Die Schlacht von Gallipoli 1915

In December 1915 some 1,500 German soldiers of all ranks were stationed at Gallipoli. With the Anafartagruppe were 51 German officers with about 100 non-commissioned officers and enlisted men. In the northern group were eight German officers, whereby the troop strength can no longer be confirmed. In the southern group about 35 officers were on duty [1]. In addition to this were the soldiers of the military mission in Istanbul, the crews of the ships of the Mediterranean Division and the Marine details and even a large number of additional specialists commanded to Turkey for arms and munitions manufacturing, doctor duties and staff replacement. Overall, between 1000 and 1500 German soldiers are likely to have been directly involved in Gallipoli battles of which probably about 200 fell or died of other causes and up to 750 were wounded or became sick.

With the outbreak of hostilities in the Dardanelles, the first German casualties occurred. With the bombardment of the outer Dardanellen forts on 19 February 1915 two German soldiers were killed, with only a lieutenant S. Woermann named. The other German soldier remains unknown to this day. Since the distance of the peninsula to Istanbul was too far for a transfer, the dead were buried on the spot. This is what happened with Lieutenant Woermann, whose funeral was described by Colonel Kannengiesser : "In the Orhanié battery naval lieutenant Woermann has fallen. Under a Turkish flag with his face towards Mecca, he was buried by a Hodja. A deadly yet eloquent testimony to the German-Turkish brotherhood of arms."[2] A few weeks later four German sailors who were stationed as part of the artillery garrison at Fort Hamidié together with Turkish soldiers fell on March 18 under the Allied fleet attack on the Dardanelles. About their own losses that day Admiral Usedom wrote: "In spite of this, until now strongest bombardment, the losses were low. Altogether 3 Turkish officers and 21 men, including the 3 Germans were killed, 1 German and one Turkish officer, as well as 18 German and 59 Turkish enlisted men were wounded [...] On that evening the dead of the German occupation of Hamidie, 1 non-commissioned officer and 2 men were buried [...] Of the wounded a German non-commissioned officer has also died in the meantime. "[3]

 

The fallen here were the sailors Paul Sommerfeld, Erich Schildhauer, August Brilla and Wilhelm Radau, who were killed by an artillery strike, whereby Wilhelm Radau succumbed to his wounds two days later . The German sailors were buried with their fallen Turkish comrades in a common tomb. Initially, this was marked by a wooden cross, on which was written: "The heroic death for his fatherland suffered at this place on March 18, 1915", the name and "The German Garrison." The cross was replaced a year later by a Marble Spire. This small burial ground at Hamidié was the only surviving and known cemetery at Gallipoli after the war, where German soldiers were buried.

 

More to follow soon...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Mühlmann, Der Kampf um die Dardanellen, S. 164

 

[2] Kannengiesser, Gallipoli, S. 62

 

[3] Von Usedom, Bericht über die Kämpfe an den Dardanellen, S. 8

 

[4] Schweder, Im Türkischen Hauptquartier, S. 202 ff

 

[5] BA/MA, RM 40 / 440, Unterlagen Landungsabteilung

 

[6] Gunter Hartnagel stellte diesen Auszug freundlicherweise zur Verfügung

 

[7] Gebhard Bieg, Ein Grabstein für Deutsche Gefallene der Schlacht von Gallipoli im Depot der Troja-Grabung

 

[8] Schweder, Im Türkischen Hauptquartier, S. 115 und 160. Das Denkmal besteht heute nicht mehr, da es offensichtlich einer türkischen Radarstation weichen musste

 

[9] BA/MA, RM 40 / 440, Unterlagen Landungsabteilung

 

[10] Bean, Gallipoli Mission, S. 45

 

[11] AA/PA, Türkei 142, R 13333, Telegramm 2153, Botschafter an Auswärtiges Amt vom 23. September

 

[12] Aus der Sammlung von Rolf Bettaque, Reinbeck

 

[13] Akte Major Willmer, Zeitungsnotiz aus dem Osmanischen Lloyd, Bayrisches Kriegsarchiv

 

[14] Ebenda

 

[15] Selbiges wurde im Krankenbuchlager von Dr. Nobert Schwake abgelichtet und die Eintragungen transkribiert

 

[16] AA/PA, R 48065, Bericht Botschafter an Auswärtiges Amt vom 12. März 1925

 

[17] Totenliste aus den Unterlagen der Friedhofsverwaltung Tarabya vom 31. März 1937

 

[18] AA/PA, 1712, 23.09.1925, Bericht Deutsche Botschaft

 

[19] AA/PA, R 48065, Bericht  Botschafter an Auswärtiges Amt vom 23. September 1925

 

[20] AA/PA, R 48065, Bericht  Botschafter an Auswärtiges Amt vom 23. September 1925, Anlage

 

[21] Ebenda

 

[22] Ebenda

 

[23] Nadolny, Mein Beitrag, S. 93

 

[24] AA/PA, R 48066, Bericht Deutsche Botschaft an Auswärtiges Amt vom 15. April 1932

 

[25] Ebenda

 

[26] Ebenda

 

[27] AA/PA, R 48066, Bericht Deutsche Botschaft an Auswärtiges Amt vom 28. Juni 1935

 

[28] Schweder, Im Türkischen Hauptquartier, S. 243