General Drastamat Kanayan , was a politician, revolutionary, military commander of Hitler’s
Armenian LegionThe Armenian Legion was the name given to the 812th Armenian Battalion, which was a foreign unit of the German Wehrmacht during World War II, comprised largely of Red Army POWs, under the voluntary leadership of Drastamat Kanayan...
of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, and part of Armenian national liberation movement as a member of the
A.R.F. DashnaktsuyunThe Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
.
Drastamat Kanayan was born in, Surmalu (
IğdırIğdır is the capital of Iğdır Province in Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey, and borders Armenia, Nakhchivan and Iran. The border with Armenia is formed by the Aras River...
),
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(present-day
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
) in 1884. He was the son of Martiros Kanayan, the head of the Kanayan, or "Gago", family clan in Iğdır and Horom Kanayan, Drastamat's mother.
General Drastamat Kanayan , was a politician, revolutionary, military commander of Hitler’s
Armenian LegionThe Armenian Legion was the name given to the 812th Armenian Battalion, which was a foreign unit of the German Wehrmacht during World War II, comprised largely of Red Army POWs, under the voluntary leadership of Drastamat Kanayan...
of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, and part of Armenian national liberation movement as a member of the
A.R.F. DashnaktsuyunThe Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
.
Early life
Drastamat Kanayan was born in, Surmalu (
IğdırIğdır is the capital of Iğdır Province in Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey, and borders Armenia, Nakhchivan and Iran. The border with Armenia is formed by the Aras River...
),
Russian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(present-day
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
) in 1884. He was the son of Martiros Kanayan, the head of the Kanayan, or "Gago", family clan in Iğdır and Horom Kanayan, Drastamat's mother. At an early age, Martiros Kanayan enrolled his son to the parish school of Iğdır. Drastamat would skip school to hang out near the military barracks of Iğdır because of his interest in the military exercises held there. Noticing that he had no interest in books and learning, Martiros Kanayan pulled him out of the village school and enrolled him to the
YerevanYerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. It is situated on the Hrazdan River, and is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
Gymnasium school.
Drastamat was no better in the Yerevan Gymanisium school as the grades he achieved were barely enough for a promotion. Like all government schools in the provinces of Russia, there was a policy of Russification that limited education in the
Armenian languageThe Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
to religion only. Inspired by stories of General Andranik's triumphs in the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
and the spread of nationalism by the
Armenian Revolutionary FederationThe Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
, Drastamat joined a secret youth movement in his school that opposed the Czar's government and promoted
Armenian nationalismArmenian national movement, also known as the "Armenian revolutionary movement" and Armenian national liberation movement was the Armenian national effort of Armenian People to re-establish an Armenian state in the historic Armenian homelands of eastern Asia Minor and the Transcaucasus...
.
Edict on Armenian church property
On June 12, 1903, the tsarist authorities passed an edict to bring all Armenian Church property under imperial control. This was faced by strong Armenian opposition because it perceived the tsarist edict as a threat to the Armenian national existence. As a result, the Armenian leadership decided to actively defend Armenian churches by dispatching militiamen who acted as guards and holding mass demonstrations. This prompted Drastamat Kanayan to join the ranks of the
DashnaktsutiunThe Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
in order to defend the churches from being confiscated through public demonstrations and guard duty.
World War I
He served as
detachmentA detachment is a military unit. It can either be detached from a larger unit for a specific function or be a permanent unit smaller than a battalion. The term is often used to refer to a unit that is assigned to a different base from the parent unit...
commander in the
Russian Caucasus ArmyThe Russian Caucasus Army of World War I was the Russian field army that fought at the Caucasus Front. The Army was engaged at Caucasus Campaign and Persian Campaign...
during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. He was one of the commanders of the
Armenian volunteer unitsArmenian volunteer units or "Armenian volunteer corps" were Armenian battalions in Russian and British armies during the World War I. The Armenian force during this period also included French Armenian Legion which was established under the French army and Armenian militia which were irregular...
and decorated by the Tsar. He was wounded during the command of Armenian volunteer units. Kanayan had already become a popular military leader after the victories over the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
at the
Caucasus CampaignThe Caucasus Campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, later including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Central Caspian Dictatorship and the UK as part of the Middle Eastern theatre or alternatively named as part of the Caucasian Front during World War I...
, and between March 1918 and April 1918 he was appointed by the
Armenian National CouncilArmenian National Council is a term that refers to*Armenian National Council of Karabagh was also referred as People's Government of Karabagh before the rename in September 1918*Armenian National Council of Baku*Armenian National Council of Tiflis...
military commissar to the
Administration for Western ArmeniaThe Administration for Western Armenia was an Armenian provisional government, with the autonomous region initially set up around Lake Van after the Van Resistance of the Caucasus Campaign, with the leadership of Aram Manougian of Armenian Revolutionary Federation. It was briefly referred to as...
of the Ararat region. He was the commander of
Battle of Bash AbaranThe Battle of Bash Abaran was a battle of Caucasus Campaign of World War I that took place in the vicinity of Bash Abaran, in 1918. The Turkish divisions attacked on May 21, but after three days of fierce combat the Armenians remained firm and the Turkish regiments retreated in defeat...
.
During the
Armenian GenocideThe Armenian Genocide , also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Calamity , was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
, Kanayan fought off Turkish aggression against Armenian civilians.
Democratic Republic of Armenia
In 1918-1920, Kanayan became the
Defence MinisterDefence Minister of Armenia The Ministry of Defense established in January 1992 is in charge of political leadership of the Armed Forces, currently headed by Seyran Ohanyan. From 1993-1995 there was a concurrent position of the State Minister for Defense held by Vazgen Sargsyan....
of the short-lived
Democratic Republic of ArmeniaThe Democratic Republic of Armenia was the first modern establishment of an Armenian republic. The republic was established in the former territory of Eastern Armenia in the Russian Empire following the Russian Revolution of 1917...
and commanded Armenian troops in various successful wars. The last battles against the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
at the
Caucasus CampaignThe Caucasus Campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, later including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Central Caspian Dictatorship and the UK as part of the Middle Eastern theatre or alternatively named as part of the Caucasian Front during World War I...
essentially saved the Armenian Republic from total destruction. As a Defence Minister before the end of 1918, he took responsibility at the
Armenian-Azeri war 1918The Armenian-Azerbaijani war, which started after the Russian Revolution, was a series of brutal and hard to classify conflicts in 1918, then from 1920 to 1922 that occurred during the brief independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan and afterward. Most of the conflicts did not have a principal pattern...
and
Georgian-Armenian War 1918Georgian-Armenian War was a border war fought in 1918 between the Democratic Republic of Georgia and the Democratic Republic of Armenia over the parts of then disputed provinces of Lori, Javakheti, and Borchalo district, which had been historically Armeno-Georgian marchlands, but were largely...
. Later in 1920,
Turkish-Armenian WarThe Turkish–Armenian War was a conflict fought between the Democratic Republic of Armenia and Turkish Revolutionaries of the Turkish National Movement which lasted from 24 September to 2 December, 1920 and largely took place in present-day northeastern Turkey and northwestern Armenia.- Background...
.
In 1920, after the incorporation of the Republic of Armenia into the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, Drastamat Kanayan immigrated to
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
and later to
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
.
Armenian-Azeri war
In 1920, Drastamat Kanayan advanced to the vicinity of Shushi. On the night from March 21-March 22, 1920 when the Azeris were celebrating Novruz Bayram, the Armenians of Karabakh began to revolt and organized a surprise attack. During these clashes thousands of people from both the Armenian and Azeri sides were killed, with more than 7,000 houses burned and Shusha virtually cleansed of its Armenian population. On April, 1920, the bolshevik leadership of the Red Army informed from the Drastamat Kanayan to leave Karabagh. Karabagh-Zangezur was on the break of armed confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Drastamat Kanayan knew that if he did not compy with this demand the Red Army and the armed forces of Azerbaijan would have to act jointly. Dro had to withdraw because of the Sovietization of Azerbaijan and the assurances given by Sergo Ordzhonikidze’s messengers regarding a just solution to the Karabagh conflict. In this situation on May 26 the tenth congress of
Armenian National Council of KarabaghThe Karabakh Council the government of Nagorno-Karabakh between 1918-1920. It was elected by the Karabakh Congress, the representative body of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, on July 27, 1918...
, which took place in Taghavard village, proclaimed the change of position. The "Armenian National Council of Karabagh" was replaced with "Revolutionary Committee of Nagorno Karabagh". It was headed by S. Hambartsumian. On the same day Drastamat Kanayan along with his units was forced to leave Karabagh.
World War II
The short-lived Armenian Republic established in 1918 in the Southern Caucasus by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (The Dashnaks) was conquered by the Russian
BolshevikThe Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903...
s in 1920, and ceased to exist. During WWII, the Dashnaks saw a good opportunity in the collaboration with the Nazis to regain those territories. The expected prize was an Armenian state in a new world created by Nazi Germans. Aid was given in
propagandaPropaganda is communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience...
and
intelligenceIntelligence is an umbrella term used to describe a property of the mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn. There are several ways to define intelligence...
in which the Armenian organizations were active. On December 30, 1941 they formed from ethnic Armenians an 8,000-strong
battalionA battalion is a military unit of around 1000-1500 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel...
known as the "812th Armenian Battalion of Wehrmacht" under the command of Drastamat Kanayan known by his nickname “Dro”. The legion was trained by SS officers and participated in the occupation of the
CrimeaCrimea or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is the only autonomous republic of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name.The territory of Crimea was conquered and controlled many times throughout its history...
n Peninsula and the
CaucasusThe Caucasus or Caucas is a geopolitical region between at the border of Europe and Asia. It is home to the Caucasus Mountains, including Europe's highest mountain ....
.
After WWII, Kanayan emigrated to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and continued his political activities with the purpose of advancing the “Armenian Cause”. In 1947, at the Universal Congress of the Dashnak Party, he was forgiven for his collaboration with Nazis, as he could justify it with powerful arguments, and was again elected a member of the Party.
Death and burial
With the end of the World War II, Drastamat Kanayan was arrested by American forces, but soon released. Kanayan settled within the large
Armenian DiasporaThe Armenian diaspora has created the communities of Armenians living outside of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Javakhk. The total Armenian population living worldwide is estimated to be 11,000,000, but only about 3,150,000 live in Armenia, about 140,000 in Nagorno-Karabakh and approximately 120,000...
of Lebanon. When traveling to the U.S. for medical treatment, he died in
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
on 8 March 1956.
With much pomp and ceremony, Kanayan's remains were taken to Armenia for final burial after Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union. Drastamat Kanayan, along with his famous comrades in arms
Garegin NjdehGaregin Njdeh or Garegin Ter-Harutiunian, Garegin Nzhdeh was an Armenian statesman, fedayee, political thinker, and as a member of the A.R.F...
and
Andranik Toros OzanianAndranik Toros Ozanian / Antranig Toros Ozanian, Zoravar Andranik / Zoravar Antranig, was an Armenian general, political and public activist and freedom fighter, greatly admired as a national hero.-Early Age:Andranik Ozanian was born in the church quarter of Şebinkarahisar, Ottoman Armenia...
, is considered to be a great Armenian leader by Armenians worldwide.
External links