It was assigned the responsibility of defending the Dardanelles straits in World War I.

The original commander of the army was the German military advisor to the Ottoman Empire, General Otto Liman von Sanders.

The command passed to Vehip Pasha who became responsible for the Helles front while von Sanders still wielded considerable influence.

The number of divisions involved in the defence of the peninsula expanded to ten and an unattached infantry regiment and a brigade of cavalry before the August Offensive.

In late Summer 1915, the army was structured as follows:[3] A further three divisions arranged in the "Asian Group."