ADVENTURES OF MOLLA OSMAN
THE ADVENTURES OF GANG-MASTER MOLLA OSMAN
Following the Battle of Gallipoli, the Armistice of Mudros was signed on October 30, 1918. As a result of this armistice, Ali İhsan Pasha's army was disbanded and he was summoned to Istanbul by the Ottoman Government.
He was summoned to Istanbul.
While the Armistice of Mudros imposed disarmament on the Turks in Thrace, the total weapon power of the 1st Corps decreased to 1200 rifles. On the one hand, the Thracian Greeks, who were trying to take advantage of the weakening situation of the Ottoman Empire, were protected and guided by two large Greek organizations called the Aid Committee and the Thrace Committee. These committees wanted Thrace to be connected to Greece. Their most important organizational centers in Thrace are two in Gallipoli and Çorlu. Horny Greek gangs were terrorizing, killing and robbing Turkish officers in Uzunköprü, Keşan and İpsala. One of the most important of the gangs in question was Karabıyık Dimitri and his Gang. The wars and defeats, which were very rare in history and occurred one after the other, almost melted the Ottoman Empire. World War I… and
The name of extinction after the great defeat is Sevres. Sèvres left Western Thrace to Greece. But Greece has its eyes on Eastern Thrace. For this purpose, they started preparations for invasion. For this reason, the defense of all Thrace was given to the First Corps under the command of Cafer Tayyar Pasha. In the following days, Cafer Tayyar Pasha assumed the "Thrace National Commandership" with the decision of the Central Committee of the Thrace Pashaeli Society and later with the approval of the Edirne Congress. The Greeks occupied Western Thrace before May 1920, with the contribution of the French. On July 20, 1920, they landed one of their divisions in Anatolia on the shores of the Marmara Sea. They started to attack from both the east and west to invade Eastern Thrace. The Greeks' capture of Tekirdağ and Çorlu created great sadness and excitement in Edirne. While the 49th Division was defending Edirne on the Western Front, the 69th Division was defending Uzunköprü. The 49th Division resisted in front of the Meriç Bridge and achieved significant success beyond Karaağaç. When the Greek Forces captured Cafer Tayyar Bey in Havşa, the 55th and 60th divisions were disbanded. Soldiers from these divisions took refuge in Bulgaria. The 49th Division is Alb. Although they continued their resistance under the command of Şükrü Naili, they eventually had to take shelter in Bulgaria.
40 days before the Greek forces entered Edirne on July 25, 1920, a force of 300 people: By the order of Cafer Tayyar Pasha, they tried to defend Edirne by colliding with the famous Greek Enchantment Battalion along Meriç. The head of these forces was Staff Colonel Filibeli Rüştü Akın Bey. When the occupation took place, they also went to Bulgaria. Rüştü Bey's forces did not join the forces of Şükrü Naili Bey in Bulgaria. Some of them dispersed in Bulgaria and established headquarters here. Some of them joined Fuat Balkan's forces and settled in Kütüklü.
WHAT IS KOMITACI?
Fuat Balkan defines komitatism as follows: “Komitatism is not robbery or plundering, as some people think. Komitacı is a man who sacrifices everything, even his life, for the cause of the Homeland and does not hesitate to do anything. If necessary, he burns, destroys and kills without mercy.” According to this definition, Fuat Balkan himself is the number one committee member.
Fuat Balkan, who retired to his farm in Karamürsel after the defeat in the First World War, was invited to Western Thrace in May 1919. Fuat Bey was ready, so he came to Istanbul and found İsmet Bey there. İsmet Bey (İnönü) invited him to the meeting at Kıra Vasıf's house. There were five other colonels at the meeting. According to the decision taken at this meeting, Fuat Bey was assigned to work in Western Thrace. Fuat Balkan thought that the base should be Edirne. But 1st Army Commander Cafer Tayyar Pasha opposed this idea. He did not want Fuat Balkan in Edirne. For this reason, Fuat Bey resigned from military service while he was at the rank of Captain and decided to organize the organization in Western Thrace. Here, outside the committee: He pioneered the establishment of the Western Thrace Defense Law Society and the Western Thrace Independent Government.
He also became the Armed Forces Commander of this government. The government staff included Bulgarians Vangel Yorgiyef and Dr. Dickof also participated. Before the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in 1920, Fuat Balkan, who was in Western Thrace with the authority he received from five colonels, entered into relations with Ankara in order to reiterate the "continue or complete" order. This time, he was assigned to Western Thrace again, with an order approved by Mustafa Kemal. This order gave Fuat Balkan the task of being a gang member within the borders of Western Thrace and Macedonia, and obliged him to connect with the Thrace Pashaeli Society, with whom he had previously been at odds, for general directives.
Fuat Balkan says in his memoirs: "In order to fulfill the important task given to me by Ankara, I needed the help of the Bulgarians, despite the opposition of their government." For this reason, he pioneered an organization under the name of "Turkish Bulgarian Thrace Internal Revolution Committee". While the committee appointed the famous Bulgarian revolutionary Gürcikof for Eastern Thrace, it appointed Fuat Balkan as the Western Thrace Command. Tame Nikolof was given the assistant position. It was time to choose the Bulgarian and Turkish gang commanders. Fuat Balkan says the following on this subject:
Together with Tane Nikolof, the Bulgarian platoon commanders were composed entirely of Western Thracians and also their guides; "We chose the Bulgarians who know the land best." Fuat Balkan chose Bektaşlar Village as his headquarters, but later he also used Kütüklü Village as his headquarters. Gang Commanders selected for this job: Mülazım Abdulgani, Mülazım Sabri, Çolak Sabri, Edirneli Ali Çavuş, Tekirdağlı Osman (Molla Osman), İskeçeli Ömer Çavuş, İskeçeli Küçük İsmail, Darendcli İbrahim Çavuş, Ankaralı İsmail Çavuş, Dramalı Mustafa Çavuş, Sarı Şabanlı İsmail It consisted of Sergeant, Meto, Dramalı Topal Osman, Pomak Adem Ağa.
On the other hand, the President of the Bulgarian Officers Association said, "With the arrangement of Bulgarian General Lazeret and two Bulgarian Staff Colonels, two Bulgarian Staff Majors and three Bulgarian captains, the Bulgarian mountain bandits entered into military discipline. Thus, Bulgarian mixed detachments of 2000 people were formed. The main Bulgarian bandit captains: Nitchev, Stoyko, Armomor, Rafeel, Musof, Deli Dima, Vangel Torgjyef, Ninchefti.
MOLLA OSMAN
Molla Osman: He was born in 1898 in Kütüklü Village, Ortaköy district of Bulgaria. His father's name is Salih (Molla Salih) and his mother's name is İsmihan. Salih Efendi: Since he is a reader, writer and a knowledgeable person with strong religious knowledge; He was given the title of Mullah by his society. Osman's father was working at Istanbul Tekel in those years. After finishing primary school, Osman also went to secondary school. But when the Balkan War broke out, he left his education unfinished for some reasons. While he was doing his military service in his unit in Yeşilköy in 1918, he also learned how to fly an airplane.
Again, with the help of a friend who lived in Karagümrük in those years. He met and married midwife Şadiye Hanım. Two children were born, a girl and a boy. Osman grew up with the love of Ali, the inextinguishable light of his ancestors and the sacred love that his mother and father gave him.
Again, with the help of a friend who lived in Karagümrük in those years. He met and married midwife Şadiye Hanım. Two children were born, a girl and a boy. Osman grew up with the love of Ali, the inextinguishable light of his ancestors and the sacred love that his mother and father gave him.
He carried the blood of his ancestors, the "Kargoz Yoruks of God Mountain", who "always carried the free and Asian breath", did not bow to oppression and injustice, and always stood by the oppressed and against the oppressor. He was a brave committeeman, gang commander, and a hero of the National Forces whose heart was full of love for the country and people, but who did not spare those who shed the blood of his relatives and people and did evil to them. Since his father, Molla Salih, lived in Muratlı District of Tekirdağ Province in the 1920s, Osman was known as "Tekirdağlı Osman" among his gang members. He showed great benefits as a gang commander in the Kuva-yı Milliye forces operating in Western Thrace between 1919 and 1922.
He escaped from Bulgaria with his family in 1925, and after coming to Turkey, he settled next to his parents living in Ortaköy of Silivri District. Again, in this village, he started to earn his living by farming, by cultivating the settlement land given to him by the State. He was elected headman of Ortaköy in the elections held in 1930. After working as a headman for a few years, he was appointed Deputy District Governor of Beşiktaş district with the help of his gang members.
After working here for a few years, he was appointed to the Directorate of Agriculture as a civil servant. While he was working at the Directorate of Agriculture, he went to Ankara with his gang member friend Niyazi Bcy, who was close to Atatürk, and met Atatürk. When Atatürk offered him the position of manager at Orman Çiftliği, he accepted this position with joy.
Molla Osman served here until his retirement. When he retired, he came to Firuzköy, a town in the Bakırköy District of Istanbul, and settled here after having a house built for two people he bought from this village, where his relatives also resided.
He passed away here on 1.5.1965. According to his will, he was buried with a Military Ceremony in Firuzköy Cemetery, where his parents' graves are located.
AMBUSH
In 1918, armed Bulgarian bandits ambushed two Turks and committed murder and robbery in the Balcıbük Village area of Ortaköy district in Southern Bulgaria.
Before this incident, Molla Veli and his wife were living a happy life in their home in Lüleburgaz. However, after this unfortunate event, their happiness turned into a nightmare. In those years, Veli was engaged in tobacco and coal trade. When he visited Balcıbük Village for his work, he was staying at the house of his father-in-law, Yörük Ali Ağa. In 1918, when the tobacco money was being paid, Veli got on his horse and went to Ortaköy District to collect the tobacco money, after taking the power of attorney from the people of Balcıbük who, like him, had a monopoly claim. When he arrived at Tekel, he had the necessary procedures done to get the money. When it was his turn to pay, he took his own tobacco money and the tobacco money of the people of Balcıbük who gave him power of attorney and filled it into the saddlebags he had brought with him. Then he threw the saddlebags filled with money onto his horse and set out to return to the village the same day. When he came out of the district, he took the horse route that took a shortcut to Balcıbük Village. While he was on the road, he was worried that Bulgarian bandits might block his way. But he reached Balcıbük Village without encountering any incident. After distributing the tobacco money of the villagers who were creditors, he retired to the house of his father-in-law, Yörük Ali Ağa. The next day, he and his merchant friend Salih Ağa, who also came from Kütüklü Village, turned their horses towards Edirne and set off.
They were unaware of the ambush set up on their way by the Bulgarian bandits, who learned that they were on their way. That's why they were walking along the road, chatting. When they got far from the village and reached the depths of the balkan, armed Bulgarian bandits suddenly jumped out of their hiding places and blocked the path of the two friends. Someone they thought was the bandit leader pointed his gun at them and said in a harsh tone:
"Get off your horses," he said, warning them to get off their horses. Guardian..
"Now we are burned," he said. Since the bandits had their guns pointed at them, they would have been shot if they ran away. Thinking that maybe they would take our money and leave us, they both dismounted their horses, following the bandit's command. Again, upon the warning of the bandit leader, they threw all their money into the saddlebag he handed them.
One of the bandits went behind Veli and grabbed him by the arms. The other two caught Salih Agha and tied him to the oak tree just ahead. After retreating about 25-30 meters, they knelt on the ground and pointed their guns at Salih Ağa. The bandit holding Veli
He explained his evil intentions to Veli in a sarcastic tone, saying, "We will kill your friend, then it will be your turn."
Veli understood that there was no salvation from this serencam. But he still thought of finding a way to escape. While he was thinking these, two bandits fired their guns and emptied all the bullets on Salih Agha. Salih Ağa was screaming and wailing as the bullets pierced his body. At one point, Veli shook himself with all his might to get rid of the bandit holding him. When he freed his arms, he punched the bandit in the side and managed to knock him to the ground. Then he ran with all his strength and dived into the balkan. Salih Agha's body was full of holes and he died right there. The bottom of the oak tree he was tied to had turned into a bloodbath.
The bandits chased Veli for a long time to catch him. Since Ana was running desperately, she managed to lose track of him by going far beyond the distance. The people of Balcıbük, who were working in the field close to the scene of the incident, heard the gunshots. When they arrived at the scene, they encountered Salih Agha's lifeless body with holes in it. When they couldn't see Veli, they thought he might have escaped as a crazy person. A few villagers threw Salih Agha's body into the ox cart and set out to take him to his house in Kütüklü Village and hand him over to his family. The rest dispersed into the balkan and began to search for Veli. Realizing that the bandits were not following him, Veli thought about climbing on a large and tall oak tree with lush leaves and staying silent and hiding on this tree. This idea also worked.
Bulgarian bandits searched for Veli a lot. But when they couldn't find it, they moved away from that area. Veli lived in this tree without food or water for three days. Eventually he fell into a very weak position. On the third day, towards the morning, he heard the sound of roosters coming from somewhere nearby. The voices were coming from Balcıbük Village. Then he started hearing human voices. The hope of salvation rose in Veli's heart. He shouted with all his might towards the direction of the sounds from above the tree he was on;
He shouted "Save me" several times. The villagers who heard his voice;
They responded by saying, "Veli Effendi, do not be afraid, we are the villagers of Balcıbük, do not worry, we will save you."
One of the villagers came to the tree where Veli was standing, climbed the tree and helped him get down from the tree. Veli, crying and looking confused, hugged his saviors and thanked them.
The fear of being killed by Bulgarian bandits, hunger, thirst and sleeplessness made him very exhausted. Not having the strength to stand, he collapsed and sat on the ground. One of the villagers took out the water bottle from his food bag and handed it to Veli. Veli finished the water offered to him in one gulp without taking a breath. Another person handed half a loaf of bread from his food bag to Veli. After holding the bread tightly with both hands, the Veli bit it quickly and ate it. After this, two people stood Veli up, took him by the arm, and accompanied by the villagers, brought him directly to the house of his father-in-law, Yörük Ali Ağa. Ali Agha was very sad when he saw his son-in-law's miserable state. Ali Ağa's house was two-storey and quite large. In a short time, a bed was made in one of the rooms and Veli was put to bed. Ali Ağa urgently sent a messenger to his in-laws, Molla Salih, who was working at Istanbul Tekel, and asked him to come to Balcıbük. Salih Efendi was very upset when he learned that his son Veli was sick.
"If his illness had not been serious, they would not have called me in a hurry," he said. He immediately jumped into a carriage and went to the house of his second son Osman, who lived in Karagümrük. Osman and Şadiye Hanım welcomed him at the door of their house. When they entered, Osman and his wife said:
"Welcome, father," they said and kissed Salih's hand. When Salih Efendi sat down, he immediately got into the topic and told them about Veli's situation. Osman was also very upset about his brother's illness. In the evening of the same day, they bought three tickets for the passenger train going to Edirne, Karaağaç and Çirsi Mustafa Pasha. Molla Salih, his son Osman and his daughter-in-law Şadiye Hanım made preparations for the journey and boarded the train before departure time. They were relieved, at least a little, when the train moved. But still, none of them were smiling. When the train passed Karaağaç and arrived at Mustafa Paşa station, they all got off the train together. They hired a horse carriage and went directly to Yörük Ali Ağa's house in Balcıbük Village. When Molla Salih saw his son Veli, sick and in a very weak condition, his sadness increased even more. Veli was cared for with all necessary care for about ten days. But he wasn't eating anything, only drinking water. There was no improvement in his health and he was constantly losing weight.
According to the decision they made together, Molla Salih, his son Osman and his daughter-in-law Şadiye Hanım took Veli to Edirne State Hospital. A German doctor working in this hospital examined Veli. But since Veli's disease had progressed, there was nothing to be done. Therefore, the German doctor told them to take Veli to Lüleburgaz State Hospital. They followed this doctor's suggestion and took him to Lüleburgaz. There was no improvement in Veli, who was hospitalized here for about forty days, and his condition was getting worse. The result of this bad course ended with death on the fortieth day. Molla Salih and his son Osman took Veli's body from the hospital and buried him in Lüleburgaz Asri Cemetery.
Osman was very upset about his brother's death, so he wanted to take revenge on those who caused his death. This feeling would put him in a daring position. Osman settled in his father's house in Kütüklü Village, which is adjacent to Balcıbük Village.
