Erzurum offensive
The Erzurum offensive (Russian: Эрзурумское сражение, romanized: Erzurumskoe srazhenie; Turkish: Erzurum Taarruzu) or Battle of Erzurum (Turkish: Erzurum Muharebesi) 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.
Forces[edit]
Russian[edit]
The Russians had 130,000 infantry and 35,000 cavalry. They also had 160,000 troops in reserve, 150 supply trucks and 20 planes of the Siberian Air Squadron.[5] According to other sources, the attacking group (the Russian Caucasian army) included about 120 thousand people and 338 guns.[1]
Aftermath[edit]
The battle ended with the complete defeat of the 3rd Turkish army, after the operation it ceased to exist as a single unit.[9] This operation showed the superiority of the Russians in the Caucasus, and their preparation for fulfilling difficult conditions The battle took place in a mountainous area at a minimum temperature. Capture of Erzurum opened the way for the Russians to further advance deep into Anatolia[10] [11] After such a heavy defeat, Yusuf Izzet Pasha tried to start negotiations with the Entente powers[12]
In literature[edit]
The Battle of Erzurum forms the climax of John Buchan's novel Greenmantle.