The 5th Corps () is a field corps of the Turkish Army under 1st Army. It is headquartered at Çorlu in Tekirdağ Province. The 5th Corps was established in 1911 under the Ottoman Army with headquarters in Thessaloniki.

During its first (Ottoman) existence, which ended when its remnants were one of the nine Ottoman corps that formed the basis for the Turkish Land Forces, among its most notable commanders was Mirliva Mustafa Fevzi Pasha (December 22, 1913-April 1916).T.C. Genelkurmay Harp Tarihi Başkanlığı Yayınları, Türk İstiklâl Harbine Katılan Tümen ve Daha Üst Kademelerdeki Komutanların Biyografileri, Genkurmay Başkanlığı Basımevi, Ankara, 1972, p. 54.

Order of Battle, 1911 With the reorganizations of the Ottoman Army, to include the creation of corps headquarters, by 1911 the V Corps was headquartered in Salonika. Before the First Balkan War in 1911 the Corps included:

V Corps, Salonika 13th Infantry Division, Salonika 37th Infantry Regiment, Salonika 38th Infantry Regiment, Salonika 39th Infantry Regiment, Salonika 13th Rifle Battalion, Salonika 13th Field Artillery Regiment, Salonika 13th Division Band, Salonika 14th Infantry Division, Serez 40th Infantry Regiment, Serez 41st Infantry Regiment, Nevrekop 42nd Infantry Regiment, Cuma-i Bala 14th Rifle Battalion, Yemen 14th Field Artillery Regiment, Serez 14th Division Band, Serez 15th Infantry Division, Usturmaca 43rd Infantry Regiment, Usturmaca 44th Infantry Regiment, Petriç 45th Infantry Regiment, Petriç 15th Rifle Battalion, Gevgili 15th Field Artillery Regiment, Salonika 15th Division Band, Usturmaca Units of V Corps 5th Rifle Regiment, Salonika 6th Cavalry Brigade, Gevgili 14th Cavalry Regiment, Gevgili 25th Cavalry Regiment, Serez 26th Cavalry Regiment, Salonika 5th Mountain Artillery Battalion, Katerin 6th Mountain Artillery Battalion, Katerin 4th Field Howitzer Battalion, Demir Hisar 5th Engineer Battalion, Gevgili 5th Transport Battalion, Salonika Salonika Port Command, Salonika Heavy Artillery Battalion, Salonika Torpedo Detachment, Salonika Searchlight Detachment, Salonika Border Detachment

Balkan Wars

Order of Battle, October 19, 1912 On October 19, 1912, the corps was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, Defeat in Detail, The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912–1913, Westport, Praeger, 2003, p. 170.

V Corps (Serbian front, under the command of the Vardar Army of the Western Army) 13th Division, 15th Division, 16th Division İştip Redif Division

Order of Battle, November 12, 1912 On November 12, 1912, the corps was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, Defeat in Detail, The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912–1913, Westport, Praeger, 2003, p. 188.

V Corps (under the command of the Northern Group of the Vardar Army) 13th Division, 15th Division 5th Rifle Regiment, 26th Cavalry Regiment, 19th Artillery Regiment

Order of Battle, November 16, 1912 On November 16, 1912, the corps was structured as follows:Edward J. Erickson, Defeat in Detail, The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912–1913, Westport, Praeger, 2003, p. 191.

V Corps (under the command of Right Flank Defensive Corps of the Vardar Army) 13th Division, 15th Division, 18th Division

World War I In August 1914, the corps was located in Anatolia. It included the 13th, 14th, and 15th Divisions.

In November 1914 and in late April 1915, the corps, now in Thrace, included the 13th, 14th, and 15th Divisions.

In the late summer of 1915 and in January 1916, the corps, now at Gallipoli, included the 13th, 14th, and 15th Divisions.

In August 1916, the corps included the 9th Division, 10th Division, and 13th Division.

In December 1916 and August 1917, the corps, still stationed in the Caucasus, only had Coastal Detachments under its control.

War of Independence In 1921, during the Turkish War of Independence, it received the designation "5th Cavalry Corps." Its initial mission was the Western Front, where it participated in offensives against Greek forces. After the proclamation of the Republic, the corps was restructured and became the primary element of land defence in Thrace.

:tr:Kurtcebe Noyan became a major-general in 1938. Initially given command of the 2nd Cavalry Division, he then became Deputy Commander of the 5th Corps. Promoted again to Lieutenant General in 1941, he became commander of the 5th Corps.

Hamza Bilgu wrote that in 1947, as large-scale U.S. assistance began to be discussed, that the "5th Corps, headquartered in Bursa, has two divisions attached to it. The 5th Division is stationed in Susurluk, and the 6th Division is stationed in Bandırma (Bandÿrma). This corps is responsible for the defence of the southern sector of the Sea of Marmara."BİLGÜ, Hamza (2026). "Sovyetler Birliği Tehdidi Karşısında Türkiye'nin Savunma ve Seferberlik Hazırlıkları (1945-1947)" [Turkey's Defense and Mobilization Preparations Against the Soviet Union Threat]. RUSAD [Journal of Russian Studies (16): 119–148. Published: 30 June 2026. doi: 10.48068/rusad.1793198.

Accession to NATO With Turkey's accession to NATO in 1952, the 5th Corps was integrated into NATO's defence plans.

In 2004, the corps, with its headquarters at Corlu, was reported to include the 3rd Tactical Mechanized Division at Edirne; the 3rd Armoured Brigade; and the 54th, 55th, and 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigades.

During the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, the 5th Corps adhered to the chain of command and prevented the combined forces in Thrace from passing through to Istanbul.

References