Osman Nuri Koptagel

Officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army

Osman Nuri Koptagel (1874; Erzincan – 22 November 1942; Ankara) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army.

When he was an assistant teaching staff of the Ottoman Military Academy, he used to order "Sağdan birinci manga, kop ta gel!"^[2] ("First squad from the right, separate (from line) and come!"), "Birinci mangadan sağdan itibaren beş kişi kop da gel!"^[3] ("First squad of five person from the right, separate (from line) and come!"). His students gave him a nickname "Kop ta gel". After the 1934 Surname Law, Mustafa Kemal gave him a surname "Koptagel".

His granddaughter Yüksel Koptagel (born 27 October 1931) is a Turkish composer and pianist.

Medals and decorations

• Order of the Medjidie 4th class
• Silver Medal of Liyaqat
• Silver Medal of Imtiyaz
• Prussia Iron Cross
• Medal of Independence with Red Ribbon

See also

• List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of Independence

Sources

1. T.C. Genelkurmay Harp Tarihi Başkanlığı Yayınları, Türk İstiklâl Harbine Katılan Tümen ve Daha Üst Kademelerdeki Komutanların Biyografileri, Genkurmay Başkanlığı Basımevi, Ankara, 1972, p. 38. (in Turkish)
2. Mehmet Lütfi Yücel, Arif Suavi Okay, Hatıralarım: Ölümünün 50. Yılında Atatürk'ün Silah Arkadaşı Mehmet Lütfi Beyin; Çocukluk, Okul, Asleri okul, Balkan Harbi, Çanakkael Savaşları, Filistin, Gazze çarpışmalarına ilişkin Anıları, 2006, ISBN 978-975-98711-3-0, p. 34. (in Turkish)
3. Ali Fuat Cebesoy, Sınıf Arkadaşım Atatürk: Okul ve Genç Subaylık Hâtıraları, İnkılâp ve Aka Kitabevleri, 1967, p. 21. (in Turkish)

External links

Media related to Osman Nuri Koptagel at Wikimedia Commons