On the outbreak of war, Germany courted Turkey in secret, and they entered the war on 5th November 1914, declaring war on France, Britain and Russia. As well as the disastrous Dardanelles campaign, British troops also fought in the deserts of Turkish-owned Mesopotamia. Invading from Suez in Egypt, and landing near Kuwait, British troops had taken Jerusalem and Baghdad by September 1917. In the north, Russia also invaded Turkish territory, but after the dramatic collapse of the Russian army during the Revolution in October 1917, the Turkish army swept north and entered Russian territory. By the Russian surrender of Spring 1918, the Turkish forces had taken Baku on the Caspian Sea.
Turkish troops cheer the declaration of war.
Sultan Mohammed V of Turkey.