Ottoman Arsenal

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire was called the sick man of Europe; weakened by political instability, military defeat and civil strife following a century of decline.

The Ottomans never industrialized to the same degree as Western and Central European nations, which was also reflected in their inability to produce modern weapons. Thus they mainly relied on the weapons acquired from the Western nations, most of which were already obsolete by the time they entered the First World War.

1-inch Nordenfelt gun

The 1-inch Nordenfelt gun was an early quick-firing light gun intended to defend larger warships against the new small fast-moving torpedo boats in the late 1870s to the 1890s.

Krupp 240 mm K L/35 Coastal Gun

The 24 cm K L/35 was a German naval gun developed in the years before World War I that armed ships of the Imperial German Navy. Guns removed from ships were modified to perform Coastal Artillery and Railway Artillery roles. Ottoman Empire purchased 240 mm K L/35 guns during the 1880s. A number of L/35s engaged the Allied naval forces during the Gallipoli campaign.

MG 15 n.A. Light Machine Gun

The Bergmann MG 15nA was a World War I light machine gun produced by Germany starting in 1915. The majority of MG 15nA weapons were actually delivered to the Eastern and Palestine fronts.

MG 08 Heavy Machine Gun

These weapons, purchased before the war, are a 7.65-mm MG09 export version of the German 7.92-mm MG08 heavy machine gun, which used bullets of a different calibre. The MG09 was mounted on a tripod in the same fashion as the British Maxim Gun, rather than on the sled arrangement used for the MG08

Krupp 75 mm Field Cannon Model 1903

Model 1903 75 mm Field Gun used by the Turkish Army during the First World War. This gun was made by Krupp and is one of 558 made to Turkish specifications. The gun is a box trail, horse drawn piece made from ordnance steel and features a horizontal sliding breech block. There is a gun shield attached for crew protection.