Our First Air Martyr, Named Immortal in a Mediterranean Town

Our air martyrs sleeping in the Selahaddin Eyyubi Tomb in the Umayyad Mosque:

The struggle for Turkish aviation has continued throughout the ages since İsmail Cevheri, who started the first flight trials in history from the city of Nishapur in Turkmenistan a thousand years ago, and the first planes were used in the military field.

The first aviation studies, which started in 1904, gained momentum with the establishment of the Turkish Air Force on 1 June 1911.

The Turkish Nation went down in history as the nation that was subjected to the first aircraft attack and shot down the first enemy warplane. The first aircraft attack was made by the Italians in the Tripoli War. As a result of the bombardment of the Ottoman camp by Italian planes with a guided balloon on June 6, 1912, 8 soldiers were killed and 39 soldiers were injured. The first warplane in history was shot down by Turkish soldiers in this war.

The Turkish nation, who grasped the importance of the aircraft in the defense of the homeland, accelerated its aviation activities and trained its first aviators.

Captain Fethi Bey, our first Air Martyr among the heroic aviators

Who is Fethi Bey?

Fethi Bey was born in Istanbul Ayaz Pasha in 1887. After completing his primary education at Firuz Ağa Primary School and his secondary education at Salipazarı Fevziye Secondary School, he entered Çarkçı Ameliye High School (Deniz Çarkçı High School) in 1901.

Fethi, who graduated from here in 1908, was appointed to the factory on 10 August 1908 with the rank of "Wheel Lieutenant". Fethi Bey, who went to the Adriatic Port as the Engine Engineer of the Hamidiye Cruiser in 1910, was appointed to the Esliha Repair Factory (Weapon Repair Factory) in 1911. After working here for about a year, he was sent to England for training on 3 July 1912 to be trained as an aircraft mechanic. There, Fethi Bey, who was admired by his English teacher and understood to have a great talent in flying, was taken to piloting training instead of mechanic training. Thanks to his hard work, determination and ability to learn, he soon surpassed his friends, who were ahead of him, and became the most skilled and knowledgeable aviator. However, when the Balkan War broke out while he was still training, he was recalled before he could complete his pilotage training and was assigned to the Inspectorate of the Science Continents.

In September 1912, while the activity in the Balkans continued to increase, Serbia, which had its eyes on Macedonia and gave uninterrupted support to the gangs and underground activities to ensure the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, organized a big demonstration in Athens on September 9, demanding independence for the Greeks living in the Ottoman lands. he did. Bulgaria, on the other hand, went further on 12 September and stated that it would consider the rejection of the autonomy request for Macedonia a reason for war.

Unable to grasp this crisis in the Balkans and the seriousness of the ever-increasing threat of war, the Ottoman State administrators were content to promise that they would continue the Peace Talks in Switzerland and make administrative arrangements in order to end the war with Italy.

The desire of the Balkan States to seize the Rumelian lands under various excuses was not sufficiently understood in Istanbul. This grave perception error in the Ottoman Empire became an opportunity for the Balkan States and Montenegro on 8 October, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece on 13 October declared war against the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, the Ottoman government was compelled to sign a peace treaty with Italy, completely disposing of Tripoli and Benghazi. Immediately after these developments took place, the Ottoman Government recalled its envoys from the allied states in the Balkans on October 15, 1912, and on the morning of October 16, the Ottoman Army Chief of Staff informed the Sark and Western Army Commands that the relations with the Bulgarian and Serbian government were completely cut off and ordered to start preparations for the general offensive.

Fethi Bey in the Balkan Wars:

In those days, there were only two hangars in the place where the aircraft school operated in Ayastefanos (Yeşilköy). One of them was sheet metal and the other was wood. When there was no building, the tents set up constituted the school facilities. There were Captain Fesa (Evrensev), who returned to France as a pilot at the school, Kolağası Cemal, who had just returned from his training in England due to the war, Captain Refik, Captain Fevzi, Captain Salim (İlkuçan) and Lieutenant Nuri Bey. Lieutenant Mithat (Tuncel), who joined the school late, and Lieutenant Şükrü had not yet returned. Since these aviators, who only had a pilot's license, had very few flight hours, their aviation experience was not sufficient. They had never been on long flights. Returning to the country in October 1912 without obtaining their pilot's license, the group joined the Ayastefanos Air School. This place has now taken the status of both an airplane school and an aviation center.

Returning from England, Fethi, Fazıl, Abdullah and Mehmet Ali were continuing their studies to complete their education and become pilots. While working among these, the person who showed the best flight success was First Lieutenant Fethi Bey, who set his heart on piloting when he was a naval engineer due to his enthusiasm for aviation.

At the beginning of the Balkan War, as an air force in the hands of the Ottoman Army; A total of 10, including 3 REPs (1 aircraft named Ordu and 2 aircraft with no name), 2 DEPERDUSSIN (Ottoman and Prince Celaleddin), 2 HARLAN (bomb plane), 2 BRISTOL and 1 BLERIOT (Vatan) with 2 people. Fesa Bey, Captain Cemal, Captain Refik, Captain Fevzi, Artillery Lieutenant Nuri, Engineers Lieutenant Salim Batur, Captain Salim İlkuçan, Mülazım Mithat Tuncel, who had returned home after completing his education in France with four planes. Due to the inexperience of the pilots, 3 pilots and 3 mechanics brought from France to be used in the war, 4 pilots and 2 mechanics brought from Germany constituted the power in the hands of the Ottoman army.

With the start of the Balkan War, Fethi Bey, who was called home after his education was interrupted, was transferred to the Air class on September 28, 1912 and was given to the Western army. 11 days later, on October 9, 1912, with an order of the Commander-in-Chief, the Inspector General of the Continental Fenniye and Mevaki-i Fortifications requested the preparation of 3 aircraft detachments immediately to conduct reconnaissance flights from the battle line. With this order, a detachment of 2 aircraft was placed under the command of the Western army, and a detachment of 2 aircraft was placed under the command of the Eastern army. Unfortunately, the third detachment, which was requested to be sent there, could not be transferred from Ayastefanos before the Edirne Castle was besieged.

The aircraft detachment, which was given to the order of the Western army, was composed of 1 Bleriot and 1 Rep aircraft named Vatan; Under the command of Captain Fesa Evrensev, Lieutenant Nuri Bey, a French pilot and Rasıtlar, First Lieutenant Fethi, Lieutenant Abdullah and the French engineer were sent to Thessaloniki by train.

Meanwhile, the armies were busy building up combat build-ups. The Ottoman Western Army was gathering in Manastır, Prilepe, Firzovik and Köprülü Region against the Serbian Forces. Stacks were made against the Greeks in the Alasonia and Yanya Region, and against the Montenegrins in the Akova, İpek and Shkodra Regions. The force, which was formed against the Serbs and had its headquarters in the monastery, was called the "Vardar army".

Arriving in Thessaloniki on October 14, the detachment split into two; A plane was sent to Köprülü without any preliminary preparation. As soon as the detachment reached Köprülü, they were able to make only two flights over a hastily prepared plain, and the flight crew was sent back to Thessaloniki on the orders of Army Commander Zeki Pasha, who was worried about the worsening of the war.

In November, when the battles with the Greeks in Western Rumelia started to disappear, the former Sultan, who was in exile in Thessaloniki, II. Abdülhamid was transferred to Istanbul and settled in Beylerbeyi Palace. In November, Preveza fell into the hands of the Greeks.

Upon this unfortunate development, our aviators in Thessaloniki; Fesa Bey, Fethi and Nuri Bey burned the 2 planes in their hands so that they would not fall into the hands of the enemy, and while they were secretly returning to Istanbul by ship, Lieutenant Abdullah was captured by the Greeks.

In the second phase of the war, First Lieutenant Fethi Bey, together with Rasıdı Major Sedat, started to conduct reconnaissance flights over enemy lines from an altitude of 800 meters. Thanks to these flights, which were made for the first time, it was understood that there was no change in the situation of the existing continents in Bulgaria.

During the offensive of the army, Fethi Bey applied to the command and offered to drop 7.5 kg field shells into the Bulgarian lines from the air like a bomb. When this proposal, which will be implemented for the first time in the world, was accepted by the command, great benefits were obtained from Fethi Bey's original and effective invention, and Fethi Bey, who successfully served until after the war, was rewarded with a silver medal of merit.

At the beginning of the Balkan War, Turkish pilots who were not yet experienced and foreign pilots who were not willing to fly because they were hired with money, were sent to far away areas with 4 planes, causing the newly established air force to lose half of its power.

By mid-November, Western Rumelia was largely sold off. The Ottoman Western army lost the Battle of Manastır on 16-18 November and retreated to the west in front of the Serbs. Having captured Florina, Resne and the Monastery, the enemy forces reached the shores of the Adriatic and took Drach.

While the Bulgarian Forces, which captured Eastern Thrace, took action towards the Dardanelles, the Ottoman Empire created a defensive line reaching the Marmara Sea, starting from the north of the Evrese Plain in the west, under the name of "Mediterranean Strait Crew Forces" in order to protect the Dardanelles. Major Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) was appointed to the Operations Branch Directorate of this force on 25 November.

Unable to break the resistance of the Ottoman army in the First Battle of Çatalca, the Bulgarians made great efforts to lower the Edirne Fortified Area. Repulsing all attacks, Edirne continued to resist heroically, and the Bulgarian army, worn out on the Çatalca line, was eventually forced to accept the ceasefire proposed by the Ottoman government. Deputy Commander-in-Chief Nazım Pasha informed the army units that a ceasefire was signed with the armies of Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, with the exception of Greece.

When the ceasefire period began, 6 military aircraft, 2 DEPERDUSSIN (Ottoman and Prince Celaleddin), 2 REP military aircraft and 2 BRISTOL military aircraft were expected in San Stefano Square.

Lieutenant Nuri, Captain Salim (Ilkuçan), Captain Fevzi and Lieutenant Mithat (Tuncel), who received their badges from the REP school, were on duty as pilots. First Lieutenant Fethi, Lieutenant Fazıl and Lieutenant Mehmet Ali, who were recalled from the Bristol school in England, were also continuing their studies and education.

The works at the Ayastefanos Airport continued uninterruptedly. The aviators here were subordinate to the Aircraft School Directorate in terms of order and command. The requests of the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief were conveyed to the School Directorate through the Kıtaat-ı Fenniye (Science Units) and the Inspector General of the Legislature, and the directorate fulfilled the requests for aircraft and pilot allocation.

Fesa Evrensev had returned from Thessaloniki. Apart from that, in Ayastefanos; Captain Fevzi and Salim, First Lieutenant Fethi, Lieutenant Nuri, Fazıl and Mithat Beys were in the pilots. After Mahmut Şevket Pasha became the Grand Vizier and the Minister of War, the Süreyya (İlmen) inspector was appointed to the Kıtaat-ı Fenniye Branch of the General Directorate; His duty was defined as "following up the availability of airplanes in Ayastefanos to be used".

A commission consisting of Lieutenant Colonel Süreyya Bey (İlmen) and Chief Engineer Mehmet Ali Bey was sent to Europe. The task of the commission; It was to supply aircraft and guided balloons to be used against the Italians, to provide the necessary equipment and personnel for the aviation center, and to examine the aviation industry in Europe on-site. Departing from Istanbul on May 6, 1912, the delegation went on a European tour that lasted about two months. Commission on this trip; He conducted studies on aviation in Austria, Germany, France and England. Two MARS PFE type double-surface 2-seater aircraft leased from Germany were brought to Istanbul. With these planes brought in the first week of February, German pilots contracted with the Mars Factory; Mario Scherff and Walter Fray and their machinists Alfred Struck and Böchne also came to Istanbul.

Immediately after the end of the ceasefire, the Bulgarian operation against Edirne began with all its violence and intensity. At the same time, during the attack; aerial balloon surveillance and reconnaissance flights with planes were resumed.

On February 5, when the reconnaissance attacks began in the Çatalca Region, two reconnaissance flights were carried out by a Turkish plane from Çatalca in the direction of Arnavutköy (Türkoba), and the next day, while the attacks were continuing, at 12:00, two reconnaissance flights were repeated 200-300 meters above the Bulgarian positions. For this purpose, records were written from Süreyya Bey's memorandum dated February 25, 1913 that these flights were carried out by First Lieutenant Fethi and Captain Salim Bey.

Flight Activities After the Balkan Wars:

Turkish Military Aviation entered the Balkan War unprepared while it was still in the establishment phase. At the beginning of the war, he came out with an insufficient number of planes, pilots who did not have experience to fly long distances, and pilot candidate students called from England. However, none of the planes were shot down by the enemy, and apart from Lieutenant Abdullah Bey, who was captured in Greece, the aviator was not lost.

Ottoman Empire and Greece; Leaving the settlement of the disputes regarding the islands to the guarantor of the intervening great powers, he signed the Peace Treaty in Athens on 14 November 1913.

Fethi Bey made his first long-distance arm flight on 23 November 1913, nine days after the end of the war. On that day, 3 planes took off from Ayastefanos Airport, one after the other. On this flight, First Lieutenant Fethi Bey and regular mechanic Aziz Bey, a Bleriot, Captain Fesa Bey, and a new Bleriot with his next Captain Fevzi Bey started to roll with their aircraft. Fazıl Bey was driving the Deperdussin aircraft named Ottoman by himself. Despite the fact that the weather was very cloudy, they successfully completed this flight in 1 hour and 50 minutes, following the route of Büyükçekmece, Silivri, Lüleburgaz, Çorlu, Babaeski and Havsa, and managed to land in Edirne.

The fleet was welcomed by the Aircraft Detachment Commander, Nuri Bey, in Edirne. At 14.00, the aircraft took off again from Edirne, this time in 2 hours and 20 minutes, covering more than 400 kilometers, mostly in the clouds, and ended in Yeşilköy. Flight was published in the issues of Ikdam and Tasvir newspapers of the period dated 25 November 1913.

In order to increase the interest in aviation, some flights were made in November and these had great repercussions. For this purpose, on 10 November, newspaper writer Vehbi Bey was flown over Istanbul by a Bleriot plane, used by First Lieutenant Fethi Bey, and he became the first journalist to fly.

Again in the fall of 1913, the Naval Society launched a fundraiser to buy aeroplanes and ships. One of these participations, which had a wide participation of the Turkish people, came from Belkıs Şevket Hanım, son of Ata Pasha, daughter of Şevket Bey, one of the founders of Müdafaa-i Hukuku Nisvan Society (Women's Rights Protection Society). Belkıs Şevket Hanım, one of the ardent supporters of the donation campaign, took permission from the 1st Corps Deputy Commander Cemal Pasha, and on 30 November 1913, with the Ottoman-name Deperdussin aircraft led by Fethi Bey, she flew over the skies of Istanbul for 15 minutes. had thrown. Thus, Belkıs Şevket Hanım took her place in our Aviation History as the first Turkish woman to fly.

After the 2nd Operation of the War, Fethi Bey, who was appointed as a civil servant at the Yeşilköy Aircraft School, was promoted to the captain at the beginning of 1913 and was appointed to the 2nd Team Company Officer of the Aircraft Company.

The French Government, starting from the second stage of the Balkan War, began to reconsider its relations with the Ottoman Empire and to improve relations in line with its interests. He did not want to lose the square to the Germans. After the end of the war, an air travel plan was put forward by the French to be carried out on three continents.

The developed planes were now making long-haul flights all over the world. Continents to be flown; It was designated as Europe, Asia and Africa. The flight route largely covered the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

French Aviators would start their flight from Paris, and after landing in some places in the European Continent, they would come to Istanbul. The aviators, who would pass through Anatolia to Syria and Palestine, would complete the Asian Continent, cross to Africa, and end their journey in Cairo.

The fact that this flight, which is approximately 5000 kilometers long by air, was carried out by overtaking the Taurus Mountains, whose height is approaching 4000 meters, aroused great repercussions in the world at that time.

Air School Director Süreyya İlmen sent a report to the Inspector General, taking into account the start of long-distance air travel, the increase in air traffic, and the problems that French pilots are experiencing in our lands. In the report, stating that airplanes and balloons fly in fortified positions, he suggested that forbidden zones be created as in European countries and that maps showing their locations be distributed to the interested parties.

Meanwhile, the German Military Delegation to modernize the Ottoman army came to Istanbul on 14 December 1913. The Ottoman Government appointed General Liman Von Sanders, who was at the head of the delegation, as the Army Commander with the rank of Pasha.

The month of January 1914 began with an important event. Staff Lieutenant Colonel Enver Bey, the most influential person of the Committee of Union and Progress, was promoted to the rank of colonel on 18 December. Colonel Enver Bey was immediately given the rank of Mirliva (Major General) when the Minister of War, Ahmet İzzet Pasha, was forced to resign to make reforms in the army. Enver Bey, who was promoted to pasha at the age of 32, was appointed as the Minister of War on January 5, 1914. On the same day, Enver Pasha, who also assumed the presidency of the general staff, started a rapid renewal and rejuvenation operation in the army without wasting any time.

Istanbul-Cairo Flight Project:

Enver Pasha, who has a patriotic and daring but also very passionate and dreamy personality, rolled up his sleeves to realize a very sensational project.

The goal of the project:

To show our flag in the air to the Egyptian people who love Turks and are of the same religion and collect donations for the plane,
To restore the shaky prestige of the Ottoman Empire, which lost the Balkan War, and to show its power to the world,
It was to provide solidarity within the empire by directing the admiration created by the French aviators in the world to Turkish aviation.

For this reason, the Deperdussin aircraft, named Milliye, with the help of Bleriot and Prince Celaleddin, was chosen among the useful aircraft with the limited means at hand. Although all of the pilots were volunteers, Captain Fethi Bey was assigned for the Bleriot plane, Lieutenant Nuri Bey was assigned for the Deperdussin plane, and First Lieutenant Sadık and Captain İsmail Hakkı Bey were assigned for the crews.

The Cairo expedition was planned under extremely unfavorable conditions. The distance between Istanbul and Cairo is 2500 kilometers by air. It was necessary to fly 25 hours to reach Cairo with the planes flying at 100 kilometers per hour. After the cities of Istanbul, Eskişehir, Afyon, Konya, Portsaid and Alexandria were designated as places to visit and gasoline and spare parts were sent to these points, two planes were sent off from Istanbul with a great ceremony on February 8, 1914.

Fethi and Nuri Bey, who made unscheduled forced landings from time to time due to weather conditions and aircraft malfunctions, continued their flights with difficulty.

Fethi Bey was the first pilot to cross the Taurus Mountains, which is as high as the flight ceiling of the aircraft on the flight path, by rising 4000 meters.

After the long and difficult part of the route was overcome in this way, on February 27, 1914, Fethi Bey and his companion Sadık Bey, who departed from Damascus to go to Jerusalem on Friday, took the plane in the vicinity of Lake Teberiye, called the Hell Valley, 500 meters from Şamriye. and fell from the Küfrühar Cliffs, 212 meters below sea level.

The accident was met with great sadness throughout the country. The martyrs were brought to Damascus and buried next to the tomb of Selahattin Eyyubi in the Umayyad Mosque with a funeral ceremony attended by 100 thousand people. The wreckage of the aircraft was also sent to the military museum in Istanbul.

Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

The Name of a Mediterranean Town Becomes Fethiye:

After Fethi Bey's martyrdom news, the entire Islamic world and Turkish-friendly Europeans sent a telegram of condolences to the Ministry of War.

Journalist Alfred Durand, who gave a conference on aviation in Istanbul during the Balkan War, sent a telegram to the Minister of War, Enver Pasha, on March 4, 1914, together with the French aircraft manufacturer Alfred Ponnier, regarding Fethi Bey's accident. After conveying his condolences in the telegram, he stated that they would like to present a very modern plane to replace the crashed plane, and requested that this gift be accepted; He wrote that the information about the plane was also in the letter they sent.

Enver Pasha replied with a telegram he sent on March 8 and informed him that he had accepted the gift with his thanks.

The Turkish Nation has not forgotten these first two air martyrs, despite the long years that have passed. Commemorative stamps were printed on his name, Fethiye, our small town on the Aegean Coast, was named "Fethiye" to keep the heroic and honorable name of Fethi Bey alive, leaving aside the name Megri, which it had carried for centuries.

References:

• Firsts in Turkish Aviation / Sinemis Oğuz.
• Turkish Aviation History / Osman Yalçın
• PhD thesis, First Aviation Activities in Turks/ Cemal Balıkçı