Huffington post
April 11 2015
This Week in World War I, April 11-17, 1915
by Joseph V. Micallef, CEO & Senior Producer, Allegro Media Group;
Military History
1915 The Caucasus Front
By March 1, 1915, Ottoman Forces had retreated back to their positions
prior to the November offensive and the line stabilized to where it
had roughly been in early November 1914. In the winter of 1915, the
Allies asked Russia to help relieve the pressure on the Western Front
by a renewed attack in the East. Russia in turn asked the Allies to
relieve pressure on the Caucasus by a naval attack on Turkey. That
request dovetailed nicely with British and French plans to attack
Ottoman forces at Gallipoli.
Photo: Armenian Uprising in the City of Van, April 1915
On April 20, Armenian irregulars launched an insurrection against
Turkish forces in the city of Van. Some historians have argued that
the Ottoman government deliberately provoked the insurrection and then
used it as a pretext to justify the forced deportation of Armenians
from all over the Ottoman Empire – an act that ultimately led to the
deaths of between one million and 1.5 million Armenians between 1915
and 1918. Others have argued that the decision to expel the Armenian
residents of the Ottoman Empire had already been made independently of
the Van insurrection.
Photo: Armenian Dead, World War I
At the time, there were approximately 3 million Armenians living in
the Ottoman Empire, of which slightly less than half lived in eastern
Anatolia in a region commonly called Turkish Armenia or Western
Armenia. Bitterly resenting Turkish rule and their second class status
in the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians hailed the advancing Russians as
liberators and cooperated widely with them. Armenian insurgents
conducted sabotage in the rear of the Turkish lines. By 1915, over
20,000 Armenian volunteers had joined the Russian Imperial Army. The
number of volunteers and the associated Armenian Militia units that
fought alongside Russian troops would reach approximately 200,000 men
by 1918.
Photo: Armenian Volunteer Units in the Russian Caucasus Army
On May 6 Russian Forces, under General Yudenich, began an advance
through the Tortum Valley towards Erzurum. Despite a number of Ottoman
successes in temporarily halting the drive, Russian forces reached Van
on May 17. Ottoman forces continued to be pushed back, their efforts
at resisting the Russian advance further complicated by the actions of
Armenian irregulars in cutting their supply lines and the open revolt
of a number of Armenian communities in their rear.
Further Russian offensives continued throughout the summer of 1915,
northwest towards Lake Van, and towards Malazgirt and Mus. Under
difficult conditions, in mountainous territory, the Ottoman forces
were able to reorganize and bring in some additional reinforcements,
notwithstanding that the war in Gallipoli was sucking up all available
resources and manpower.
Photo: Kurdish Cavalry in the Ottoman Army, Caucasus Campaign 1915
By the end of 1915, the Russians forces in the Caucasus had reached a
level of about 200,000 men and 380 pieces of artillery. Turkish
forces, including Kurdish volunteer units that had joined the Ottoman
army, numbered 126,000 men, but only about 50,000 were considered
suitable for combat. They were supported by 180 pieces of artillery.
The defense of Gallipoli had taken its toll, leaving Ottoman forces
weakened and vulnerable.