Third Army (Turkey)
| Third Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | October 1923–present |
| Country | Turkey |
| Size | Field Army |
| Part of | Turkish Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Erzincan |
| Patron | Citizens of the Republic of Turkey |
| Engagements |
Sheikh Said rebellion Ararat rebellion |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Lieutenant General Erdal Ozturk |
| Chief of staff | Major General Tayfun Özden |
| Notable commanders |
Cevat Çobanlı (1923–1924) Kâzım İnanç (1925) İzzettin Çalışlar (1925–1933) Ali Sait Akbaytoğan (1933–1935) Kâzım Orbay (1935–1943) Mustafa Muğlalı (1943–1945) Sabit Noyan (1945–1946) Kurtcebe Noyan (1946–1948) |
The Turkish Third Army is a field army of the Turkish Army and is the country's largest army.
It traces its origins to 1923, but further back, the Ninth Army Troops Inspectorate was redesignated the Third Army Troops Inspectorate on 15 June 1919.
General commanded the army between 1958 and 1960.
In the days of the Soviet Union the Third Army was stationed on the Caucasus border to counter any Soviet attack by the Transcaucasus Military District. In 1973 the Army, with headquarters at Erzincan, had the 8th Corps at Elâzığ (including the 12th Infantry Division (Turkey), today 12th Mechanised Infantry Brigade at Ağrı), the 9th Corps at Erzurum (including 9th Infantry Division at Sarıkamış (which was active to at least 1996), and the 11th Corps at Trabzon.
After 1974–75 and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus 11th Corps headquarters was moved to North Cyprus.
When the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union broke up the General Staff decided to send 120,000 men of the Third Army to the border with Iraq. This was done in order to increase readiness against any possible crisis in the area (such as during Persian Gulf War and Iraqi War). Most of the armored, mechanized, and commando brigades are located in the central region in order to act rapidly into any scenario around Turkey's borders.
Today the Army patrols the borders with Armenia and Georgia. Some 300 men from the Third Army were sent to serve alongside the United Nations troops in Somalia (UNITAF/UNOSOM II).
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Wikipedia