Balkan War Battles Around the Edirne Fortress 1980 Turkish Book Military Ottoman Empire Maps
Balkan War (1912–1913): Battles Around the Edirne Fortress (Balkan Harbi (1912–1913): Edirne Kalesi Etrafındaki Muharebeler) – T.C. Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Askerî Tarih ve Stratejik Etüt (ATASE) Başkanlığı Turkish Edition (1980)
Description:
This Turkish edition of Balkan War (1912–1913): Battles Around the Edirne Fortress (Balkan Harbi (1912–1913): Edirne Kalesi Etrafındaki Muharebeler) was published by the Military History and Strategic Studies Directorate (ATASE) of the Turkish General Staff in 1980. Printed in Turkish, this hardcover volume is an official military history examining one of the most significant and dramatic campaigns of the Balkan Wars through original documents preserved in the General Staff archives.
Based on official war diaries (harp cerideleri), operational orders, military correspondence, and contemporary reports, the book presents a detailed account of the defense of the Edirne Fortress and the fierce battles fought around the city during the Balkan War. A central focus of the study is the heroic defense organized under the command of Mehmed Şükrü Paşa, whose forces resisted the Bulgarian and Serbian armies for months despite severe shortages of food, ammunition, and medical supplies. The volume documents the determination of the Ottoman defenders while examining the military circumstances that ultimately led to the fall of the fortress.
The study also analyzes the military architecture of the Edirne Fortress, including its defensive lines, forts, and fortification system, together with the operational plans designed to resist and break the siege. Detailed battlefield analysis evaluates troop movements, command decisions, tactical successes and failures, and the impact of logistical shortages on the outcome of the campaign. Drawing extensively upon primary archival sources, the book provides one of the most authoritative official accounts of the siege and defense of Edirne.
Themes such as Ottoman military history, fortress warfare, military engineering, battlefield tactics, and the Balkan Wars appear throughout the work. As an official ATASE publication based on primary archival material, it remains an essential reference for historians and researchers studying the Balkan Wars.
Key Features:
• Author: Collective
• Original Title: Balkan War (1912–1913): Battles Around the Edirne Fortress
• Turkish Title: Balkan Harbi (1912–1913): Edirne Kalesi Etrafındaki Muharebeler
• Publisher: T.C. Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Askerî Tarih ve Stratejik Etüt (ATASE) Başkanlığı
• Publication Date: 1980
• Language: Turkish
• Format: Hardcover
• Genre: Military History; Ottoman History
• Subject: The defense and siege of the Edirne Fortress during the Balkan Wars
• Literary Content: Official military history; Archival research
• Themes: Balkan Wars; Edirne; Mehmed Şükrü Paşa; Fortress warfare; Military engineering; Ottoman Army
• Historical Focus: The defense of Edirne and the military operations surrounding the fortress during the Balkan War of 1912–1913
• Educational Value: Official archival study documenting the siege and defense of the Edirne Fortress through wartime diaries, operational orders, and military reports, offering detailed analysis of battlefield operations, defensive strategy, military engineering, and logistical challenges.
• Collector Appeal: Official hardcover ATASE publication based on original General Staff archival sources, providing one of the most comprehensive studies of the defense of Edirne during the Balkan Wars, making it an essential reference for collectors of Ottoman military history, Balkan War studies, and official military publications.