[PALESTINE / WORLD WAR 1] Filistin Ric’âti: Arabistan’a ilk girisimizle bu son çikisimiz iyice mukayese edilirse idârî, içtimâî, askerî irtikâb ettigimiz hatalarin mecmûai hakkinda nâm bir fikir edinmis oluruz [i.e., The Retreat of Palestine]

[MUHIDDIN] VECIHI (19^th century), Askerî Matbaa [Military Printing House], Istanbul, AH 1337 = [1921].

In modern full brown in Ottoman style, four raised bands to spine, gilt lettering on the first compartment, blind stamped boards. Modern endpapers. The book was bound with the rear original cover, but the front cover is missing. Chipped on extremities of title page and second page, occasional browning on pages. Else a good/very good copy. Cr. 8vo. (20 x 14 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 90 p., b/w ills.

First edition of this very scarce original eyewitness account of the Yildirim Army Group or Thunderbolt Army Group of the Ottoman Empire and Germany in the Sinai - Palestine Campaign during the First World War. In his book, Turkish mayor Vecihi describes the formation of the Palestine Front, the geography of the region, Arab tribes, and local soldiers, battles with the British Army at the front, retreat, and collapse, logistics, characteristics of the soldiers, relations of Turkish and German officers and betrayal of the Kavm-i Necîb Arabs [i.e., Arabic noble people] and intentions of the Germans.

Where Mayor Vecihi was an officer during the Campaign between 1915 and 1918, the Yildirim Army Group or Thunderbolt Army Group of the Ottoman Empire (Turkish: Yildirim Ordular Grubu) or Army Group F (German: Heeresgruppe F) was an important part of the Ottoman Army during World War I. While being an Ottoman unit, it also contained the German Asia Corps.

Starting in June 1917, the Yildirim Army Group's first commander-in-chief was the former Prussian Minister of War and Chief of Staff Erich von Falkenhayn (1861-1922). Von Falkenhayn was replaced by General of the Cavalry Otto Liman von Sanders on 25 February 1918. After the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918, Mustafa Kemal took command until the Group's dissolution a few days later.

Özege 5789., As of December 2023, the OCLC located seventeen paper copies in North American libraries (13135866, 953387407).