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The Aviation Squadrons of the Ottoman Empire were military aviation units of the Ottoman Army and Navy.〔Edward J. Erickson, ''Ordered To Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', "Appendix D The Ottoman Aviation Inspectorate and Aviation Squadrons", ISBN 0-313-31516-7, p. 227.〕 The history of Ottoman military aviation dates back to June 1909〔According to Hamit Palabiyik, its formation came about after the Ottoman Empire sent two pilots to the International Aviation Conference in Paris in June 1909 (Hamit Palabiyik, ''Turkish Public Administration: From Tradition to the Modern Age'', USAK Books, 2008, ISBN 978-605-4030-01-9, p. 85.〕 or July 1911.〔(Story of Turkish Aviation in 'Turkey in the First World War' website )〕〔The Turkish Air Force regards flight trainings of Captain Fesa Bey and Lieutenant Yusuf Kenan Bey in 1911 as its own start line and celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2011. ("Türk Hava Kuvvetleri 100 Yaşında" in the official website of Turkish Air Force ) 〕 The organisation is sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Air Force.〔According to Edward J. Erickson, the very term Ottoman Air Force is a gross exaggeration and the term Osmanlı Hava Kuvvetleri (Ottoman Air Force) unfortunately is often repeated in contemporary Turkish sources. (Edward J. Erickson, ''Ordered To Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', "Appendix D The Ottoman Aviation Inspectorate and Aviation Squadrons", ISBN 0-313-31516-7, p. 227.)〕〔According to GlobalSecurity.org, the Ottoman aviation units never came under a centralised operational (as opposed to administrative) command, and never matured into an independent arm or corps as it did in other countries. Flying detachments (''Tayyare Bölüğü'') and fighter squadrons (''Av Bölüğü'') reported individually to either an Army or Corps command., (Ottoman Air Branch – 1914–1918 – The Great War ) in the official website of the GlobalSecurity.org.〕 The fleet size reached its apex in December 1916, when the Ottoman aviation squadrons had 90 airplanes.〔(Turkish Aircraft in 'Turkey in the First World War' website )〕 The Aviation Squadrons were reorganized as the General Inspectorate of Air Forces (''Kuva-yı Havaiye Müfettiş-i Umumiliği'') on 29 July 1918. With the signing of the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918, the Ottoman military aviation effectively came to an end. At the time of the armistice, the Ottoman military aviation had around 100 pilots; 17 land-based airplane companies (4 planes each); and 3 seaplane companies (4 planes each); totalling 80 aircraft.〔 ==Establishment of the Flying School and War Units== On 2 December 1909, Louis Blériot and the Belgian pilot Baron Pierre de Caters performed the first flight demonstration in the Ottoman Empire. After witnessing the growing importance of an air combat support branch, the Ottoman government decided to organize its own military aviation program. For this purpose officers were sent to Europe by the end of 1910 for pilot training. However, due to financial difficulties, the student program was aborted and the trainees returned to the Ottoman Empire in the spring of 1911. Although left without any governmental guidelines for establishing an air force, the Ottoman Minister of War of the time, Mahmud Shevket Pasha, continued to encourage the idea of a military aviation program. On 28 June 1911, a written examination was held and on 4 July, Cavalry Captain Fesa (Evrensey) and Engineer Lieutenant Yusuf Kenan were selected. Fesa was sent to France and Yusuf Kenan was sent to Germany. But because the German school wanted an excessively high fee, both of them were enrolled in the Blériot School at Étampes near Paris in July 1911.〔Edward J. Erickson, Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912–1913, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003, ISBN 0-275-97888-5, p. 348.〕 In late 1911 Staff Lieutenant Colonel Süreyya (İlmen) was entrusted with founding the Aircraft Committee (''Tayyare Komisyonu'') with members from the Inspectorate of Technical and Fortified Formations (''Kıtaât-ı Fenniyye ve Mevâki-i Müstahkeme Müfettişligi'').〔Edward J. Erickson, Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912–1913, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003, ISBN 0-275-97888-5, pp. 348–349.〕 Two tent hangars for the Aircraft School (''Tayyare Mektebi'') were erected in January 1912 at San Stefano, west of Constantinople〔Edward J. Erickson, Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912–1913, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003, ISBN 0-275-97888-5, p. 349.〕 (which is the Atatürk International Airport today.) On 21 February 1912, Fesa and Yusuf Kenan completed their flight training at the Blériot School and returned home with the 780th and 797th French Aero Club certificates.〔 In the same year, eight more Ottoman officers were sent to France for flight training. Fesa Bey and Yusuf Kenan Bey flew over Constantinople on 27 April 1912. The Ottoman Empire started preparing its first pilots and aircraft, and with the founding of the Aircraft School (''Tayyare Mektebi'') in San Stefano on 3 July 1912, the empire began to train its own flight officers. The founding of the Aircraft School quickened advancement in the military aviation program, increased the number of enlisted persons within it, and gave the new pilots an active role in the Ottoman forces. The same year a single-seat and a two-seater Deperdussin were purchased from France and brought to Constantinople in March 1912. Two of the two-seater version of Bleriot XI-b were also acquired, the first of which was presented by Supreme Commander Rıza Paşa. Three of a different two-seat model named XI-2 and three of the single-seat ground trainer Pingouin were also used by the Ottoman Army. The REP (Robert Esnault-Pelterie) was also one of the first planes to be deployed by the Ottoman Empire. This aircraft was designed by Robert Esnault-Pelterie and its first flight took place in 1912; they entered service during the same year in France. In accordance with an agreement reached between the producer and the Ottoman Ministry of War, seven REP planes were purchased and the first one was planned to join the Ottoman Army on 15 March 1912. In late April 1912, the military aircraft was shown to the public for the first time when a large military parade was held for the honor of Sultan Mehmed V Reshad.〔Edward J. Erickson, Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912–1913, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003, ISBN 0-275-97888-5, p. 352.〕 Five of the seven purchased were single-seaters and the remaining two were two-seaters. One of the single-seaters were planned only for ground practicing. The last plane was confiscated by the Serbians while being brought to Istanbul by train. These aircraft were already out of service by 1914. By the end of 1912, the Ottoman Army had a total of 15 airplanes, acquired mostly through private donations. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ottoman Aviation Squadrons」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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