Caucasus campaign
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.
| Caucasus campaign | |||||||||
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| Part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I and the Russo-Turkish Wars | |||||||||
Clockwise, from top left: The Battle of Sarikamish, The Erzurum Offensive, The Battle of Bitlis, The Battle of Erzincan | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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1914–1917: Pontic Greeks |
Ottoman Empire 1918: Azerbaijan 1918: Germany Georgia Northern Caucasus | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Nicholas II I. Vorontsov-Dashkov Grand Duke Nicholas Kakutsa Cholokashvili Nikolai Yudenich Sergei Kirov Stepan Shaumian Tovmas Nazarbekian Andranik Ozanian Drastamat Kanayan Lionel Dunsterville |
Mustafa Kemal Pasha Enver Pasha Wehib Pasha Abdul Kerim Pasha Ahmed Izzet Pasha Nuri Pasha Faik Pasha † Ali-Agha Shikhlinski F. K. von Kressenstein Giorgi Kvinitadze | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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Armenian Army |
3rd Army 2nd Army Army of Islam Circassian volunteers Caucasus Expedition | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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: |
On December 1914: 150,000-190,000 men On 1916: 445 battalions, 159 squadrons and 12,000 Kurds 1918: 3,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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140,000+ casualties (up to September 1916) 200+ 5,000 |
300,000-405,733 Civilian casualties: 523,000-2,500,000 killed | ||||||||
The Russian military campaign started on 1 November 1914 with the Russian invasion of Turkish Armenia.
In February 1917, the Russian advance was halted following the Russian Revolution. The Russian Caucasus Army soon disintegrated and was replaced by the forces of the newly established Transcaucasian state, comprising partly of Armenian volunteer units and irregular units which had previously been part of the Russian Army. During 1918 the region also saw the establishment of the Central Caspian Dictatorship, the Republic of Mountainous Armenia and an Allied intervention force, nicknamed Dunsterforce, composed of troops drawn from the Mesopotamian and Western Fronts.
On March 3, 1918, the campaign had terminated between the Ottoman Empire and Russia with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and on June 4, 1918, the Ottomans signed the Treaty of Batum with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia gaining independence. However, conflict continued as the Ottoman Empire was still engaged with the Central Caspian Dictatorship, the Republic of Mountainous Armenia, and the Dunsterforce of the British Empire until the Armistice of Mudros was signed on October 30, 1918.
The Turkish genocide of the Armenians began in April 1915 when 250 Armenians were arrested. The official reason was that the Armenians were in league with the Russians and could serve as a potential fifth column. The genocide continued until 1923.