15th Div at Helles 12-15 RTG returned to the Anatolia and Firat (Euphrates) River) Det Mesopotamia

Wickop O. ObLt Firat'in sag cenahinda (Right on the Firat (Euphrates) River Det Mesopotamia

Wohlert Willi Sanit-Maat Marine Sanitäts Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) Mesopotamia

Wolff (nicht Wolf) Heinrich ObMatrose Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. "I. Werft-Div. 1. Abtl. .- Mesopotamia

Zink Otto Feuerwerks-Maat Marine Euphrat-Stamm-Detachement - Euphratfluß-Abtl. - Euphrates River Det - Sdr-Kdo (Sonderkommando) wireless station at Haditha Mesopotamia

Oh sorry I see you just wanted the commanders, there in the list have fun as I have no confirmed dates for there service other then general dates
I have no accounts of naval actions other then in British sourses (offical Histories) but have limited details.
Likewise the Ottoman soldiers/officers don't seam to get any mentions other then this bloke but not as part of the Naval but Ottoman ground units fighting the British around Kut;

Binbasi Maj to LtCol Ali Bey (Cetinkaya) Osmancik Taburu/Bn 1915 & Commander of Firat (Euphrates) Group 1915 commanded 2xBn/s Fire Bde to Iraq Dec 1914 & 38th Div 4-15 part 35th Div shown CO 20th Regt (Galicia) 1916 possibly Palestine 1917-18 shown CO 172nd Regt (56th Div 1919)


S.B

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Dear Steve,

That's a long list of Germans alright. For which I thank you very much.

Edward L. Hsiao

[Felix C]

Wilfred Nunn in his book on naval operations in Mesop, indicates quite a few Thornycroft armed launches were hit and confirmed or presumed sunk. Plus the captured one referred to above.