Turkey German Sailors who has TWM and served in battlecruiser Goeben (Yavuz) and light cruiser Breslau (Midilli)

[demir]

Dear Friends,

I bought a picture recently about the German Sailors under the command of Werft Division I.A.L (what I can read from the picture) served in one of the two war ships battle cruiser Goeben (later YAVUZ) , the light cruiser Breslau (later MIDILLI).

Pictures will be shown below in other attachments.(because of the upload limit)

If anybody can read the letter behind the photo, written in 1917 please translate it for me.

I also included the some pictures about the Werft Division

Thanks

demir

PICTURE 1 Sailors of the Werft Division I.A.L 1917

Edited June 27, 2009 by demir

[demir]

PICTURE 2 DETAIL

SAILOR WEARING THE TURKISH WAR MEDAL

Edited June 27, 2009 by demir

[demir]

pıcture 3 LETTER BEHIND THE PHOTO

[demir]

PICTURE 4 GOEBEN (YAVUZ)

Along with the battlecruiser Goeben, the light cruiser Breslau served in the German Mediterranean Sea Division at the outbreak of World War I. On 15 August 1914, the Goeben and Breslau (along with their crews) were formally transferred into the Turkish Navy and renamed Yavuz Sultan Selim and Midilli respectively. On 20 January 1918, the Goeben?Yavuz Sultan Selim and the Breslau?Midilli sortied into the Aegean Sea to attack British troop transports. Shortly after taking part in the sinking of the British monitors Raglan and M 28 off Imbros, the Breslau?Midilli struck five mines and sank with the loss of 331 Turkish and German members of her crew. The surviving 162 crewmembers were rescued by a British destroyer and became prisoners of war. The Goeben?Yavuz Sultan Selim also struck multiple mines during the same action and was run aground on her return voyage. Although exposed to heavy air attacks, she was finally freed from the sandbank six days later.

[demir]

PICTURE 5 BRESLAU (Midilli)

[demir]

PICTURE 6 SOME PICTURES ABOUT WERFT DIVISION

Sailors of the Werft Divisions were used to guard naval bases and as marine infantry on board ships.

1.An NCO's cap from the I. Werft Division.

2.The other side of the Werft Division cap

3.The inside of the Werft Division cap showing the owner's name (Esser), unit number and date (1916)

[Guest Rick Research]

These sailors were not serving in Turkey, but had come from there.

The text is such a bad image I cannot read it. In natural color and larger, more would be possible:

"Zur Erinnerung am

...........zeit im

...........(jahr?) 1917

Divisionsschule

Kiel-Wik

Meiner ..... jetzt

.......................

.......................

............ Ich habe

gerade .............

...(tage?) .......

........................

Schreiben wenn

auch bekommen

..............Gr??e

euer ........."

So this was taken at the school in Kiel-Wik in 1917. Undoubtedly some of these sailors had served in Turkey earlier.

For a bunch of photos of Goeben taken at Stenia Dockyard and in the Bosporus and Black Sea, see:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=18483&hl=B?ning

[demir]

These sailors were not serving in Turkey, but had come from there.

The text is such a bad image I cannot read it. In natural color and larger, more would be possible:

"Zur Erinnerung am

...........zeit im

...........(jahr?) 1917

Divisionsschule

Kiel-Wik

Meiner ..... jetzt

.......................

.......................

............ Ich habe

gerade .............

...(tage?) .......

........................

Schreiben wenn

auch bekommen

..............Gr??e

euer ........."

So this was taken at the school in Kiel-Wik in 1917. Undoubtedly some of these sailors had served in Turkey earlier.

For a bunch of photos of Goeben taken at Stenia Dockyard and in the Bosporus and Black Sea, see:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=18483&hl=B?ning

Hi,

Thank you very much.

Marvellous photos. Nice collection. It is reaaly interesting to see the original crew of the Goeben with Ottoman uniforms.

I recently bought this card written by a German.

Best wishes

demir