Rüştü Erdelhun

Mustafa Rüştü Erdelhun (1894 9 November 1983) was a Turkish general who served as the 10th chief of the Turkish General Staff in the Turkish Armed Forces from 23 August 1958 to 27 May 1960, and the 9th commander of the Turkish Land Forces from 1 August 1958 to 21 August 1958. He also served as commander of the 18th Corps, the Second Army and was chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 23 February 1960 to 3 June 1960.

Biography A graduate of the Turkish Military Academy in 1914 and as a staff officer in 1926, he was born in Edirne while his parents were born in Romania. They later migrated to Thrace. Erdelhun participated in the First World War and the Turkish War of Independence. Prior to serving as a team commander in Artillery and Adjutant units, he went to Anatolia in 1921 where he formally joined the Turkish Army with the İzmir Weapons Commission. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 1945, major general in 1947, lieutenant general in 1952, and general in 1956. He was initially sentenced to death, a penalty that was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment. In 1964, he was released following a presidential pardon issued by Cemal Gürsel. While imprisoned in Kayseri, Erdelhun wrote to his family that he was “grateful not to have involved the military in politics during his tenure” and that “history would ultimately judge his actions.” With the consent of the General Staff and the National Defense Ministry, Erdelhun’s rank was reinstated together with that of 9 other generals on February 6, 1967.

He died on 9 November 1983 at the age of 89 in the Kabataş, Istanbul.

Personal life Erdelhun was a polyglot and was known to speak English, French, Japanese, German, Arabic and Russian.

Awards and decorations Order of the Medjidie Iron Cross Medal of Independence Turkish Armed Forces Medal of Honor Order of Military Merit