100 Years Ago - Armenia
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/erzerum-and-after-qxr7g7nw9
Erzerum and After
February 19, 1916
The Grand Duke Nicholas knew what he was about when, while deftly veiling his preparations, he struck in mid-winter. Erzerum was partly shielded by marshes, and an attack when they were frozen hard and deep left the city at the mercy of the assailants after the forts had been taken.
The news of the fall of Erzerum continues to echo around the world, although details are still scanty. The Turkish official bulletin blandly observes that on the Caucasus front there is “no news of importance”. The Germans are less reticent, and do not conceal their fury. The Cologne Gazette, obviously under official inspiration, has published an article which endeavours to prove that the disaster is all the fault of the Turks. We doubt whether Enver Pasha will quite relish the way in which his new masters cheerfully seek to throw him to the wolves the moment that anything goes wrong.
It was always obvious to those who know German methods that Enver would instantly be made the scapegoat by his Prussian friends in the event of reverses, but no one expected to see him treated quite so callously. Moreover, the accusation is manifestly entirely unjust. The real culprits who were the cause of Turkey’s loss of Erzerum were the ultra-clever Prussian officers who now dominate Constantinople, and are leading Turkey to her doom. They were so clever that they entirely forgot the long arm of the Grand Duke Nicholas. They insisted on making a Prussian colonel Governor of Erzerum, and assumed that all would be well.
The great Marshal Von Der Goltz so miscalculated the situation that even after the Russians began to move he continued to jog on his way to Baghdad. The Germans loudly advertised the wonderful things they were going to do in every part of the Turkish Empire and beyond, save only on the unimportant frontier of Transcaucasia. They were going, not exactly themselves, but through their Bulgarian and Turkish dupes, to drive the Franco-British forces at Salonika into the sea. They were going to lead a Turkish host across the Suez Canal and through the streets of Cairo. They were going, again by Turkish deputies, to hurl the intruding British out of Mesopotamia into the muddy waters of the Persian Gulf. They were going to do a great many other military miracles, but the net result of four months of bombastic declarations is that they have lost Erzerum, the greatest military base in Asia Minor. We hope the Turks, and especially Enver, appreciate this remarkable demonstration of the Prussian mastery of the art of war by advertisement.
The more the Russian victory is contemplated, the more admirable and well-timed it appears. The Grand Duke Nicholas knew what he was about when, while deftly veiling his preparations, he struck in mid-winter. Erzerum was partly shielded by marshes, and an attack when they were frozen hard and deep left the city at the mercy of the assailants after the forts had been taken. A remarkable feature of the exploit was that fort after fort appears to have fallen to direct assault. The Turks were admittedly badly demoralized before the final attack began, and the closing scenes were evidently marked by a general panic. In one respect the victory represents a just, though most inadequate, retribution.
Erzerum is the capital of Turkish Armenia, and its streets are said to have witnessed some of the worst massacres in the barbarous process of exterminating the unhappy Armenians. Even as the Russians approached the city the Kurds had one last orgy of slaughter. The task of avenging these unprecedented crimes has now been fitly begun, and there is some hope that portions of Armenia may be quickly freed from Turkish oppression.
One of the most conspicuous characteristics of the Russian victory was the wide range of the operations. By their great sweeping movement on their left flank, which extended as far as Lake Van, our Russian Allies were able to cut off the garrison of Erzerum from such reinforcements as were within reach, and thus the city was practically isolated. The problem of reinforcements should now puzzle the Turks very considerably. It is one thing to send reinforcements to a strong base like Erzerum, and quite another thing to advance with the only organized base in the hands of the foe. The Black Sea is barred to Turkish transports by Russian naval activity. The nearest railhead is Ras-el-Ain, on the Baghdad Railway, more than 250 miles away, with the mighty range of the Armenian Taurus intervening. Angora, the nearest railhead on another line, is more than 450 miles away, The Russians at Erzerum, on the other hand, are only 75 miles from their railhead at Sarikamish, with a reasonably good road for the rest of the distance. The first great episode of the new campaigning season will therefore give the Turks much to think about.
While we have already joined fully in the felicitations which the whole of this country, from King George downwards, is expressing to the Tsar and the brave Russian Army, we must deprecate the foolish transports into which certain English newspapers are falling. The familiar practice of offering treacle to the British public is again beginning. Articles have been published which might almost lead ingenuous people to believe that the war is nearly over because Erzerum has fallen. The triumph is great and far-reaching, but it must be regarded in due perspective. Its first result is that it terminates all Turkish hopes of a further campaign against Transcaucasia. With Erzerum in Russian hands, the Turkish forces on this front are more or less paralysed; but as they have never shown any real disposition to advance since Enver Pasha’s disastrous defeat on the frontier a year ago, the Caucasus has long been practically safe.
The next result is that it puts an end for the present to any menace in the direction of Egypt. For some weeks, however, it has been reasonably obvious that the projected great advance against the Suez Canal had been abandoned, if indeed it was ever seriously intended. A further result is that it will probably make the Turks more disinclined than ever to listen to any suggestions of joining in an assault upon the now impregnable Franco-British lines before Salonika. It is possible, however, that under German guidance they may be stimulated to increase their activity in Mesopotamia, though they will doubtless have to rely on such forces and supplies as they have already accumulated in that area.
Against any such decision may be set the fact that British strength on the Tigris is steadily increasing, while the problem of supplies and munitions worries us far less than it does the Turk. An examination of the whole situation leads to the conclusion that the Russians have dealt the Turks a great and disconcerting blow, that they have probably checked the eastern drift of the war, but that they will need to consolidate their victory before basing any fresh movements upon it. On the other hand, it must be recognized that the fall of Erzerum is of far greater military importance, and is therefore a far bigger material blow to the Turk, than the fall of Baghdad would have been. Baghdad, by reason of its ancient fame and its modem association with German ambitions, may enjoy greater prestige both in East and West; but Erzerum was Turkey’s principal fortress beyond the Bosphorus.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trebizond-taken-daring-landing-operations-ld0dp7bkc
Trebizond taken, daring landing operations
April 19, 1916
Trebizond is less important as a fortified place than as a port and harbour and as a source of supply for the Turkish Army. It is in no sense a fortress like Erzerum, though the defences of the town, recently constructed, are not to be despised
Petrograd, April 18. Today’s official communique is as follows: Trebizond has been taken. The energetic military efforts of our troops of the Caucasian Army and our Fleet in the Black Sea have been crowned by the capture of the most important fortified position on the Anatolian coast.
The valiant troops of the Caucasian Army, after a sanguinary battle on April 14 on the Kara Darassi River, pressed the Turks without respite, overcoming incredible difficulties and everywhere shattering the most obstinate resistance of the enemy. The successful cooperation of the Fleet permitted us to effect the most daring landing operations, to give continual artillery support to the troops which were operating in the coastal region.
Credit for this fresh victory is also partly due to the assistance given to the Caucasian Army by the other troops operating in other directions in Asia Minor. By their desperate fighting and heroic exploits they did all that lay in their power to facilitate the task of the detachment on the coast.
An earlier communique stated: In the coastal region our units, pursuing the Turks, occupied the village of Dirona, seven miles east of Trebizond.
West of Erzerum our troops after keen fighting dislodged the Turks from a whole series of powerfully-organized positions.
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE CITY. STAGES OF THE CAMPAIGN.
Trebizond is less important as a fortified place than as a port and harbour and as a source of supply for the Turkish Army. It is in no sense a fortress like Erzerum, though the defences of the town, recently constructed, are not to be despised. As a vital artery of communications, however, its value is apparent from the facts, first, that it is the Turks’ chief port in this region, and secondly, that railway facilities, which are so inadequate throughout Asia Minor, are non-existent along the northern coast. Hence the Turks will have to rely for the transport of troops and supplies upon railways which at the nearest point are more than 300 miles from the front at Trebizond.
The campaign which has culminated in the capture of Trebizond did not begin in earnest till after the fall of Erzerum on February 16. For a great part of last year and down to February the Russians were content to remain near their frontier. The coast region of the whole of the eastern half of the vilayet of Trebizond, east of Trebizond itself, is mountainous and beset with obstacles in the form of numerous rivers which lie across the track of an advancing army. Moreover, whilst Erzerum and the region west of it remained with the Turks, the dangers of an advance along the coast are obvious. But within little more than a fortnight of the fall of the great fortress of Turkish Armenia the attack was launched by a combined operation of the Army and Navy, and a landing behind the Turkish lines.
The point chosen was Atina about 13 miles west of the Turkish positions near the river Vitze, and 60 miles from Trebizond. The plan succeeded completely. The troops who were put on shore on March 4 under cover of a heavy fire from the warships, pushed on rapidly towards the port of Rizeh, which fell in two days. The fleet continued to play an important part in the operations, easily drove off tho Breslau, and in the last few days carried on a brisk bombardment of the coast in the immediate neighbourhood of Trebizond.
The subsequent stages of the advance can best be indicated in the form of a diary:
March 8. Turks thrown back beyond the river Kalopotamos, 35 miles from Trebizond.
March 27. Capture of Of, on the coast, 30 miles from Trebizond.
April 6. Turks dislodged from the right (east) bank of the Kara Derc (20 miles).
April 15. Turks defeated on left bank of Kara Derc (16 miles).
April 16. Village of Arsen Kalessi (12 miles) occupied.
April 18. Trebizond taken.
Trebizond is a city with a rich and varied history, going back to the earliest Roman times. The modern town is a place of 40,000 inhabitants, of whom nearly half are Christians. It has always been an important centre of commerce, but its prosperity has in recent years suffered some diminution.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/turkish-raids-in-persia-k6jntr3v9
Turkish Raids in Persia
August 19, 1916
The Grand Duke began his new offensive in the first days of July, and by July 26 his troops had taken Erzingan, which the Turks made no attempt to defend
The raids of Turkish forces into Western Persia are attracting some attention, for swiftly-moving bodies of the enemy, accompanied by bands of irregulars, appear to be not much more than a couple of hundred miles from Teheran. It should always be remembered, however, that Turkish bulletins are full of gross exaggerations, particularly as to details.
In order to understand what has been happening in the Middle East, the facts connected with the Russian conquest of Armenia must first be noted. After the fall of Erzerum in the winter the Turks gradually sent large reinforcements through Anatolia into Armenia. Early in July substantial portions of these forces had concentrated south of Erzerum, in the direction of Mush, Bitlis, and Lake Van, and were thus on the Russian left flank. The Grand Duke began his new offensive in the first days of July, and by July 26 his troops had taken Erzingan, which the Turks made no attempt to defend.
While the Turkish forces based on Erzingan fell back westwards without heavy loss, the large bodies to the south near Lake Van more or less held their ground. The reason was obvious. The pivot of the Turkish operations in this area is Nisibin, the railhead of the Baghdad Railway. The Turks are being supplied by means of the railway, and are thus able to continue fighting. On August 4 they began an offensive against the Russian forces based on Mush and Bitlis, and four days later, only two weeks after the fall of Erzingan, they had recaptured both these important towns. Thus, while the Russians were victoriously advancing westward on the Armenian plateau, the Turks were successfully advancing eastward in the Armenian Taurus. There have since been hard-fought encounters in this region, but today’s news is that the Russians have the Turkish forces near Lake Van well in hand.
Simultaneously with these somewhat odd operations in Armenia and on its borders the Turks planned and actually began a fresh and audacious invasion of Persia. It will be remembered that last autumn and winter small but very mobile Russian forces crushed, tribal insurrections led by German agents in Western Persia, and cleared that country of bands of roving Turkish irregulars. But when the Turks poured reinforcements into Asia Minor after the fall of Erzerum they sent some of these troops to the Persian border to check he further advance of the Russians under General Baratoff. The end of the siege of Kut released more Turkish troops, and some of these were diverted to the Persian frontier.
By the beginning of June the Turks were invading Persia, and had driven the Russians from the neighbourhood of Khanikin and Kasr-i-Shirin. By July 1 they had taken the important Persian City of Kermanshah, and the news that the Grand Duke was advancing in Armenia did not check their movements. Farther north a Russian force near the frontier town of Rowanduz was driven back in the direction of Lake Urmia in the last week of July, and in this area a great deal of obscure fighting developed and has continued ever since. The main Turkish invading force did not pause long at Kermanshah, and by Friday of last week it had captured the town of Hamadan, which by the most direct route is just over 200 miles from Teheran.
The Russians in a bulletin published today say that they are encountering “considerable Turkish forces” at a point near Lake Urmia, but there is no further news of the adventurous mob last reported at Hamadan. It should be understood that these singular proceedings, by which the Turk elects to invade Persia while his own territories are being overrun, are rendered possible only by the swarms of tribal freebooters now pervading Persian soil. The operations of the Turks are not aimless, but are partly the outcome of the little-known Pan-Turanian movement.