Mehmet Ferhat ERDOĞAN
Wars have a great share in the struggle for the establishment of the states of the world. For the Ottoman Empire, these processes continued in certain periods since the struggle for its establishment. Many examples can be given of this phenomenon. The geopolitical position of the Ottoman Empire, its rich underground resources and its geography suitable for sea transportation were constantly faced with plans to be included in the war. For this purpose, although the Ottoman Empire secretly took part in alliance activities in order to pursue a balance policy before World War I, only an agreement could be reached with Germany. Within the framework of this aid treaty, the German military delegation tried to strengthen the Ottoman army and naval power with the cruisers Yavuz and Mytilene. In general, although the Ottoman Empire seemed defeated in the First World War, it achieved its aim of protecting its own geography as a part. World War I reflects a new period of establishment struggle for the Ottoman Empire in terms of being the turning point of the world states. In this article, it is aimed to carry out logistical support to the Caucasian front through the Black Sea in order for the Ottoman Empire to want to include the territories lost in the First World War back into its borders. In order to realize this goal, after the Russians bombed the ports of Odessa in World War I, he was involved in the war and lost the Bahr-i Ahmer, Bezm-i Alem and Mithatpaşa ships, which were on their way to bring logistical aid to the Caucasian front, in the Black Sea, and the aid to the front could not reach as planned and its effect was felt greatly.
Within the scope of the study, the factors in the failure of the success of the logistic support assistance and its effects on the Caucasian front based on the Bahr-i Ahmer, Bezm-i Alem and Mithatpaşa ferries sunk by the Russians in the Black Sea in World War I will be examined from historical sources within the scope of articles and literature reviews published in national and international journals with scientific validity.
Keywords: World War I, Caucasian Front, Bahr-iAhmer, Bezm-iAlem, Mithatpaşa