Battle of Erzurum
| date | January 10, 1916 to February 16, 1916 |
|---|---|
| place | Erzurum |
| output | Russian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| Russian Caucasus Army 290,000 infantry 35,000 cavalry 150 trucks 20 aircraft |
Ottoman 3rd Army 78,000 |
| losses | |
|
1000 dead |
10,000 dead |
.svg){kind=small}
Bergmann Offensive - Sarıkamış - Ardahan - Van - Malazgirt - Karakilise - Erzurum - Trabzon - Bitlis - Muş - German Caucasus Expedition - Sardarapat - Abaran - Karakilisa - Baku
The Battle of Erzurum, or the Erzurum Offensive, was a major winter offensive by the Imperial Russian Army during the Caucasus Campaign in World War I that ended with the capture of the city of Erzurum . The Ottoman troops in the winter quarters suffered a series of unexpected setbacks that resulted in a decisive Russian victory.
background
After the defeat in the Battle of Sarıkamış , the Ottomans tried to regroup. The supply of their troops turned out to be increasingly difficult, however, since trade with Armenians, who had supplied the army up until then, had come to a standstill due to the genocide of these people . The recall of the Armenian soldiers in labor battalions and the massacres of them exacerbated the problem. Even so, the northern front remained calm through 1915.
At the same time, with the end of the Gallipoli campaign, many Turkish soldiers were released. Eight divisions from Gallipoli were to be relocated to the Caucasus region. Nikolai Yudenitsch , commander of the Russian Caucasus Army, knew this and prepared an offensive that he wanted to start before the arrival of the Turkish reinforcements. Yudenich hoped to take the fortress in Erzurum and then later Trabzon . It was a difficult campaign because Erzurum was secured by a series of forts in the mountains.
Powers
Russians
The Russians had 130,000 infantrymen and 35,000 cavalrymen. In addition, they had 160,000 soldiers in reserve, 150 supply trucks and 20 aircraft from the Siberian air force .
Ottomans
The Ottoman High Command failed to make up for the 1915 losses. The battle of Gallipoli consumed all resources. The IX., X. and XI. Corps could not be replenished, and in addition the 1st and 5th Expeditionary Corps were withdrawn for the campaign in Mesopotamia , the end of which was not in sight. The Ottoman High Command decided, due to the situation on the other fronts, that this region was not prime. In January 1916, the Ottomans were 126,000 strong, including only 50,539 battle-hardened soldiers. There were 74,057 rifles, 77 machine guns and 180 pieces of artillery. Many weapons intended for the defense of the city were brought to Gallipoli and used against the British. The weapons left behind were older models in poor condition. The soldiers were in bad shape too. They suffered from malnutrition, as was typical of the Turkish soldiers. On paper, the Ottoman army in the Caucasus was huge. Another source claims that there were 78,000 soldiers in the area, which was probably inferred from the number of rifles.
Operations
The Ottoman High Command did not expect any Russian operations during the winter. The weather conditions - heavy snowfall was to be expected in the region at the beginning of the year - also spoke against any military ventures. Mahmut Kamil Pascha had therefore traveled to Istanbul , and his chief of staff, Colonel Felix Guse, was even in the German Reich. The beginning of the Russian offensive therefore came as a complete surprise to the Ottomans.
Lines of defense
The Russians had only a few more soldiers than the Ottomans and therefore could not count on a numerical superiority. So they planned to break through the front at the weakest point.
On January 10th the offensive on the XI. Corps directed. The first goal was the village of Azkani and the ridge of the Kara Urgan. In four days the Russians made it to the front of the XI. To break through the corps and inflict heavy losses on him.
On January 17th, the Turkish troops were driven out near Köprüköy , which was on the way to Erzurum. On January 18, the Russian forces reached Hasankale (now Pasinler ). The lines of defense were broken in just a week.
On January 29th, Mahmut Kamil Pasha returned from Istanbul. He suspected that the Russians would not only attack Erzurum, but would also renew their offensive on the southern flank of Lake Van . Thus Hinis taken on February 7 to the supply of Turkish soldiers from Mus to prevent. Mahmut Kamil Pasha tried to strengthen the lines of defense. This required most of the Turkish reservists and diverted attention from the actual attack further north. On the same day, the Russians took the city of Mus, which was about 110 km from Erzurum.
On February 11th and 12th, the important artillery position of the Deve Boynu range of hills was the scene of heavy fighting. Only this range of hills separated the Russians from the city of Erzurum. But the Russians and part of their troops conquered the mountain ridge of the Kargapazar north of it, which the Turks had considered impassable. The Turkish X. Corps secured this area. Mahmut Kamil Pascha had five divisions at Deve-Boynu, but was too slow to react to what was happening further north. So the Russians advanced on the city from two directions.
The city of Erzurum
The city was now threatened directly from the north and east by the Russians. Erzurum was considered the second most secure city in the Ottoman Empire. The fortress was secured by 235 guns. The fortifications on the mountains around the city surrounded Erzurum in two rings. The inner ring was protected by eleven forts and batteries. The flanks were secured by groups of two fortresses per flank. The Ottoman 3rd Army lacked men to fully occupy the fortresses. In addition, she had previously suffered 10,000 deaths and 5,000 prisoners. In addition, 16 guns were lost and 40,000 refugees were staying in the fortress.
On February 11, the Russians began a heavy bombardment of the fortresses around Erzurum. The Turkish battalions of 350 men fought against Russian battalions of 1,000 men. Reinforcements arrived but were not sufficient. In three days the Russians reached the heights and stood in front of the valley with the city. This made it clear to the command of the Ottoman 3rd Army that the city was lost. Turkish units began withdrawing from the fortified zones at the front and evacuated the city as well.
On February 12th, Fort Kara Göbek in the north of the city was taken. On the 13th the Russians continued their attacks. On February 14th, the Tafet fortress fell and the Russians had broken through the inner ring. On February 15, the remaining fortresses around Erzrum were evacuated.
In the early morning of February 16, the Russians marched into Erzurum. Below them, the Cossacks of the 16th Russian Cossack Unit entered the city first. The Turkish troops had successfully withdrawn and escaped being encircled, but their losses were very high. 327 guns were lost to the Russians. 3rd Army supply units and 250 wounded soldiers in Erzurum hospital were captured.
While aerial reconnaissance showed the Turks were withdrawing, the Russian pursuit was not effective enough. Meanwhile, the remains of the X. and XI. Corps set up a new line of defense eight kilometers east of Erzurum.
losses
During the storming of the city, the Russians captured nine standards and 327 rifles and took 5,000 prisoners. The Ottomans lost 10,000 men to death or wounding. They lost 17,000 soldiers during the entire campaign.
The Russians had 1,000 dead, 4,000 wounded and 4,000 frostbitten .
aftermath
The Ottoman Empire could not savor the victory at the Battle of Gallipoli. The loss of Erzurum changed the situation forever. The V Corps, consisting of the 10th and 13th Divisions, was relocated from Gallipoli. On February 27, Mahmut Kamil Pascha was replaced by Vehib Pascha . The new headquarters were now in Erzincan . At the time, the Ottoman 3rd Army had only 25,500 men, 76 machine guns and 86 artillery pieces. As a further consequence of the loss of Erzurum, Trabzon fell in April 1916.
With the signing of the peace treaty of Brest-Litovsk , Erzurum fell back to the Turks in 1918.
literature
- Robert Walton: The Fall of Erzerum . In: Peter Young (ed.): The Marshall Cavendish illustrated Encyclopedia of World War I . Volume 4: 1915-16 . Marshall Cavendish Corporation, New York NY 1984, ISBN 0-86307-181-3 , pp. 1262-1264.
- William E. Allen, Paul Muratoff: Caucasian Battlefields. A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border 1828-1921 . Print of the edition 1953. Battery Press, Nashville TN 1999, ISBN 0-89839-296-9 , ( Classic history of the war ).
Web links
- The Great War 'vol. 6, edited by HW Wilson, Chapter 109 'The Renewed Russian Offensive and the Fall of Erzerum' by FA McKenzie
- The Children's Story of the War 'vol 5' The Advance on Erzerum 'by Sir Edward Parrott, MALLD