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Generalleutnant Otto Liman von Sanders (February 17, 1855 - August 22, 1929) was a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 general who served as adviser and military commander for the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
.

He was born in Stolp in Pomerania
Pomerania

Pomerania is a historical region on the south coast of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdansk in the East....
. His father was a Prussian nobleman. Like many other Prussians from aristocratic families, he joined the military and rose through the ranks to Lieutenant General. Like several Prussian generals before him (e.g., Von Moltke
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke was a Germany Generalfeldmarschall. The chief of staff of the Prussian Army for thirty years, he is widely regarded as one of the great strategists of the latter half of the 1800s, and the creator of a new, more modern method, of directing armies in the field....
 and Baron von der Goltz
Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz

Wilhelm Leopold Colmar, Freiherr von der Goltz also known as Goltz Pasha, was a Prussian generalfeldmarschall and military writer....
), he was appointed the head of a German military mission to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 in 1913.






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Generalleutnant Otto Liman von Sanders (February 17, 1855 - August 22, 1929) was a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 general who served as adviser and military commander for the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
.

He was born in Stolp in Pomerania
Pomerania

Pomerania is a historical region on the south coast of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdansk in the East....
. His father was a Prussian nobleman. Like many other Prussians from aristocratic families, he joined the military and rose through the ranks to Lieutenant General. Like several Prussian generals before him (e.g., Von Moltke
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke was a Germany Generalfeldmarschall. The chief of staff of the Prussian Army for thirty years, he is widely regarded as one of the great strategists of the latter half of the 1800s, and the creator of a new, more modern method, of directing armies in the field....
 and Baron von der Goltz
Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz

Wilhelm Leopold Colmar, Freiherr von der Goltz also known as Goltz Pasha, was a Prussian generalfeldmarschall and military writer....
), he was appointed the head of a German military mission to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 in 1913. For nearly eighty years, the Ottoman Empire had been trying to modernize their army along European lines. Liman von Sanders would be the last German to attempt this task.

Initially Liman formed a very low opinion of the Ottoman army and its political leadership. In July 1914 (with the war about to start), Enver Pasha offered an alliance, of a sort, with Germany. The German ambassador in Istanbul
Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
, Hans von Wangenheim
Hans Freiherr von Wangenheim

Baron Hans Freiherr von Wangenheim - German diplomat. Ambassador Extraordinary to Mexico. German Minister at Athens, 1909-12. During World War I, from 1912 to October 25, 1915 was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire....
, after consulting with Liman von Sanders, refused Enver's offer. The analysis was that the Ottoman army was weak, the government had little money to spend, and the leadership was incompetent. However, on 1 August 1914 the Germans and the Ottoman government did sign a secret treaty of alliance; included in the provisions of the treaty was that the German military mission would wield "effective influence" over the military operations of the Ottoman armies. At first, this influence was nearly zero. But when Enver Pasha and Djemal Pasha
Ahmed Djemal

Ahmed Djemal , commonly known as Cemal Pasha, was a prominent Young Turk, and member of the Three Pashas....
 both suffered defeats, the German military mission took increasing control over the Ottoman armies.

When the Ottoman forces finally entered the war (after trying to avoid open conflict with the Alliance for two months), Enver Pasha showed Liman his grand scheme to destroy the Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n army defending Kars. Liman tried to dissuade Enver from implementing the plan, but his advice was ignored and Enver Pasha personally led the Ottoman army into its worst defeat of World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 at the Battle of Sarikamis
Battle of Sarikamis

The Battle of Sarikamish between the Russian Empire and Ottoman Empire from December 22, 1914 to January 17, 1915 - part of the Caucasus Campaign - resulted in a Russian victory....
. Cemal Pasha was given the task of attacking the Suez Canal
Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is a canal in Egypt. Opened in November 1869, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigating around Africa or carrying goods overland between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea....
; his personal military advisor was the German Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein. The attack on the Suez also failed, although without enormous losses.

A shaken Enver Pasha returned to Istanbul and took command of the Ottoman army in the area around the capital. However immediately after a huge British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 fleet destroyed the Ottoman forts along the Dardanelles
Dardanelles

.The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara....
 (18 March 1915), Enver turned over command to Liman von Sanders. Defending the Ottoman government was now in the hands of the German general.

Liman had little time to organize the defences, but he had two things in his favor. First, the Ottoman 5th Army was the best army they had, some 84,000 well-equipped soldiers in six divisions. Second, he was helped by poor Allied leadership. Instead of using their massive fleet to force a passage through the straits to Istanbul, the British and French admirals called for ground troops to capture the Dardanelles peninsula so their battleships could sail on into the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts....
 unmolested. Liman had just over a month to prepare. Then, on 23 April 1915, the British landed a major force at Cape Helles
Cape Helles

Cape Helles is the rocky headland at the south-westernmost tip of the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey. It was the scene of heavy fighting between Turkish and United Kingdom troops during the landing at Cape Helles at the beginning of the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915....
. One of Liman's best decisions during this time was to promote Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk) to commander of the 19th division. Kemal's division literally saved the day for the Ottomans. His troops marched up on the day of the invasion and occupied the ridge line above the ANZAC
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

ANZAC army formations and units include both Australian and New Zealand troops. The term ANZAC originated as an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, an army corps of Australian and New Zealand troops who fought against the Turkey in 1915 at the Battle of Gallipoli during World War I....
 landing site, just as the ANZAC troops were moving up the slope themselves. Kemal recognized the danger and personally made sure his troops held the ridge line. They were never forced off despite constant attacks for the next five months.

From April to November 1915 (when the decision to evacuate was made), Liman had to fight off numerous attacks against his defensive positions. The British tried another landing at Suvla Bay, but this also was halted by the Ottoman defenders. The only bright spot for the British in this entire operation was that they managed to evacuate their positions without much loss. However, this battle was a major victory for the Ottoman army and some of the credit is given to the generalship of Liman von Sanders.

Early in 1915, the previous head of the German military mission to the Ottoman Empire, Baron von der Goltz
Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz

Wilhelm Leopold Colmar, Freiherr von der Goltz also known as Goltz Pasha, was a Prussian generalfeldmarschall and military writer....
 arrived in Istanbul as military advisor to the (essentially powerless) Sultan
Sultan

Sultan is an Islamic honorifics, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ???? sulah, meaning "authority" or "power"....
, Mehmed V
Mehmed V

Mehmed V Reshad was the 35th Ottoman Sultan. He was the son of Sultan Abd?lmecid I. His Mother was Valide Sultan G?lcemal, :tr:G?lcemal Kadin Efendi , originally named Sofiya, a Circassians....
. The old Baron did not get along with Liman von Sanders and did not like the three Pashas (Enver Pasha, Cemal Pasha and Talat
Mehmed Talat Pasha

Mehmed Talat also known as Talat Pasha was one of the first important members of the Committee of Union and Progress. He played an increasingly important part in Ottoman politics becoming deputy for Edirne, minister and finally in 1917 Grand Vizier ....
) who ran the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 during the war. The Baron proposed some major offensives against the British, but these proposals came to nothing in the face of Allied offensives against the Ottomans on three fronts (the Dardanelles, the Caucusus Front
Caucasus Campaign

The Caucasus Campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, later including the Democratic Republic of Armenia, Central Caspian Dictatorship, and the British Empire as part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I or alternatively part of the Caucasian Front during World War I....
, and the newly opened Mesopotamian Front
Mesopotamian Campaign

The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I of the World War I fought between Allied Powers represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire....
). Liman was rid of the old Baron when Enver Pasha sent him to fight the British in Mesopotamia in October 1915. (Goltz died there six months later just before the British army at Kut
Siege of Kut

The Siege of Kut was a major battle of World War I. It was part of the Mesopotamian Campaign . The British Empire's Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force was defeated by Ottoman Empire forces....
 surrendered).

In 1918, the last year of the war, Liman von Sanders took over command of the Ottoman army in Palestine
Palestine

Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. It is derived from a name used already much earlier for a narrower geographical region, mainly along the coastal region....
, replacing the German General Erich von Falkenhayn
Erich von Falkenhayn

Erich von Falkenhayn was a Germany soldier and German General Staff during World War I. He became a military history after the war....
 who had been defeated by British General Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby

Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby Order of the Bath, Order of St Michael and St George, Royal Victorian Order was a United Kingdom soldier and administrator most famous for his role during World War I, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918....
 at the end of 1917.

Liman was hampered by the significant decline in power of the Ottoman army. His forces were unable to do anything more than occupy defensive positions and wait for the British attack. The attack was a long time in coming, but when General Allenby finally unleashed his army, the entire Ottoman army was destroyed in a week of fighting (see the Battle of Megiddo
Battle of Megiddo (1918)

The Battle of Megiddo of 19 September – 21 September 1918, and its subsequent exploitation, was the culminating victory in United Kingdom General Edmund Allenby's conquest of Palestine during World War I....
). In the rout, Liman was nearly captured by British soldiers.

After the war ended he was arrested in Malta
Malta

Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
 in February 1919 on charges of having committed war crimes, but he was released six months later. He retired from the German army that year.

In 1927 he published a book he had written in captivity in Malta about his experiences before and during the war (there is an English translation). Two years later Otto Liman von Sanders died in Munich
Munich

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Northern Limestone Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg....
 at the age of seventy-four.

External links

  • Short biography. January 2006.


See also

  • Hans Freiherr von Wangenheim
    Hans Freiherr von Wangenheim

    Baron Hans Freiherr von Wangenheim - German diplomat. Ambassador Extraordinary to Mexico. German Minister at Athens, 1909-12. During World War I, from 1912 to October 25, 1915 was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire....