Ottoman Turkish Medals

  German and Austro-Hungarian soldiers, sailors and airmen fighting on Ottoman fronts were often decorated with Ottoman Turkish Awards. The Turkish War Medal was a relatively common award among German veterans who had served in Gallipoli or Palestine during the First World War. The Ottoman Empire also sometimes awarded medals for exceptional service to allied German servicemen who did not necessarily serve within the Ottoman Empire. For example air ace, Manfred von Richthofen also known as the Red Baron was awarded the both the Imtiyaz Distinction and Liyakat Merit medals despite scoring all his victories on the Western Front.  
 

Turkish War Medal
Photo by C Dale from Savo shop in the Avrupa Passage, Istanbul


German Bar with the Liyakat Medal in Silver
The two medals are the Prussian Iron Cross second class and the
Ottoman Liyakat Medal in Silver with Wartime Clasp and sabres
Photo by C Dale from the window display of
Savo shop in the Avrupa Passage, Istanbul


Imtiyaz Medal in Gold
Photo by R Prummel at WikiComm


Liyakat Medal in Gold
with Wartime Clasp
and sabres
Photo by C Dale
Askeri Museum, Istanbul


Medjidie Order
Photo © Heiko Grusdat


German Ribbon Bar with Ottoman Awards
The three medals on the right are two
Liyakat Medals with sabres and a Turkish War Medal.
Photo © JW Collection

     
 

Turkish War Medal
The War Medal ("Harp Madalyasi" in Turkish or "Türkische Kriegsmedaille" in German) was also known as the Iron Crescent ("Eiserne Halbmond") by the Germans or the "Gallipoli Star" by the British. It was instituted in March 1915 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V. It was awarded for bravery to many German combatants stationed in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

The medal consisted of a five pointed red star edged and decorated in white metal, usually worn on the right breast below the usual medal bar. Examples of the medal vary greatly in quality from simple painted iron stars issued by the Ottomans during the war, to elaborately enamelled German replacements often privately made after the war. 

Although the medal was not officially hung on a ribbon, a ribbon was authorised for the War Medal to be worn without the medal itself in the second buttonhole in a similar style to the Iron Cross, Second Class. When worn in the buttonhole with the Iron Cross it was worn beneath the Iron Cross.Some bars were seen with the breast badge of the medal worn on the ribbon. It could also be worn as a ribbon on a miniature bar. The ribbon was red with a white stripe on either side. Non-combatants had the colours reversed on their ribbons. Clasps in Arabic could also be worn for campaigns and unofficial versions were later made with German lettering.

Imtiyaz Medal
The Distinction Medal ("Imtiyaz Madalyasi") was instituted in 1882 in gold and silver orders both of which came in first and second classes (the second being smaller than the first). It was the highest ranking military award of the Ottoman Empire. It consisted of a round medal bearing the Ottoman coat of arms and Arabic script hung on a red and green ribbon (the red half being on the wearer's right hand side). The Distinction Medals awarded for the First World War had a clasp of the same metal as the medal with the Arabic date for 1915 and crossed sabres below it.

Liyakat Medal
The Merit Medal ("Liyakat Madalyasi") was instituted in 1890 in gold and silver orders both of which came in first and second classes (the second being smaller than the first). As an award it ranked below the Distinction Medal and above the War Medal. It consisted of a round medal bearing the Ottoman coat of arms on a red ribbon with a green stripe down either side. As with the Distinction Medal it was awarded during the First World War with a clasp of the same metal as the medal with the Arabic date for 1915 and crossed sabres above it.

Medjidie Order
The Medjidie Order was instituted in 1851 and named after the reigning Sultan Abdul Mejid I. It could be awarded in five classes. The award consisted of the Sultan's royal cipher surrounded by an inscription on a  circle of red enamel on a seven pointed jewelled star surmounted by a red crescent and five pointed star. Most awards of the order were to high ranking officers and officials. German and Austro-Hungarian officers were occasional recipients during the First World War.

Recommended External Links - Turkish Medals, Antique Photos and an article on Turkish Medals at Digger History
Recommended Reading - Turkish War Medal by Demir Erman

 

General Liman von Sanders,
Ottoman Army 1916
Von Sanders led the German military mission to the Ottoman Empire in 1913 and during the First World War commanded Turkish armies on the Gallipoli and Palestine Fronts. He wears an Ottoman Army general's uniform with the Pour-Le-Mérite at his throat, the Iron Cross First Class on his lower left breast, the Iron Cross Second Class in his second buttonhole and the Ottoman Imtiyaz Distinction Medal with wartime clasp on his upper left breast.

Photo from WikiCommons

NCO Musician of the Asienkorps
Palestine c1917
He wears the 1902 Bortfeldt helmet with hatband in arm of service colour (black with red edging for transport troops) and a large imperial cockade at the front. His tunic is the the 1896 Schutztruppe khaki uniform. Note the NCOs rank chevron and musicians swallows nests. This NCO wears an Iron Cross second class medal and ribbon in his second buttonhole and an Ottoman Turkish War Medal on his right breast.

Photo ©
Joe Robinson

Paul Leim, German Army Pilot c1920s
Leim was an NCO fighter pilot who served in Palestine as part of FA300. He wears a privately purchased officers 1915 field grey tunic. On his medalbar are the
Prussian Iron Cross second class, Prussian Military Merit Cross, Württemberg Silver Merit Medal, German Legion of Honour for the World War Medal,  Turkish Liyakat Medal in silver with swords and Sinai campaign clasp, Prussian Crown Order Medal and Prussian NCOs Long Service Award first class. He has the Turkish War Medal on his right breast and on the left the Prussian Iron Cross first class, the German Wound Badge in black and the Prussian and Turkish pilots badges.
Photo © Joe Robinson
     

Examples of Medal Bars with Ottoman Awards
See more on the Medal Bars Page

     

Bar of a Pascha I
Gaza Campaign Veteran
with Prussian and Ottoman Awards

Photo © Turkish Militaria

Bar of a Middle East
and Georgian Campaign Veteran
with Prussian, Baden, Ottoman and Georgian Awards

Photo © Sascha Wöschler of Woeschler-Orden.de

Bar of the Commander of the
SMS Goeben and Breslau
with Prussian, other German States and Ottoman Awards

Photo © C Dale from the IWM Collection

     
 
     
 

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