Ottoman Army Troops and Health Services at the Galicia Front (1916-1917)

Oya Dağlar Macar

Galicia was one of the Eastern European fronts where the Ottoman troops fought Russian forces in support of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the First World War. Turkish soldiers, who were injured or fell ill, were dispatched to various hospitals in the Austro-Hungarian territory. Nevertheless, because the transfers were not well organised and regularly registered, information regarding their health status could be collected properly. To remedy this problem, the Ottoman General Staff appointed Lieutenant Dr. Hulusi Fuad (Tugay, 1890-1967) as 'inspector to Austro-Hungarian hospitals'. Hulusi Fuad first set off for Vienna to identify the hospitals where the Ottoman soldiers were being treated. He prepared and sent a detailed report on their conditions to the Ottoman authority. This article, based on the said report, attempts to expose the mobilisation of the Ottoman 15th Army Corps to Galicia, the conditions of the wounded at Austro-Hungarian hospitals, the range of diseases they suffered from, and the various problems encountered in extending health services to the soldiers, as well as the conditions of the hospitals in the years 1916-17.

Key words: First World War, Galicia , Austro-Hungarian Hospitals, Hulusi Fuad Tugay; Anahtar sözcükler: Birinci Dünya Savaşı, Galiçya Cephesi, Avusturya-Macaristan hastaneleri, Hulusi Fuad Tugay.