October 1913 to January 1915
Military attaché in Sofia
Sidelined by the leaders of the Committee of Union and Progress, Mustafa Kemal is sent to Sofia as military attaché. He watches a new Balkan state at work, follows the outbreak of the European war, and argues against the empire joining Germany too early. When the empire joins Germany, he asks for a front command and is given the 19th Division at Tekirdağ in January 1915.
Staff Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kemal with friends in Sofia, 1914Wikimedia Commons, Unknown author, Public domain (Kurmay Yarbay Mustafa Kemal arkadaşlarıyla, Sofya, Bulgaristan, 1914.png)
Mustafa Kemal in janissary costume at a ball in Sofia, May 1914Wikimedia Commons, Photograph Archive of Turkish Armed Forces, Public domain (Yeniçeri Atatürk.JPG)
Sources
- Andrew Mango, Atatürk (1999).
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