Battle of Sarikamish
Sarıkamış, Kars Province, Turkey
What happened
The Ottoman Third Army under Enver Pasha fought the Russian Caucasus Army under Nikolai Yudenich and Alexander Myshlayevsky. In the First World War, Enver Pasha planned a bold winter attack to surround the Russian army in the Caucasus mountains. Ottoman soldiers marched through deep snow over high mountains without proper winter clothing or supplies, and many died of the cold before the main fighting began. The Russians, helped by their railway, held Sarıkamış and defeated the weakened Ottoman army.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a turning point on the Caucasus front, and the Ottoman Third Army was nearly destroyed. Historians often cite it as a prelude to the Armenian Genocide that followed in 1915.
What came next
Russian forces gained the upper hand in the Caucasus for the rest of the war.
Timeline
- 22 December 1914The Ottoman winter offensive begins.
- Late December 1914Ottoman troops cross the mountains in deep snow.
- 17 January 1915The battle ends in a Russian victory.
- 1915The Armenian Genocide begins.