dardanelles

Ottoman and German flying personnel stationed in the Dardanelles region, 1915.

An Ottoman heavy gun shells a British observation post located on Mavro Island near the entrance to the Dardanelles, 1915.

Vice-Admiral Johannes Merten (left foreground), the German naval officer responsible for the defence of the Dardanelles pictured outside his headquarters, circa 1915. To the right of Merten is Admiral Guido von Usedom, Inspector General of coastal artillery and mining in the Dardanelles area.

Ottoman coastal gun emplacement in the Dardanelles, circa 1916. This coastal battery position utilised an 8.2 inch calibre naval gun taken off the old German armoured cruiser SMS Roon, which was disarmed in 1916 and converted into a training and accommodation ship. It was common practice amongst both the Allies and the Central Powers to use ex-naval guns like these in their coastal defences. 

The German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II (centre with cane) walks with Ottoman and German officers during his tour of the Dardanelle forts, October 1917. Talking with the Kaiser (centre left) is Ottoman General Esat Pasha.