The assault of Sarikamsih was the center piece of a larger
battle, that lasted from December 22, 1914 to January 17, 1915, which was an unmitigated
disaster for the Ottoman forces. The Ottoman high command had been encouraged
by earlier success in November against the unprepared Russian forces along the
border and it was the high command's hope that pressing on to the oil fields of the east Caucasus before the Russians
could fully prepare would yield success. But for the Ottoman forces
to push farther into Russia they would have to cross the narrow passes of high
mountains of the Caucuses. The Ottoman army lacked sufficient winter uniforms and supplies
but the attack was ordered and the Ottoman forces, 118,000 strong, began to enter
into the passes of the Alluhüekber Mountains and
worked its way to its objective, the rail station at Sarikamsih.
The Ottoman army skirmished with the Russian forces as it
had climbed to an altitude of more than 6000 feet above sea level as it headed towards
Sarikamsih. It was the dead of winter and temperatures regularly reach 20
degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). Before Sarikamsih was reached a series of Russian ambushes
took its toll on the Ottoman forces and Ottoman soldiers died by the thousands
due to hypothermia and thousands more suffered from frostbite.
By the time the Ottomans reached Sarikamsih its long supply
lines were spread so thin over the poor mountain roads that the Ottoman soldiers
were extreme short on supplies. Hungry, exaustated, short on ammunition and freezing
the Ottoman forces were ordered to launch a direct assault of the prepared Russian
defenders of Sarikamsih. The attack was crushed and the Russians began deploy
its forces, who were well rested, well supplied and dressed for cold weather,
to surround what was left of the Ottoman survivors. What was left of the Ottoman
invasion force tried to retreat but was slowed by snow storms and overtaken by
the counter attacking Russians.
Between the freezing weather and the clashes with Russian forces the losses were
terrible. Of the 118,000 Ottoman soldiers who marched to Sarikamsih only 11,000
would return. As tragic as the loss of the Ottoman soldiers' lives it was not
the most tragic aspect of this battle, as World War One would see it share of
slaughter on the battlefield. What made this battle so tragic was its
aftermath. By all accounts the Ottoman forces fought with bravely and
determination during the battle, but poor planning and preparation by the
commanders lead to this disaster. Unwilling to accept responsibility for this colossal
failure, when the Ottoman General who commanded the attack reported to the
Ottoman government he blamed the local Armenian population for the defeat. L
ocal Armenians did volunteer to fight with the Russians and some served as guides as
they knew the terrain well and this was no small help to the Russians. But blaming
the Armenians for the Ottoman loss was little more than an distract from the blatant
incompetents of the Ottoman commanders.
But the damage was done. Almost 100,000 Ottoman soldiers had
been killed or captured in less than a month and there was a wave of anger in
the nation and in the government and the Armenians would become the target of
that anger. Over the next year the Ottoman government would began systematic oppression
and deportation to concentration camps of the Armenian people which would
result in the deaths of approximately one million Armenians within the Ottoman
Empire. By the end of the war in 1918 it is estimated that another half million
would be killed. The Ottoman Empire would state that these deaths were part of
the larger conflict of the war and mostly due to unintended disease and starvation in the Armenian concentration
camps, a position the modern Turkish government still maintains. But much of
the western world refers to this as the Armenian Genocide. The first of sadly
many industrialized genocides of the 20th century.
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