Turkish Flame Thrower (FW) Troops

[bob lembke]

Pals;

I and a friend, with the assistance of a couple of Turkish pals on a different forum, have I believe worked out an advance in the public knowledge on the topic of Turkish FW troops in WW I. I would like to summarize some of this here, for your information, and also to solicit opinion and hopefully additional information. I appeal particularily to our Turkish Pals for any possible assistance.

It seems that in WW I the Germans supplied 30 FW to the Turkish Army. (source - Col. Erikkson's book) It seems that the recent one volume summary of the earlier three volume history of the Turkish Army in WW I (both, I believe, produced by the Turkish General Staff post-WW II) states that two FW were supplied to the Turkish XV Corps (19. ID and 20. ID) that fought in Galicia assisting the Austro-Hungarians and Germans against the Russuans. (I have to state that this is an odd number; one would think, on technical grounds, many or all of the FW would have been supplied to the same corps; their use, re-charging, maintainence, and repair was complex and unfamiliar, and probably dependent on continued German support, at least in part.)

Additional information comes from two photos that I and my friend have seen. They, quite different, picture a Turkish FW squad of nine men on realistic manuvers on the Galician manuver grounds at Rohatyn, taken in 1917, we believe. The unit was equipped and organized like the standard German Flamm=Trupp of the period; two two-man FW teams armed with the German Kleif model portable FW, one man carrying the oil and nitrogen tank pack, the second the fire tube; four grenadiers, with grenades in sand sack chest-worn pouches, as in the fashion of German storm troops; and a commanding NCO; nine men in all. The men are wearing the special visorless steel helmets that the Germans made in limited quantities for the Turkish Army, and the helmets seem to be painted in a camoflage pattern.

Considering the assertion of only two FW being supplied to XV Corps, this could have been simply a demonstration unit organized to try out the weapon and perhaps demonstrate it to officers, etc. Periodically the German FW regiment, HQed in France, sent units to the Eastern Front to carry out attacks, demonstrate the weapon, and train allied troops, at least the Austrians, who had an active FW effort. Or did the Turks set up a FW company? The German practice was for FW troops to be combat engineers, or Pioniere. It is likely, I would think, that the Turks might have put there FW in the same hands in their army.

Any observations? Are there any particular sources of info on the Turkish pioneers in WW I? Might the Turkish combat engineers have a museum or military library, besides the Military Library at the Askeri Mueze in Istanbul?

Bob Lembke

[bob lembke]

Sorry for screwing up and starting two versions of this new thread. Can a Moderator get rid of this one, or can I ask everyone to post replies, info, etc., to the other thread?

Sorry,

Bob Lembke

[Guest Bill Woerlee]

Bob

Thanks for the info mate.

Bill