Soldiers who were martyred in the Sarıkamış Operation, which was started by the Ottoman army to liberate the lands under Russian occupation during the 1st World War, will be commemorated on the 108th anniversary of the operation.
The Sarıkamış Operation started on 22 December 1914 and ended on 15 January 1915. Thousands of soldiers were martyred due to the freezing cold and clashes in the operation where the Mehmetçi served selflessly for the country and risked martyrdom in the freezing cold of Allahuekber and Soğanlı mountains in the region.
In the 108th year of the operation, commemoration events will be organized all over the country, especially in the Sarıkamış district of Kars and Erzurum, where the operation started. The walks and activities organized in Sarıkamış every year in the first week of January will be held on 6-8 January.
Sarikamis Martyrs
The occupation of the Southern Caucasus and Kars, Ardahan and Batum sanjaks in the 19th century started a new era in the Turkish-Russian struggle. The occupation of the three sanjaks endangered the integrity of the homeland and the state. If Russia could not be stopped, Anatolia, the homeland and last stronghold of the Turkish nation, could be completely lost. For this reason, the Turkish nation would fight for life and death in the First World War, and the Caucasian front would be the place of reckoning.
When the world war broke out in 1914, Russia gave priority to the fight with Germany. When Germany was defeated, it seemed easy to defeat the Ottoman Empire and reach its historical goals.
The goal of the Ottoman State was to ensure the integrity of the state by removing Russia from Anatolia, to liberate the occupied Turkish-Islamic elements, to put an end to the Russian and Armenian massacres, and to avenge the 93rd War to bring a new spirit to Anatolia and the Caucasus. was to earn.
The Turkish mobilization started after the Turkish-German alliance. Although Anatolia was rich in provisions and subsistence, the preparations were not at the desired level due to the inadequacy of the organizations, the lack of officers and personnel, and the absence of the railway. When the Russian navy sank the ships that brought winter clothes, weapons and ammunition to the Turkish army, the 3rd Army had no choice but to continue the war on its own. At the beginning of the war, the Turkish army consisted of two corps. Subsequently, it was decided to reinforce it with the 10th Corps, and the number of corps was increased to three.
The Russian army attacked from Köprüköy on November 2, 1914. Although the Turkish army stopped the attack with the battles of Köprüköy and Azap, it could not completely destroy the enemy. Deputy Commander-in-Chief Enver Pasha decided on a siege operation that would destroy the Russian army in order to enter the Three Sanjaks. According to the operation plan, while the 11th Corps was making a demonstration attack in front of Hasankale, the 9th Corps would advance to Bardız (Veterans) and the 10th Corps would encircle and destroy the enemy by advancing to Oltu. For this, the operation had to be carried out in a raid style and the enemy should not be allowed to withdraw. While the preparations for the Sarıkamış Operation were accelerated, Enver Pasha came to Erzurum on 12 December and took over the command.
Before the operation, the general presence of the 3rd Army was 118.000, of which 70.000 were combatants. The Turkish offensive began on December 22, 1914. After taking Oltu, the 10th Corps commander, Hafız Hakkı Bey, had to land two divisions on the Sarıkamış-Kars highway. However, after taking Aksar (Penek) and Göle (Merdenik) out of the plan, he sent only one division to Bardız. While advancing towards Ardahan, he had to cross the Allahuekber Mountain with the intervention of Enver Pasha. During the march, the corps was late due to the harsh winter conditions and suffered great losses.
The entire burden of the operation was placed on the shoulders of the 9th Corps. While the divisions were advancing by fighting the enemy in a very heavy geography, Enver Pasha gave the order to attack without waiting for the troops to reach Bardız. Thus, instead of destroying the enemy with a strong blow, he put the troops into battle one by one, causing the army to melt in front of Sarıkamış. The divisions that marched on the morning of 25 December only reached the Russian defense lines in the evening. Despite the attacks that continued until the night hours, Sarıkamış could not be taken. 9th Corps Commander ÇerkezköyHe stopped the operation at the ü location. The offensive power and morale of the army were shattered as the troops spent the night in the open field. The second attack on December 26 concentrated on the northern lines of the city. Although the positions of Upper Sarikamis were entered, the city could not be taken again. As a final attack was made on 29 December, the 9th Corps suffered heavy losses and lost its combat capability. The attack of the 10th Corps did not yield any results either. When the Russians captured the Bardız Pass, Enver Pasha lost his faith in victory and handed over the command to Hafız Hakkı Bey and left the region. When 9 soldiers of the 1.200th Corps were captured, the army was ordered to withdraw on January 4, 1915.
By the time the operation was over, the Russians had suffered about 32.000 casualties. The total loss of the Turkish army, including martyrs, wounded, sick, lost and captured, reached 90.000. The army's number of 9.000 was increased to 21.351 within a week due to the reorganization.
Results of the Operation
The Sarıkamış Operation is the sad result of the chain of mistakes and omissions that started since the mobilization. If the enemy had been destroyed and the threat had been eliminated in the Köprüköy and Azap battles, the Sarıkamış Operation would not have been needed. Although the Turkish military fulfilled all the requirements of military service, the problems experienced in the administration and administration of the army led to this result.
As the 3rd Army lost its fighting power, the superiority passed to the Russians. On the way to the liberation of Elviye-i Selase and the Caucasus, Eastern Anatolia became open to invasion and invasion. As it was not possible to heal the wounds of the 93rd War, new pains were caused. The Russians massacred tens of thousands of Turkish people in the operation area, claiming that they supported the Turkish army. They left the state and the army in the middle of two fires by provoking the Dashnak Armenians and setting up rebellions in the eastern provinces. For this reason, hundreds of thousands of people, first from Elviye-i Selase and then from the eastern provinces, had to migrate to the areas they considered safer.
The Sarıkamış Operation also affected the course of the world war. England opened the Dardanelles front in order to reduce the pressure on Russia and to help it.
(Source: Prof. Dr. Selçuk Ural)
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