Establishment The 57th Infantry Regiment can trace its establishment back to either 9 December 1880 or 25 December 1892 depending upon the sources. It was formed as part of the 29th Brigade of the 15th Division. Its first commander was Colonel Mehmet Rıza from Istanbul who was soon after succeeded by Colonel Mehmet Izzet.
Italo-Turkish War and Balkan Wars The regiment deployed to Tripoli with 71 officers and 1,642 non-commissioned officers and enlisted men in 1896. It participated as part of the 5th Tripoli Division in the
Italo-Turkish War, which began on 29 September 1911. After the war ended in October 1912, the 57th Regiment was first sent to
Acre in Palestine and assigned to the 8th Corps. At the commencement of the
First Balkan War while the 2nd Battalion was distributed to other units the rest of the regiment remained intact and was assigned to the 19th Infantry Division which was part of the
VII Corps of the
Vardar Army. Initially it was stationed at Bilaç ve Berana. At the commencement of the war the regiment was structured as follows: Commanding officer: Colonel Sami • 1st Battalion. Commanded by Major İsmail Hakkı • 3rd Battalion. Commanded by Captain Mustafa Nuri The regiment commenced wartime operations with 35 officers, 2,223 non-commissioned officers and enlisted men and 40 animals. It suffered 17 casualties. It participated in the
Battle of Kumanovo on 23–24 October 1912 and the
Battle of Monastir on 16 to 19 November 1912. Following the Ottoman defeat in the war the regiment returned to Istanbul.
World War 1 Following the end of the Balkan wars the Ottoman army went through a major reorganization. During this process the 57th Regiment may have been disestablished as sources record the regiment as being established on 1 February 1915, in
Tekirdağ (Rodosto) as part of the
19th Division, which was being raised by Lieutenant Colonel
Mustafa Kemal and receiving its regimental colours (
sancak) on 22 February 1915. On 23 February 1915,
Major Hüseyin Avni succeeded Miralay Şemi Bey as commander of the regiment.
Gallipoli campaign The regiment was training at
Rodosto when in response to the perceived threats to the Dardanelles the III Corps of which the 19th Division was part was assigned the task of reinforcing the Gallipoli Peninsula. As a result the 57th regiment received orders on the 21 February 1915 to transfer with the 19th Division to Gallipoli. On 25 February, the regiment arrived at Eceabat (Maydos) by steamship, though its battalions were missing their fourth companies. The first companies commenced the counterattack at around 11.30 am and was followed by the others after noon. The 1st battalion lost its way and was late joining the counterattack. During this action which was personally led by Hüseyin Avni the regiment sustained heavy losses over the course of the day but were able to successfully stabilize the right flank of the Turkish defences. When Mustafa Kemal’s 72nd Regiment arrived late in the day, he used it to reinforce the 57th’s decimated line. The regiment, which suffered serious casualties between 25 April and 3 May, was reinforced with replacements. As the campaign turned into a trench war, the regiment was deployed around Merkeztepe-Bombastır and successfully defended this area until the Allied withdraw from Gallipoli. The regimental commander Hüseyin Avni, who was promoted to lieutenant colonel due to his success in the Arıburnu Battles, was killed on 13 August 1915, on the second day of Ramadan Feast, when a shell fell near the regiment headquarters in Kesikdere.
Galicia After the successful completion of the
Gallipoli Campaign, the 19th Division including the 57th Regiment was assigned to the newly formed
XV Corps.
Sinai and Palestine campaign After departing from Galicia the regiment reached the
Bakırköy railway station on the outskirts of Istanbul on 23 June 1917 and established itself in tents near İncirli Çiftliği. The regiment's command structure was as follows: Commanding officer - Major Hacı Mehmet Emin. • 1st Battalion. Commanded by Captain Ömer Fevzi. • 2nd Battalion. Commanded by Mehmet Salih. • 3rd Battalion. Commanded by Captain Süleyman. Together with the rest of the 19th Division the regiment departed Bakırköy for Haydarpaşa with 54 officers, 3,689 non-commissioned officers and enlisted men. Departing the Istanbul area on 8 July the regiment arrived in Aleppo on 16 July 1917. From there the regiment transferred to the army headquarters in Ayn-ı Tel and rested there until 29 July. On 24-25 August 1917 the regiment relocated to form with the 19th Division part of the
Yildirim Army Group. On the night of 11-12 September 1917, they encountered Allied forces on the Oatar ridge near the villages of Akir, Al-Mugar and Karta and became involved in heavy combat. Combat continued on the ridges of Al-Mugar and Karta, in the vicinity of Akir, Ramle, Sheikh Munis, then around Kırmızıtepe, Cülcüliye, Kefer and Sürgüntepe. From 29 July 1917 the regiment was involved in fighting on the frontline between the villages of İkiztepe, Yüksektepe and Seferkasim Şemriye. The regiment subsequently suffered heavy casualties in the
Battle of Nablus, which was part of the larger
Battle of Megiddo. Its losses during this battle was such that on 23 September 1918 the regiment was considered destroyed and removed from the regiment list. ==Honours==