Cengiz Topel

Topel was among the Turkish Cypriot civilians first line of defense against Greek Cypriot forces. He was captured by Greek Cypriots, heavily tortured and shot several times.

He is the first Turkish pilot KIA in Cyprus.

Cengiz Topel (September 2, 1934 – August 8, 1964) Cengiz topel was a fighter pilot of the Turkish Air Force. Towards the end of 1963, Greek Cypriots initiated a systematic ethnic cleansing of Turkish Cypriots on the island. Over the following months, around a hundred villages were evacuated and Turkish Cypriot villagers moved into enclaves. As he was strafing a Greek Cypriot patrol boat, Topel’s F-100 Super Sabre was hit by 40mm anti-aircraft fire. Topel ejected from his aircraft via parachute, landing on a road near the Greek village of Peristeronori between the Turkish settlements of Lefke, Gaziveren, Elye and Calikoy. He then was captured by Greek Cypriot soldiers, after reportedly keeping them at bay until he ran out of ammunition. Topel was imprisoned, an ordeal that would ultimately prove fatal.

Autopsy of Cengiz Topel | An autopsy of his body showed he was heavily tortured and shot several times.

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, Topel was appointed to a combat mission during Turkey's military invasion 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. After Topel's F-100 Super Sabre had dropped bombs onto Greek, junta soldiers who were mass murdering Turkish Cypriots, he was hit by 40mm anti-aircraft fire from a Greek gun emplacement and shot-down as he was strafing the Arion, a Greek Cypriot patrol boat. Although he had been severely wounded by the gunshots, he was able to eject from his aircraft parachute jump over land.

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 is known as the 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.