Uniforms of the German Imperial Navy in
the Ottoman Empire The first land based units from these ships were machine gun sections who fought at Gallipoli. At first they wore their blue and white naval uniforms (with German naval caps) but due to their conspicuousness in action and confusion about which side they were on, they were soon issued with standard Ottoman army uniforms in dark khaki with the Kabalak headgear (see German and Ottoman Uniforms). Throughout the war sailors from the SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau served on various middle eastern fronts often in Ottoman army uniform. German naval officers also served as staff and advisors to the Ottoman empire. From photographs it seems they usually wore standard German naval uniforms, although one photo of an officer of the naval mission in Baghdad shows him wearing a khaki tropical uniform similar to that of the Seebatallione. Figure 1 is based on a photograph of a Naval Officer, Rear Admiral Souchon of the SMS Goeben. He wears standard German naval uniform- a double breasted dark blue jacket with five brass buttons on each side and matching trousers with an Ottoman red fez as described above. Typically for naval officers he wears a neat shirt and thin black tie under his jacket. His rank is shown in the form of one thin and one triple thick bar of gold lace under a German Imperial crown, showing him to be a Rear Admiral ("Kontra-Admiral"). On his left breast are two unidentified medals along with an Iron Cross First Class.Wilhelm Anton Souchon (1864-1946) was given command of the Imperial German Mediterranean Squadron ("Mittelmeerdivision") in 1912. The squadron consisted only of the Battlecruiser SMS Goeben and Light Cruiser SMS Breslau, yet their impact on the course of the First World War went way beyond their firepower. Winston Churchill said that by their actions bringing the Ottoman Empire into the war, they brought "more slaughter, more misery and more ruin than has ever before been borne within the compass of a ship." When war first broke out Rear Admiral Souchon first left the Austro-Hungarian port of Pola (in modern Croatia) and led his ships to bombard French ports in Algeria. He then dodged British attempts to corner him and headed for Istanbul where his ships were transferred to the Ottoman navy. It was while in Ottoman service that they bombarded the Russian Black Sea fleet at Sevastopol thus provoking a Russian declaration of war and bringing the Ottoman Empire into the First World War on Germany's side. Souchon spent the next three years updating the Ottoman navy until recalled to Germany in September 1917. When the war ended in November 1918 he had the dubious honour of commanding the naval base at Kiel that mutinied starting the German Revolution. Figure 2 is based on a photograph of a Naval Rating of the SMS Goeben. He wears a standard German dark blue naval uniform with an Ottoman red fez. On his left breast he wears an Iron Cross second class in its full parade version with both ribbon and medal. This would usually be worn as a small ribbon on the left breast while on active service. Figure 3 is based on a photograph of one of the Landing Party of the SMS Emden taken in Damascus in 1915. He, along with the others in the original photograph upon which this illustration is based, have been re-issued with Ottoman army uniforms and red fezzes after their epic journey across the Indian Ocean and Arabian desert had probably reduced their original German naval uniforms to rags. This khaki tunic has only five brass buttons (instead of the usual six) but is otherwise typical of Ottoman other ranks uniforms (see German and Ottoman Uniforms). The NCOs in the original photograph upon which this illustration is based are dressed similarly but have better quality tunics with higher collars. Other photographs of the officers of the SMS Emden about this time show them wearing Ottoman uniforms but retaining their German naval caps.Figure 4 is based on a photograph of a Naval Gunner of the SMS Goeben taken in Mesopotamia in about 1916. Some of the crew members from the SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau were sent to operate gunboats on the River Euphrates (in modern Iraq). This sailor wears a light khaki Ottoman army uniform (see German and Ottoman Uniforms). Note the specialist insignia of a gunner (crossed cannons on an anchor below an imperial crown) from his original German white naval uniform worn on the upper left sleeve. His headdress is an Arab headscarf (or "Kufiya") held in place with the traditional two camel hair bands. His ammunition pouches are not standard Ottoman issue though they are of a style sometimes seen later in the war on Ottoman troops.
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