** *Antonio Wednesday’s Wonders ***
A Soldier in the Asienkorps
Today, we are going to show something a bit more „exotic“ as I have shown before. The following medal bar belonged to a Bavarian NCO, who could have been part of the Asienkorps. Of course, there are other possibilities for this person to be awarded with an Ottoman Medal, but I will be focussing today in just that option.
It has the following medals:
– Iron Cross Second Class (Prussia).
– Military Merit Cross Second Class with Swords (Bavaria).
– Honour Cross 1914 – 1918.
– 1905 Army Jubilee Medal (Bavaria)
– Hilal-i Ahmer Madalyası – Red Crescent Medal (Ottoman Empire).
This person was already in the Bavarian Army in 1905, but it looks like that he left the army soon after. As there is no medal for years of service in the army, I assume that the person left the army after 1905. He re-joined the army, when the war started.
The Ottoman Empire and the German Empire started to have good relations already at the beginning of the 20thCentury, with the creation of the train line Berlin Bagdad. Soon after, the first military advisors will arrive to the Ottoman Garrisons.
The relations between the German officers and NCO`s weren’t that fluid with their Ottoman counterparts. The language, cultural and mentality barriers were high and brought many conflicts between them. Even they had different strategies, been the latest more focussed against Russia, and the Germans had the British and Egypt in mind. But even with those “problems”, a secret treaty was signed between the 2 powers for military cooperation and support.
The Ottoman army was in the need of reforms and new and more modern material. In addition, they needed to improve their military industry, forts and coastal defences. That meant, plenty of new and lucrative contracts to be given to German companies, after “convincing” some corrupted Ottoman authorities.
Before the war and already in 1914, there were plenty of German Troops working and serving in the Ottoman Empire. Some sources also indicates that the Bavarian Army had already sent 11 Officers.
When the war started, the first troops sent to the Ottoman Empire were Pionier-Truppen, who in that moment were building the train line in the Sinai. Still more Personal and Material were sent from Germany, via Romania (so more corrupt authorities to be paid).
After the surrender of Serbia in 1915, it was much easier to send troops and material.
In January 1916, a strong Expeditionary Force (Pascha I) was sent to the Sinai / Palestine to help the Ottomans. This force was under the command of Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein (see Picture). It consisted mainly in Machine gun, anti-aircrafts and artillery battalions. There were other auxiliary troops in that force, including hospitals. There was also an Aircraft Section (Flieger-Abteilung). In total, around 16.000 troops. It participated in the battle of Romani, which ended up in Victory for the British troops. It also participated in the series of battles for Gaza, which finished also with German defeat, after a strong defence.
At the end of 1917, started to arrive in Palestine the troops from the second Expeditionary force, Pascha II, which included Bavarian troops (Infantry Battalion 702) band even more medical staff and hospital, as there was also a high level of casualties due to the different diseases. And here is where the NCO, who received the awards, that made this medal bar, could have been involved. The Ottoman medal, seen in the picture, was awarded for merits in medical and care services. This fprce was under the command of Oberst Werner von Frankenberg und Proschlitz.
This new force was supposed to be sent to recover Bagdad, but it was sent to Palestine instead as the British and Arabian tribes were advancing. At the end, the superior numbers played a tremendous role here, and the final was the same as the one in Europe.
Leaving apart the most polemical part of the German and Ottoman campaign between 1916 and 1918, the defence, organization and fight skills were also recognized by the own British Army, as it can be read in the book “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”, written by Thomas Eduard Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia.
I wish you all a great (and full of health) 2021!!