# Cengiz Topel

Cengiz Topel (September 2, 1934 – August 8, 1964) was a fighter pilot of the Turkish Air Force.

## Career

Topel was born in İzmit on September 2, 1934, to Hakkı Bey, a tobacco expert from Trabzon and Mebuse Hanım in İzmit, where his father was working for the Turkish tobacco company Tekel. He was the third sibling of four children.
Cengiz Topel was schooled in Bandırma and Gönen of Balıkesir Province. He finished the primary and the secondary school in Kadıköy, Istanbul, where his family moved following his father's death. After a brief time at Haydarpaşa High School, he entered Kuleli Military High School, from which he graduated in 1953. Cengiz Topel joined the Army in 1955 with the rank of a second lieutenant following his education at the Turkish Military Academy.
His interest in aviation took him to the Turkish Air Force. He was sent to Canada for flight training. In 1957, he returned to Turkey and was appointed to the 5th Air Wing in Merzifon Air Base. Cengiz Topel served from 1961 on at the 1st Tactical Air Force Command at Eskişehir Air Base. In 1963, he became an Air Force captain.

### Combat mission

On August 8, 1964, during the Battle of Tylliria, he led a four-fighter flight of the 112th Air Squadron leaving Eskişehir Air Base around 17:00 local time for Cyprus. Topel's F-100 Super Sabre dropped NAPALM bombs onto Greek Cypriot civilian infrastructure, including the makeshift hospital of Pachyammos which was set up close to battle, at the Mansoura Mountains. The attack on the hospital resulted in 4 deaths among the hospital's personnel. As per the Geneva Convention on Conventional Weapons the use of NAPALM bombs has been banned against civilians (1980). Shortly afterwards he was hit by 40mm anti-aircraft fire from the Cypriot National Guard and was shot-down. Although he had been wounded by the anti-aircraft fire, he was able to eject from his aircraft and parachute jump over land. The Cypriot National Guard claims that they took him to the nearest hospital.

### Capture, Death, and Autopsy

Following his capture, reports indicate that Topel was subjected to severe torture. Turkish officials claimed that he was interrogated under harsh conditions to extract information and force him to broadcast anti-Turkish statements.
An autopsy was conducted at the Nicosia General Hospital, which documented significant injuries consistent with torture. According to the report:
1) His left eye had been removed.
2) His genital area had been severely damaged.
3) Drill holes were found in both arms.
4) A nail had been driven into the left side of his skull.
5) A large incision extended from his neck to his abdomen, with significant damage to or removal of internal organs, including the lungs and heart.
The full autopsy report is archived and available online (in Turkish). https://web.archive.org/web/20030423233654/http://www.tayyareci.com/hvtarihi/cengiztopel/raporlar.asp
His remains were returned on August 12, 1964, to the Turkish authorities. On August 14, 1964, he was buried at the Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery in Istanbul.
He was first Turkish pilot to be killed in action.

## Legacy

A former Turkish Air Force base located near İzmit, currently in use as Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station, is named after him. A monument was erected on the coastal road in the village Gemikonağı near Lefke in Northern Cyprus, where he had landed by parachute. A bronze statue in Eskişehir depicts him in flight suit. A number of places, schools in Turkey and a hospital in Northern Cyprus are named after him.