ID help for two Ottoman officers

[Dave Danner]

Hi,

I am working on an award roll and I have found two awards to Ottoman general staff officers. I hope you can help me with any more information on them. All I have are the German spellings of their names, and their assignments. The awards were in early 1918.

• Refitz Bey, Generalstabs-Oberstleutnant, Kaiserl. Deutsche Militär-Mission Konstantinopel
• Rüschdi Bey, Generalstabs-Oberstleutnant, Kaiserl. Deutsche Militär-Mission Konstantinopel

Best regards,
Dave

[stevebecker]

Mate,

Hard to confirm by my records?

These officers I have on record show something like the first name?

A. Refik (Münir) medical unit Dr
Aref al-Aref unknown 3rd Army Lt
Mehmet Refik Efendi unknown Officer Cadet KIA
Rafet or Refet Bey 11th Div 1914 to 9-15 & 1916 to 1-17 Col
Refet (Alpman) unknown unknown
Refet Bey (Bele) chief information (intell) staff officer 4th Army 1914 & 3rd Div 1914 to 4-15 & 7-15 to 9-16 & 53 Div 3-17 & 22nd Corps 10-17 to 9-18 & 20th Corps dates? & 3rd Corps dates? Maj to LtCol to Col
Refet Bey (Refet the jr) 5th Div 10-15 to 1916 LtCol to Col
Refik Aslan Eng unit Lt Eng
Refik Bey 45th Regt - LtCol KIA 6-6-15
Refik Bey 38th Div 6-15 LtCol
Refik Efendi 27th Regt 2Bn 6Co Capt
Refik Ibrahim (Saydam) medical unit Capt Dr

Of whom I would say possisbly Refet Bey (Bele) is the man?

As for the next name possibly

Halil Rustu or Rushdi Bey 38th Div 1916 LtCol
Khalil Rushdi Bey 130th Regt - Maj to LtCol
Rushti Bay 80th Regt (3Bn) Maj PoW 23-12-16
Rustem Efendi 35th Regt Lt
Rustu (Akin) CofS 10th Div 1915 & Ops officer 7th Army Capt to Maj
Rustu Bey 3rd Caucasus Div Col
Rüstü or Rushdi (Sakarya) AKA Mehmet Rushdi Bey 16th Div Col PoW 24-9-18 reported capted by 4th Indian Cav Div
Rüstü or Rushdi Pasha 9th Caucasus Div 9-16 LtCol to Col

Of whom Rüstü or Rushdi (Sakarya) AKA Mehmet Rushdi Bey is possibly the officer

Both commanded Divisions on the Palestine Front and were awarded many medals for their service.

Cheers

S.B

[Dave Danner]

Belated thanks for your help. It is really frustrating trying to research Ottoman officers, isn't it?

[peeved]

"Die deutsche Türkeipolitik und ihre Auswirkungen auf Kurdistan: Quellentexte von 1837 bis 1996" by Rudolf Bürgel gives the following snippet view in GoogleBooks concerning the Ottoman Army General Staff:

Screen Shot 2022-03-21 at 23.33.08.png

Rüschdi Bey aka Rüsdi Bey appears that time (January 1918?) to have been the Inspector General of rear areas.

Markus

[Dave Danner]

Thanks, Markus

[stevebecker]

Mate,

Some more

Miralay / Albay Col Rüstü or Rushdi (Sakarya) AKA Mehmet Rüshdi Bey CO 16th Div PoW 24-9-18 reported captured by 4th Indian Cav Div (Born in Istanbul 1877- died Istanbul Dec 2nd 1951) army serial Nr. P. 1311(1895)-70 Greco Turkish war at the order of 12th Infantry Regiment He 2/Lt was made in 1895 to Maj 1903 to LtCol 1909 to Col 1912 Balkan Wars & War of Independance commander of the 61st Infantry Division to Konya Area Commander and IV Corps area Commander to Maj Gen 1921 to Brigadier 1927 Retired 25-3-1934 awarded Order of Osmanieh 3rd class & with swords and Gold & Silver Liakat Medal and Silver Imtiyaz Medal and German EK II & EK I

I am sorry but what he did during the war shows him as commander 16th Div from around April 1915 to capture 9-18

So is he the Inspector mentioned above?

The man I show as Inspector is

Kaymakam / Yarbay LtCol Rüsdi Bey (Communications Zone Inspectorate) Ottoman GHQ 1-18

So I don't know if the same man or possibly another, as many Ottoman officers have the same names and many don't show father s name?

The German officer with him, named Endres, I show as;

Endres Franz Carl Capt (Maj) to Maj (LtCol) Military Mission to Turkey under Von Der Goltz 1911 - Deutsche Militär-Mission in der Türkei - Stabchefs CofS 1st Army (QMG) - Genelkurmay 1st Sube Baskanliginda (1st Army General Staff 1st Sub-Head) - Cephe gerisi (Menzil) Daire Baskani sonra ayni göreve (Behind the façade (Range) After the Head of the Circle the same relative) - shown (Communications Zone Inspectorate) Ottoman GHQ 1-18 1912-18 (1878 in München died 10-3-54) Bavarian Historian and writter from Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Leib-Regiment to Generalstab to Turkey Balkans War 1912-13 professor at the General Staff School in Constantinople 1914 awarded Ottoman Silver Liakat Medal and Medjidie Order post war moved to Switzerland wrote 40 books "The Ruins of the Orient and Turkey" "The Tragedy of Germany" shown in Klaus Wolf's Book

Our friend Tosun maybe able to show who these men are as I can't

Cheers

S.B

[Dave Danner]

A little more information:

The officer in Etappen-Dienst appears to have been there for most of the war, as the Prussian Militärkabinett recorded awards in 1915 and 1917:

• 29.10.1915 - Ruschdi Effendi, türk. Major, Souschef der Haupt-Etappen-Inspektion, erhielt den Roter-Adlerorden 4. Klasse mit Schwertern am statutsmäßigen Bande
• 16.10.1917 - Ruschdi Bey, türk. Oberstleutnant, Souschef der General-Etappen-Inspektion, erhielt den Kronenorden 2. Klasse mit Schwertern

Other awards to Ottoman officers listed by the Militärkabinett include:

• 29.10.1915 Refik Effendi, türk. Major, Souschef der Eisenbahn-Abteilung, erhielt den Roter-Adlerorden 4. Klasse mit Schwertern am statutsmäßigen Bande
• 11.12.1916 Reschid Bey, türk. Oberstleutnant, Abteilungschef bei der Generalintendantur im Kriegsministerium, erhielt den Roter-Adlerorden 3. Klasse mit Schwertern
• 11.12.1916 Refet Bey, türk. Major, Abteilungschef bei der Generalintendantur im Kriegsministerium, erhielt den Kronenorden 3. Klasse mit Schwertern
• 16.10.1917 Refik Bey, türk. San.Major, Sanitätschef der 1. Armee, erhielt den Roter-Adlerorden 3. Klasse mit Schwertern
• 21.05.1918 Reschid Bey, türk. Oberstleutnant, gegen Verleihung des Kronenordens 2. Klasse mit Schwertern beim Bedenken


This list of Bavarian awards to Ottoman officers on 2 December 1916 shows a General Staff Lt.Col. "Rusti Bey" and a Major "Rusty Bey" in the war ministry. There is also a General Staff Major "Refik Bey".

BayMVOB 02.12.1916.jpg