Salih Omurtak

Salih Omurtak 1323 (1910)-P. 1[1]
Salih Omurtak
Born	0 December 1889(1889-12-00) Salonica (Thessaloniki), Ottoman Empire
Died	23 June 1954(1954-06-23) (aged 65) Ankara, Turkey
Buried at	Ankara Hava Şehitliği Transferred to State Cemetery
Allegiance	Ottoman Empire  Turkey
Years of service	Ottoman: 20 September 1907–1920 Turkey: 1 January 1920 – 6 July 1950
Rank	Orgeneral
Commands held	61st Division, Staff of Chief of the Third Army, 8th Corps, 9th Corps, 3rd Corps, Member of the Supreme Military Council, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, First Army, Chief of the General Staff, Member of the Supreme Military Council
Battles/wars	Italo-Turkish War First World War War of Independence Genç Rebellion Ağrı Rebellion

Salih Omurtak (1889–1954) was a Turkish general and the fourth Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces.

Biography

He was born 1889 in Salonica (present-day Thessaloniki), then within the Ottoman Empire. He graduated from the Military College in 1907 with the rank of a lieutenant. After finishing the Staff College in 1910, he became a staff officer and served at several headquarters in the Ottoman Army.

Deployed to Ankara on 22 January 1920^{[citation needed]}, he joined the Turkish revolutionaries and commanded various troops during and after the Turkish War of Independence. He was promoted to the rank of the Mirliva in 1926, and in 1930, he became a Ferik. From 1940 on, Omurtak held the commander-in-chief post of the First Army in the rank of the Orgeneral (four-star general).

He was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces on 1 August 1946 following the resignation of Kazım Orbay, and served at this position until 8 June 1949. His following duty was the membership in the Military High Advisory Board, which he held until his retirement on 6 July 1950.

Salih Omurtak died on 23 June 1954 in Ankara. His body was moved later to a permanent burial place in the Turkish State Cemetery.

References

1. ^ T.C. Genelkurmay Harp Tarihi Başkanlığı Yayınları, Türk İstiklâl Harbine Katılan Tümen ve Daha Üst Kademlerdeki Komutanların Biyografileri, Genkurmay Başkanlığı Basımevi, Ankara, 1972, p. 231. (Turkish)

See also

• List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of Independence

External links

• Salih OMURTAK in the official website of the Turkish General Staff (Turkish)

Military offices
Preceded by Cemil Cahit Toydemir	Commander of the First Army 17 Jun 1946 – 29 July 1946	Succeeded by Nuri Yamut
Preceded by Kazım Orbay	Chief of the General Staff of Turkey 1 August 1946 – 8 June 1949	Succeeded by Nafiz Gürman

Persondata
Name	Omurtak, Salih
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1889
Place of birth	Salonika (Thessaloniki), Ottoman Empire
Date of death	1954
Place of death	Ankara, Turkey