The Command of the 16th Corps and Mustafa Kemal Paşa on the Caucasus Front

In the First World War, struggles were fought in every corner of the Ottoman geography, and fierce battles were fought on the opened fronts. The Dardanelles and the Caucasus were the fronts that were given great importance in terms of strategic and military aspects. Upon the end of the Battle of Dardanelles, the 16th Corps was sent to Edirne in order to prepare for the new missions. In the Caucasus Front, firstly, the 3rd Army Command units take part, and upon the Russians occupied places such as Erzurum, Van, Bitlis, and Muş; some units of the 2nd Army Command, whose head quarters was in Edirne and, and the headquarters of the 16th Corps under the command of Colonel Mustafa Kemal Bey was sent to there gi on and it was decided to be reorganized in the Caucasus Front under the same name. After a difficult deployment, the 16th Corps, which served in the Caucasus Front, saved Bitlis and Muş from the Russian occupation, ensured the withdrawal of the Russians and prevented them from uniting with the British forces in the Iraq Front. In this study, the activities of the 16th Corps Command from its establishment until its abolition, the battles Mustafa Kemal Pasha had with his comrades, thepractices in the Caucasus Front in the light of the experiences he had in the previous fronts, the warm relations he established with the people in the region, the voluntary detachments and reflecting his experiences in this front to Turkish war of Independence were scrutinized. In addition, the activities of Mustafa Kemal Pasha during his presence in Edirne were also examined and a significant contribution was made to the literature.