Italo-Turkish War 656087 225129615 2008-07-12T01:03:16Z SieBot 4005189 robot Adding: [[he:מלחמת איטליה-טורקיה]] {{Infobox Military Conflict |conflict=Italo-Turkish War |image=[[Image:Italians in Libya.jpg|280px|Italian soldiers watching corpses of dead Arab Libyan defenders]] |caption= |date=[[September 29]], [[1911]]{{ndash}} [[October 18]], [[1912]] |place=[[Libya]] |casus= |territory=[[Libya]] and [[Aegean Sea]] |result=Italian victory, start of the [[First Balkan War]] |combatant1=[[Image:Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29_crowned.svg|23px]] [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Italy]] |combatant2=[[Image:Ottoman_Flag.svg|23px]] [[Ottoman Empire]] |commander1=Libyan theater:<br>[[Image:Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29_crowned.svg|23px]] [[Augusto Aubry]]<br>[[Image:Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29_crowned.svg|23px]] [[Carlo Caneva]]<br>Aegean theater:<br>[[Image:Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29_crowned.svg|23px]] [[Marcello Amero D'Aste]]<br>[[Image:Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29_crowned.svg|23px]] [[Giovanni Battista Ameglio|Giovanni Ameglio]] |commander2=Libyan theater:<br>[[Image:Ottoman_Flag.svg|23px]] [[Neşet Bey]]<br>[[Image:Ottoman_Flag.svg|23px]] [[Ismail Enver]]<br>[[Image:Ottoman_Flag.svg|23px]] [[Mustafa Kemal]] |strength1=100,000 |strength2=28,000 |casualties1=3,380 killed<BR>4,220 wounded |casualties2=14,000 killed<BR>5,370 wounded }} {{Campaign |name=Italian invasion of Libya |battles=[[Battle of Tobruk (1911)]] }} The '''Italo-Turkish''' or '''Turco-Italian War''' (also known in Italy as ''guerra di Libia'', "the Libyan war", and in Turkey as ''Trablusgarp Savaşı'') was fought between the [[Ottoman Empire]] and [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Italy]] from [[September 29]], [[1911]] to [[October 18]], [[1912]]. Italy seized the Ottoman provinces of [[Tripolitania]] and [[Cyrenaica]], together forming what became known as [[Libya]], as well as the Isle of [[Rhodes]] and the [[Greece|Greek]]-speaking [[Dodecanese]] archipelago near [[Anatolia]]. Although minor, the war was an important precursor of the [[World War I|First World War]] as it sparked [[nationalism]] in the [[Balkan]] states. Seeing how easily the Italians had defeated the disorganized Ottomans, the members of the [[Balkan League]] [[First Balkan War|attacked]] the Empire before the war with Italy had ended. The Italo-Turkish War saw numerous [[Second generation warfare|technological advances used in warfare]]; notably the [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aeroplane]]. On [[October 23]], [[1911]], an Italian pilot flew over Turkish lines on a [[reconnaissance]] mission, and on [[November 1]], the first ever [[aerial bombing|aerial bomb]] was dropped on Turkish troops in [[Libya]].<ref>U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission: [http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/Pre_WWI/AP1.htm Aviation at the Start of the First World War]</ref> ==Background== The claims of Italy over Libya dated back to discussions after the [[Congress of Berlin]] in 1878, in which [[French Third Republic|France]] and [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain]] had agreed to the occupation of [[Tunisia]] and [[Cyprus]] respectively, both parts of the then declining Ottoman Empire. When Italian diplomats hinted about possible opposition by their government, the French replied that [[Tripoli]] would have been a counterpart for Italy. In 1902, Italy and France had signed a secret treaty which accorded freedom of intervention in [[Tripolitania]] and [[Morocco]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecorner.org/hist/wwi/alliance.htm |title=Alliance System / System of alliances |accessdate=2007-04-03 |format=html |work=thecorner.org }}</ref> However, the Italian government did little to realize the opportunity and knowledge of Libyan territory and resources remained scarce in the following years. The Italian press began a large-scale lobbying campaign in favour of an [[History of Libya as Italian Colony|invasion of Libya]] at the end of March 1911. It was fancifully depicted as rich in minerals, well-watered, and defended by only 4,000 Ottoman troops. Also, the population was hostile to the Ottoman Empire and friendly to the Italians. The future invasion was described as little more than a "military walk". The Italian government was hesitant initially, but in the summer the preparations for the invasion were carried out and Prime Minister [[Giovanni Giolitti]] began to probe the other European major powers about their reactions to a possible invasion of Libya. The [[Italian Socialist Party|Socialist]] party had strong influence over public opinion. However, it was in opposition and also divided on the issue. It acted ineffectively against a military intervention. (Ironically, the future [[Fascist]] leader [[Mussolini]] - at this time still a left-wing Socialist - took a prominent anti-war position.) An ultimatum was presented to the Ottoman government of [[Committee of Union and Progress]] (CUP) on the night of 26-27 September. Through [[Austria-Hungary|Austrian]] intermediation, the CUP replied with the proposal of transferring control of Libya without warring, maintaining a formal Ottoman [[suzerainty]]. Giolitti refused, however, and war was declared on [[September 29]], [[1911]]. ==Military actions== [[Image:Zeplin_orta.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Italian dirigibles bomb Turkish positions on Libyan Territory. The Italian -Turkish war of 1911-1912 was the first in history in which air attacks (carried out here by dirigible airships) determined the outcome.]] Despite the time it had had to prepare the invasion, the [[Regio Esercito|Italian Army]] was largely unprepared when the war broke out. The Italian fleet appeared off Tripoli in the evening of [[September 28]], but only began bombarding the port on [[October 3]]. The city was conquered by 1,500 sailors, much to the enthusiasm of the interventionist minority in Italy. Another proposal of a diplomatic settlement was rejected by the Italians, and the Turks determined therefore to defend the province. [[Image:Italoturca1.jpg|thumb|320px||left|<center>Italian Troops firing on the Turks in Tripoli. 1911</center>]] The first disembarkation of troops occurred on [[October 10]]. The Italian contingent of 20,000 troops was deemed sufficient to accomplish the conquest at the time. [[Tobruk]], [[Derna]] and [[Al Khums]] were easily conquered, but the same was not true for [[Benghazi]]. The first true setback for the Italian troops happened on [[October 23]], when poor placement of the troops near Tripoli led them to be almost completely encircled by more mobile [[Arab]] [[cavalry]], backed by some [[Second Army (Ottoman Empire)|Turkish regular units]]. The attack was portrayed as a simple [[revolt]] by the Italian press, but it nearly annihilated much of the Italian expeditionary corps. The corps was consequently enlarged to 100,000 men who had to face 20,000 [[Arab]]s and 8,000 Turks. The war turned into one of position, and even the first use of aviation in a modern war had little effect. Italian troops landed at [[Tobruk]] after a brief bombardment on December 4th, 1911 and occupied the seashore and marched towards the hinterlands facing weak [[Resistance (military)|resistance]].<ref>"1911-1912 Turco-Italian War and Captain Mustafa Kemal". Ministry of Culture of Turkey, edited by Turkish Armed Forces-Division of History and Strategical Studies, pages 62-65, Ankara, 1985.</ref> Small numbers of Turkish soldiers and Libyan volunteers were later organized by Captain Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk). The [[22 December]] [[Battle of Tobruk (1911)|Battle of Tobruk]] resulted in [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Mustafa Kemal]]'s victory.<ref>"1911-1912 Turco-Italian War and Captain Mustafa Kemal". Ministry of Culture of Turkey, edited by Turkish Armed Forces-Division of History and Strategical Studies, pages 62-65, Ankara, 1985.</ref> With this achievement, he was assigned to [[Darnah, Libya|Dernah]] War quarters to coordinate the field on [[6 March]], [[1912]]. The [[3 March]], [[1912]], near Dernah, 1,500 Libyan volunteers attacked Italian troops who were building [[trench|trenchs]]. Italians - less in number, but superior in weapons - held the line. Lack of coordination between Italian units sent from Dernah in reinforcement and intervention af Turkish [[artillery]] put in crisis Italian line and Arabs attempted to surround Italian troops. Further Italian reinforcements stabilized situation and battle ended in the afternoon. On [[September 14]], Italian command sent three columns of [[infantry]] to disband Arab Turkish camp near Dernah. Troops occupied a [[plateau]], breaking off Turkish [[supply line|supply lines]]. Three days later, Turkish commander [[Enver Bey]] attacked Italian positions on the plateau. The larger Italian fire drove back Turkish soldiers, who were surrounded by a battalion of [[Alpini]] and suffered heavy losses. A later Turkish attack had the same outcome. After that, operations in [[Cyrenaica]] stopped, until the end of the war. ==Moves towards a peace== [[Image:Italoturcalitho.jpg|thumb|300px|right|<center>1912 Italian-American chromolithograph showing a fanciful depiction of the Italian-Turkish Peace treaty. Titled, 'LA PACE ITALO-TURCA'. </center>]] With a decree of [[November 5]], 1911, Italy declared its suzerainty over Libya, although it controlled only some coastal stretches which were almost under siege by the local troops, with the exception of Tripoli. Italian authorities adopted many repressive measures against the [[rebel]]s, such as [[public hanging]]. Italy, however, maintained total [[naval]] supremacy and could extend its control to almost all of the 2,000 km of the Libyan coast between April and early August of 1912. Italy began operations against the Turkish possessions in the [[Aegean Sea]] with the approval of the other powers that were eager to end a war that was lasting much longer than expected. Italy occupied twelve islands in the sea, the so-called [[Dodecanese]], but this raised the discontent of the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire]] who feared that this could fuel the [[irredentism]] of nations such as [[Serbia]] and [[Greece]], causing unbalance in the already fragile situation in the [[Balkan]] area. The only other relevant [[military operation]] of the summer of 1912 was an attack of five Italian [[torpedo boat]]s in the [[Dardanelles]] on [[July 18]]. In September, [[Bulgaria]], [[Serbia]] and [[Greece]] prepared their armies for the war against the Ottoman Empire, taking advantage of its difficulties in the war against Italy. On [[October 8]], [[Montenegro]] declared war against the Turks, starting the [[Balkan Wars]]. ==Treaty of Lausanne== Italian diplomats decided to take advantage of the situation to obtain a favourable peace deal. A treaty was signed at [[Lausanne]] at 16.45 on [[October 18]], 1912.<ref>[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-9300(191301)7%3A1%3C58%3ATOPBIA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R Treaty of Peace Between Italy and Turkey ]The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 7, No. 1, Supplement: Official Documents (Jan., 1913), pp. 58-62 doi:10.2307/2212446</ref><ref>[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos142.htm Treaty of Lausanne, October, 1912.]</ref>The terms were formally equal to those requested by [[Istanbul]] at the beginning of the war and maintained a formal Ottoman suzerainty over Libya, which received only an autonomous status under the judiciary rule of [[Qadi]]s elected by the [[Sultan]]. ==Aftermath== [[Image:trablusgarp2.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Mustafa Kemal]] and Libyan [[bedouin]]s]] The invasion of Libya was a costly enterprise for Italy. Instead of the 30 million [[Italian lira|lire]] a month judged sufficient at its beginning, it reached a cost of 80 million a month for a much longer period than was originally estimated. This caused economical unbalance at home. From a political standpoint, it showed that the lobbying power of an active and organized minority could have great power in the country, as the advent of [[Fascism]] would show after [[World War I]]. As for Libya, the Italian control over much of its territory remained ineffective until the late 1920s, when forces under Generals [[Pietro Badoglio]] and [[Rodolfo Graziani]] waged punitive pacification campaigns which turned into brutal and bloody acts of [[repression]]. Resistance petered out only after the execution of the rebel leader [[Omar Mukhtar]] on [[September 15]], [[1931]]. Concerning the Dodecanese, because of WWI it remained under Italian [[military occupation]]. According to the [[Treaty of Sevres]], most of the islands (except [[Rhodes]]) had to be ceded to Greece, in exchange for a vast zone of influence in southwest [[Anatolia]]. The Greek defeat in the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)|Greco-Turkish War]] and the foundation of modern Turkey made this solution impossible. With the [[Treaty of Lausanne]] the Dodecanese was then formally annexed by Italy. ==Bibliography== * Paolo Maltese, "L'impresa di Libia", in ''Storia Illustrata'' #167, October 1971 * "1911-1912 Turco-Italian War and Captain Mustafa Kemal". Ministry of Culture of Turkey, edited by Turkish Armed Forces-Division of History and Strategical Studies, pages 62-65, Ankara, 1985. * [http://www.lahana.org/blog/The%20Italian%20-%20Turkish%20War.htm The Italian Turkish War 1911-1912] ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==See also== *[[History of Italy]] *[[History of Libya#Italian Rule|Italian rule in Libya]] *[[Italian Empire]] *[[History of Turkey]] *[[Ottoman Empire#Dissolution (1908–1922)|History of the Ottoman Empire]] *[[Balkan Wars]] *[[Treaty of Lausanne]] {{Libya topics}} [[Category:Conflicts in 1911]] [[Category:Conflicts in 1912]] [[Category:1911 in Italy]] [[category:1912 in Italy]] [[Category:Wars involving Italy]] [[Category:Wars involving the Ottoman Empire]] [[Category:History of Libya]] [[ar:الحرب العثمانية الإيطالية]] [[bg:Италиано-турска война]] [[da:Den italiensk-tyrkiske krig]] [[de:Italienisch-Türkischer Krieg]] [[es:Guerra Ítalo-Turca]] [[eo:Itala-turka milito]] [[fr:Guerre italo-turque]] [[id:Perang Italia-Turki]] [[it:Guerra italo-turca]] [[he:מלחמת איטליה-טורקיה]] [[ka:თურქეთ-იტალიის ომი]] [[nl:Turks-Italiaanse Oorlog]] [[ja:伊土戦争]] [[no:Den italiensk-tyrkiske krig]] [[nn:Den italiensk-tyrkiske krigen]] [[pl:Wojna włosko-turecka]] [[pt:Guerra ítalo-turca]] [[ru:Итало-турецкая война]] [[sr:Турско-италијански рат]] [[fi:Italian–Turkin sota]] [[tr:Trablusgarp Savaşı]] [[uk:Італійсько-турецька війна 1911—12]] [[zh:義土戰爭]]