Yildirim Army Group

Yildirim Army Group
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk with his adjutants as the Commander, 1918.
Active	July 1917 – November 7, 1918
Country	Ottoman Empire
Type	Army group
Size	150,000
Patron	Sultans of the Ottoman Empire
Engagements	Sinai and Palestine Campaign (World War I) Battle of Megiddo
Commanders
Notable commanders	Erich von Falkenhayn (July 1917 – February 6, 1918) Otto Liman von Sanders (February 24 – October 30, 1918) Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (October 31 – November 7, 1918)

The Yildirim Army Group or Thunderbolt Army Group of the Ottoman Empire (Turkish: Yıldırım Ordular Grubu) or Army Group F (German: Heeresgruppe F) was one of the army groups of the Ottoman Army. It was formed during World War I.

The army group included troops who used the latest Western-Front infiltration tactics; were equipped with close-combat gear, such as Stahlhelms and stick-grenades; and were supported by artillery and machine guns.

In August 1917, the army group was structured as follows:

with the

In January 1918, the army group was structured as follows:

In June 1918, the army group was structured as follows:

In September 1918, the army group was structured as follows:

In November 1918, the army group was structured as follows:

In April 1919, Şevket Turgut Pasha, Cevat Çobanlı and Fevzi Çakmak hold a secret meeting in Constantinople. They prepared a report called "Trio Oath" (Üçler Misâkı) and decided to establish army inspectorate for the defense of homeland. In late April, Fevzi Çakmak submitted this report to the Minister of War Şakir Pasha. On April 30, 1919, the War Ministry and Sultan Mehmed VI ratified the decision about the establishing of army inspectorates that had been accepted by the Chief of General Staff And then the First Army Troops Inspectorate (stationed in Constantinople, Fevzi Çakmak), the Yildirim Troops Inspectorate (stationed in Konya, Cemal Mersinli, later Second Army Inspectorate) Inspectorate, the Ninth Army Troops Inspectorate (stationed in Erzurum, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, later Third Army Inspectorate) was formed. Additionally, the Rumeli Military Troops Inspectorate (Nureddin Pasha) would be established and the XIII Corps would be under the direction of the Ministry of War. In May 1919, the army inspectorate was structured as follows: