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Battle of Sardarapat
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The Battle of Sardarabad (; ) was a battle of the Caucasus Campaign of World War I that took place near Sardarapat, Armenia from May 24 to May 26, 1918. Sardarapat was only 40 kilometers west of the city of Yerevan and the battle is currently seen as not only stopping the Turkish advance into the rest of Armenia but also preventing the complete destruction of the Armenian nation.
two months after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, the Ottoman Empire attacked into what had been Russian-Armenian territory.
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Encyclopedia
The Battle of Sardarabad (; ) was a battle of the Caucasus Campaign of World War I that took place near Sardarapat, Armenia from May 24 to May 26, 1918. Sardarapat was only 40 kilometers west of the city of Yerevan and the battle is currently seen as not only stopping the Turkish advance into the rest of Armenia but also preventing the complete destruction of the Armenian nation.
Background
Just two months after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, the Ottoman Empire attacked into what had been Russian-Armenian territory. In violation of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty with the Russian SFSR, elements of the Fourth Army crossed the border in May 1918 and attacked Alexandropol (modern-day Gyumri). The Ottoman Army intended to crush Armenia and seize Transcaucasia. The German government objected to this attack and refused to help the Ottoman Army in this operation.
At that time, only a small area of historical Armenian territory which used to be a part of the Russian Empire remained unconquered by the Ottoman Empire, and into that area hundreds of thousands of Armenian refugees had fled after the Armenian Genocide.
The Ottoman Forces began a three-pronged attack in an attempt to conquer Armenia. When Alexandropol fell, the Ottoman Army moved into the Ararat Valley – the heart of Armenia. However, Armenians under Movses Silikyan defeated the Ottoman troops in a three day battle at Sardarapat as well as Abaran and Karakilisa. The victories here were instrumental in allowing the Armenian National Council in Tiflis to establish the independence of the Democratic Republic of Armenia.
Battle
The Turks had taken Sardarapat on May 21 and from here, their forces start advancing towards Yeghegnut. Armenian general Movses Silikian ordered elements of the 5th Armenian Regiment under Poghos Bek-Pirumyan, a reserve guerilla unit, and a special cavalry regiment to check the advance of the Turkish army. An offensive was launched on May 22 and Armenian forces were successful in halting the Turks in their tracks and forced Yakub Shevki Pasha's forces into a general rout (retreating nearly 15-20 kilometers in a westerly direction). The Turkish command, however, was able to recuperate from its losses and reorganized its forces near the mountain heights on the north-west bank of the Araks river. Repeated attempts to cross the river was met with fierce resistance by the 5th Armenian Regiment.
On May 24, several more skirmishes took place between the Armenian and Turkish forces and attempts to dislodge the Turks from their well-entrenched positions the following day by P. Bek-Pirumyan's and other commanders' forces were met with failure. On May 27, an Armenian force commanded by K. Hasan-Pashayan performed a flanking manuever and struck the Turkish positions from the rear while the rest of the Armenian forces pounded the main Turkish positions. A Turkish force based in Talin was sent to alleviate it by attacking the Armenian rear. Suffering heavy losses, Turkish commanders ordered a general retreat as the surviving elements of the Turkish army was put to flight.
Aftermath
Worried by the Ottoman invasion of Armenia, the Democratic Republic of Georgia to the north asked for, and gained, German protection. The Democratic Republic of Armenia was forced to sign the Treaty of Batum in June 4, 1918, since the Ottoman Army of Islam held positions seven kilometers from Yerevan and only 10 kilometers from Etchmiadzin. Two days later, after the battle of Sardarapat on May 28, 1918 Armenian National Council in Tiflis proclaimed the independence of the Democratic Republic of Armenia, which existed until the Bolshevik takeover of Armenia in November 1920.
Legacy and memory
The battle of Sardarapat holds a special place in Armenian historical memory and is often compared to the 451 battle of Avarayr. Following the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide's 50th anniversary in 1965, Soviet authorities agreed to the construction of a monument dedicated to the Armenian victory near the site of the battle. Architect Raphael Israelyan was commissioned to design the monument which was completed in 1968. Notable Armenian literary figures such such as Hovhannes Shiraz and Paruyr Sevak, whose work "Sardarapat" was turned into a popular song, wrote songs and poems that lionized and praised the Armenian fighters.
See also
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