Otto Liman von Sanders (17 February 1855 – 22 August 1929) was a German general who served as an advisor to the Ottoman Empire and later as the General of the German forces in the Middle Eastern Theatre during the Weltkrieg.
As commander-in-chief of all Ottoman troops in Palestine in the late stages of the war, he had planned to face the British in a last all-or-nothing battle near Aleppo; Only because of the disobedience of army leader Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who instead retreated further north and engaged the British successfully near Maraş, the Ottoman Army was saved from total collapse. Therefore, Otto Liman von Sanders is held in contempt by Ottoman authorities and seen as a symbol of German encroachment into Ottoman affairs during the Weltkrieg.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Liman von Sanders was born as Otto Liman in Stolp in the Prussian Province of Pomerania. His mother was Christian, but his father descended from a family of affluent Jewish businessmen, who owned multiple estates throughout Pomerania.
Liman attended Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium school in Berlin and graduated in 1874. Following that, he joined the Prussian War College in Berlin and became part of the Prussian military.
Military Career[]
Already in 1885, he was promoted to Oberleutnant and in 1887 seconded to the General Staff. The promotion to Hauptmann followed in 1889, and in 1891 he was appointed a squadron commander. In 1900 he was assigned command of Husaren-Regiment "Graf Goetzen" (2. Schlesisches) Nr. 6, first as Major, and from 1904 as Oberst. He was promoted to Generalmajor in 1908 and given command of the 22nd Division, based at Kassel. He attained the rank of Generalleutnant in 1911.
On 16 June 1913, on the occasion of the 25th Jubilee of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Liman was ennobled. As his nobiliary suffix he chose the maiden name of his late first wife, Amelie von Sanders (1858–1906). He was thereafter known as Otto Liman von Sanders.
Service for the Ottoman Empire[]
In 1913, Liman was appointed to head a German military mission to the Ottoman Empire, which was in dire need of modernizing its ineffective army along Continental European lines. Liman von Sanders would be the last German to attempt this task. When the Weltkrieg broke out, Liman stayed in Constantinople, trying to bring the Ottomans into the war. The plan worked out: On 30 July 1914, two days after the outbreak of the war in Europe, the Ottoman leaders agreed to form a secret Ottoman-German Alliance against Russia, although it did not require them to undertake military action.
In early 1915, Liman would first be involved in active warfare. The Entente had planned to land at the Gallipoli peninsula to severely weaken the Ottomans to kick them out of the war early. Liman was responsible for orchestrating a quick defense and repelling the attack. He was lucky; The men under his command were the best educated throughout the Empire, and the Allied troops suffered from poor leadership, therefore, the campaign ended in favour for the Ottomans.
One of Liman's best decisions during this time was to promote Mustafa Kemal Pasha to command the 19th division. Kemal's division was crucial to the Ottomans' defense. His troops marched up on the day of the landings and occupied the ridge line above the British landing site, just as the troops were moving up the slope themselves. Kemal recognized the danger and personally made sure his troops held the ridge line. They were never forced off despite constant attacks for the next five months.
In 1918, Liman von Sanders took over the command of the Ottoman army during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, replacing the German General Erich von Falkenhayn who had been defeated by British General Allenby at the end of 1917.
Liman was hampered by the significant decline in power of the Ottoman army. His forces were unable to do anything more than occupy defensive positions and wait for the British attack. The attack was a long time in coming, and finally started in September 1918, when British troops in Palestine lauched the Megiddo Offensive. The Ottomans suffered heavy defeats and eventually had to retreat up north.
Liman thought that Ottoman surrender seemed imminent and instructed his subordinated army leaders, including Mustafa Kemal Pasha, leader of the Seventh Army, to face the Brits at a last all-or-nothing battle near Aleppo. Kemal however had different thoughts; He decided to retreat further north into the Tarsus Mountains instead, waiting for reinforcements from the Caucasus. His plan worked out: While suffering another defeat at Antep first, he managed to beat the British near Maraş, which led to an eventual British retreat back to Palestine. Kemal had effectively disobeyed his superior; But the effect of this decision would eventually save the Ottoman Army from collapse, winning him the favor of the Sultan, Mehmed VI.
Liman was still backed by the CUP leadership, which effectively ran the Ottoman government and administration; But when the Sultan dismissed the Young Turks and replaced them with more anti-German candidates in late 1918, Liman lost his support within the Ottoman leadership and was sent back to Germany. Germany, enraged about this diplomatic slap in the face by her own ally, decided to send Liman to the Caucasus instead, where he became part of the German Caucasus Expedition and worked as an military advisor in Georgia.
Later Life[]
Liman would remain in Georgia over the next year, working together with his colleague Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein to set up the Georgian National Army to counter Ottoman influence in the region. After the Caucasus Conference, he was relocated to Azerbaijan, this time being responsible for setting up an organized Azerbaijani Army and protecting German economic interests on the countryside, like the newly constructed oil pipelines. He also supported the Azerbaijanis in their fight against the Armenian rebels in Karabakh and Zangezur, but was eventually recalled to Germany in 1921 when Berlin sent an ultimatum to Baku to lay down the weapons immediately, fearing a further destabilization of the Caucasus region. Back at home, he retired from military service, settled down in Munich and eventually died in 1929, aged 74.
Works[]
- Acht Jahre Orient: Von General der Kavallerie Liman von Sanders, 1913