Battle of Kara Killisse | |||||||
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Part of Caucasus Campaign | |||||||
Caucasus Front 1916 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Russian Empire | Ottoman Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Nikolai Yudenich | Abdul Kerim Pasha | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
40,000 Caucasus Army | 60,000 [3] Third Army | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 16,000–20,000 [lower-alpha 1] 12 guns |
The Battle of Kara Killisse (Lit. Black church, Turkish: Karakilise Muharebesi), also known as the Battle of Malazgirt, was fought on the Caucasus front in July 1915 after the Battle of Manzikert. [6] In Russian historical literature, this engagement is considered as a part of "Alashkert defensive operation" (9 July-3 August). Previously in the summer of 1915 the Russians attacked Turkish positions northeast of lake Van but they underestimated the size of their enemy. They were defeated at the Battle of Manzikert. This success encouraged the Turks under Abdul Kerim Pasha to advance towards the Russians in the Eleşkirt valley while the Turks were pursuing the remnants of Oganovki's army across the Ağrı mountains they spread out and Russian general Yudenich took the opportunity to counterattack from the west with some 20.000 reinforcements, which were mostly Cossack units, to encircle them. in the following battles between 5–8 August the Turks retreated south, but the Russians only partially succeeded. The Turks lost some guns, a large amount of provisions and 10.000 killed and wounded, while 6.000-10,000 became prisoners. [7] Due to difficulties the Russians could not gain total advantage and retreated from the town of Van, and the Turks occupied it on 3 August.
While the battle was indecisive, and the ground situation changed little, the Russians perceived the battle as a victory, and it boosted national Russian morale. This minor victory provided some respite to the continuing losses on the Eastern Front.
Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich was a commander of the Russian Imperial Army during World War I. He was a leader of the anti-communist White movement in northwestern Russia during the Civil War.
The Eastern Front or Eastern Theater of World War I, for Russia Second Patriotic War, was a theater of operations that encompassed at its greatest extent the entire frontier between Russia and Romania on one side and Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, and Germany on the other. It ranged from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, involved most of Eastern Europe, and stretched deep into Central Europe. The term contrasts with the Western Front, which was being fought in Belgium and France.
The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during World War I. It took place from December 22, 1914, to January 17, 1915, as part of the Caucasus campaign.
The Erzurum offensive or Battle of Erzurum was a major winter offensive by the Imperial Russian Army on the Caucasus Campaign, during the First World War that led to the capture of the strategic city of Erzurum. The Ottoman forces, in winter quarters, suffered a series of unexpected reverses, which led to a Russian victory.
The Middle Eastern theatre of World War I saw action between 30 October 1914 and 30 October 1918. The combatants were, on one side, the Ottoman Empire, with some assistance from the other Central Powers; and on the other side, the British as well as troops from the British Dominions of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, the Russians, and the French from among the Allied Powers. There were five main campaigns: the Sinai and Palestine, Mesopotamian, Caucasus, Persian, and Gallipoli campaigns.
The Caucasus campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, later including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, the German Empire, the Central Caspian Dictatorship, and the British Empire, as part of the Middle Eastern theatre during World War I. The Caucasus campaign extended from the South Caucasus to the Armenian Highlands region, reaching as far as Trabzon, Bitlis, Mush and Van. The land warfare was accompanied by naval engagements in the Black Sea.
Sarıkamış or Sarikamish is a town in Kars Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Sarıkamış District. Its population is 15,260 (2022).
The Battle of Manzikert or Battle of Malazgirt took place during the Caucasus Campaign of World War I, over the period July 10–26, 1915. Even though losses were heavy on both sides, the Russians retreated north and the Turks retook Malazgirt then they further advanced towards Karakilise where they were defeated on 5–8 August at the Battle of Kara Killisse.
The defense of Van and in Russian Van operation was the armed resistance of the Armenian population of Van and Russian army against the Ottoman Empire's attempts to massacre the Ottoman Armenian population of the Van Vilayet in the 1915 Armenian genocide. Several contemporaneous observers and later historians have concluded that the Ottoman government deliberately instigated an armed Armenian resistance in the city and then used this insurgency as the main pretext to justify beginning the deportation and slaughter of Armenians throughout the empire. Witness reports agree that the Armenian posture at Van was defensive and an act of resistance to massacre. The self-defense action is frequently cited in Armenian genocide denial literature; it has become "the alpha and omega of the plea of 'military necessity'" to excuse the genocide and portray the persecution of Armenians as justified.
The Battle of Bitlis refers to a series of engagements in the summer of 1916 for the town of Bitlis and to a lesser extent nearby Muş, between Russian Imperial forces and their Ottoman counterparts. The town was the last stronghold of the Ottoman Empire preventing the Russians from entering Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Part of the battle is known as Battle of Muş
The Persian campaign or invasion of Iran was a series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire, British Empire and Russian Empire in various areas of what was then neutral Qajar Iran, beginning in December 1914 and ending with the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918, as part of the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. The fighting also involved local Persian units, who fought against the Entente and Ottoman forces in Iran. The conflict proved to be a devastating experience for Persia. Over 2 million Persian civilians died in the conflict, mostly due to the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman regime and Persian famine of 1917–1919, influenced by British and Russian actions. The Qajar government's inability to maintain the country's sovereignty during and immediately after the First World War led to a coup d'état in 1921 and Reza Shah's establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty.
Abdul Kerim Pasha, also known as Abdulkerim Öpelimi, was an Ottoman commander on the Caucasus front of World War I.
The offensive of the Russian armies in October 1914 with the aim of capturing East Prussia after in Battle of Augustów (1914).
The Battle of Muş, also known as the Ognot campaign, took place during World War I in the southeastern Anatolian region of the Ottoman Empire. One of the commanders involved was Mustafa Kemal, who later became known as Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. The battle resulted in a Russian victory. After extended fighting, the Russians captured the city of Muş and inflicted heavy casualties on the Ottoman Second Army, nearly destroying it.
Landing at Cape Domesnes was a Russian landing operation during World War I. It was the largest Russian landing force in the war, and, as a result, the Russians fulfilled their goals. Alexander Kolchak, famous for the Civil War, participated in the battle.
Battle of the San river, also known as the Second Battle of Galicia was a Russian defensive operation in Galicia in the autumn of 1914. It ended with a Russian victory. The battle was fought in parallel with the offensive in Poland and East Prussia.
Battle of the Wierzbołów, was one of the largest battles of the first 16 days of the World War I, during which the parties were preparing to conduct full-scale operations.
The Battle of the Four Rivers or Battles on the Bzura, Rawka, Pilica and Nida was one of the key battles in 1914, as a result of which the Germans tried to break through and take Warsaw, but they could not do it. The battle was the first positional battle on the eastern front, and is also one of the bloodiest battles in 1914.
The Battle of the Strypa or Operation on the Strypa was a Russian offensive from December 27 [O.S. December 14] 1915 to January 26 [O.S. January 13] 1916, in Galicia, near the Strypa River. It ended with the victory of the Central Powers.
Spencer Tucker,The Great War, 1914–1918, page 179