Russian Caucasus Army
Encyclopedia
The Russian Caucasus Army of World War I
was the Russian field army that fought in the Caucasus Campaign
and Persian Campaign
of World War I
.
. It ceased to exist in April 1917 when it was reorganized as the Caucasus Front, although this Front contained many of the same units and continued fighting in the same theater. This Front in turn formally ceased to exist in March 1918.
at the start of hostilities. His chief of command was Aleksandr Zakharevich Myshlayevsky. The Caucasus Army had 100 battalions of infantry, 117 sotnis (cavalry squadrons), and 256 guns for a total of 100,000 troops. Before the war the army was dispersed into two groups according to the two main operating areas: the Kars group (Kars - Erzurum) with 6 divisions in the region of Otu - Sarikamish and the Erivan group (Erivan - Alashkert) with 2 divisions, reinforced by a large number of cavalry, in the vicinity of Igdir.
The flanks were covered by small units formed from the Border Guard, the Cossacks, and the militia. Due to the defeats at the Battle of Tannenberg
and the Masurian Lakes, the Russians redeployed almost half their forces to the Prussian front, leaving behind just 65,000 troops from the initial 100,000 to face the Ottoman army.
The 1914 engagements were Bergmann Offensive
, Ardahan
, and Battle of Sarıkamış
The 1915 engagements were Battle of Dilman
, Van
, Battle of Manzikert (1915), and Kara Killisse
, Erzerum Offensive, Trebizond Campaign
, Battle of Bitlis
, and Mush.
of Transcaucasian Commissariat
beginning with the May 1917. His chief of command was Ilia Odishelidze
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was the Russian field army that fought in the Caucasus Campaign
Caucasus Campaign
The 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 Caucasus Campaign during World War I...
and Persian Campaign
Persian Campaign
The Persian Campaign or Invasion of Persia was a series of engagements at northern Persian Azerbaijan and western Persia between the British Empire and the Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire, beginning in December 1914 and ending with the Armistice of Mudros on October 30, 1918 as part of...
of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Period of existence
The Caucasus Army was formed in July 1914 from units of the Caucasus Military DistrictCaucasus Military District
The Caucaus Military District was a military formation of the Imperial Russian Army. It was created in 1865 as the successor to the Caucasus Army, and was dissolved in 1917.-History:...
. It ceased to exist in April 1917 when it was reorganized as the Caucasus Front, although this Front contained many of the same units and continued fighting in the same theater. This Front in turn formally ceased to exist in March 1918.
Order of Battle, 1914
The Caucasus Army was under the nominal command of the Governor General of the Caucasus Illarion Vorontsov-DashkovIllarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov
Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov was the last notable representative of the Vorontsov family. He served as Minister of Imperial Properties in 1881-97 and the General Governor of Caucasus in 1905-15....
at the start of hostilities. His chief of command was Aleksandr Zakharevich Myshlayevsky. The Caucasus Army had 100 battalions of infantry, 117 sotnis (cavalry squadrons), and 256 guns for a total of 100,000 troops. Before the war the army was dispersed into two groups according to the two main operating areas: the Kars group (Kars - Erzurum) with 6 divisions in the region of Otu - Sarikamish and the Erivan group (Erivan - Alashkert) with 2 divisions, reinforced by a large number of cavalry, in the vicinity of Igdir.
The flanks were covered by small units formed from the Border Guard, the Cossacks, and the militia. Due to the defeats at the Battle of Tannenberg
Battle of Tannenberg (1914)
The Battle of Tannenberg was an engagement between the Russian Empire and the German Empire in the first days of World War I. It was fought by the Russian First and Second Armies against the German Eighth Army between 23 August and 30 August 1914. The battle resulted in the almost complete...
and the Masurian Lakes, the Russians redeployed almost half their forces to the Prussian front, leaving behind just 65,000 troops from the initial 100,000 to face the Ottoman army.
- Caucasus Army Corps from November 12, 1914 April 2, 1915 Berhman George E.
- 2 infantry divisions
- 2 cossack rifle brigades
- 1st Caucasian Cossack division under command of General Baratov
- Turkistan Army Corps Lieutenant-General (from 23 October 1914, General of Infantry) Lesh, Leonid Vilgelmovich
- 4-I Turkestan Rifle Brigade
- 5-I Turkestan Rifle Brigade
- 1-I Transcaspian Cossack Brigade
- 1st Caucasus Kuban Cossack regiment
- 2nd Turkestan Battalion
- Kushkinskaya Oboznaya company
The 1914 engagements were Bergmann Offensive
Bergmann Offensive
The Bergmann Offensive was the first engagement of the Caucasus Campaign. General Georgy Berhmann, who was the commander of the I Caucasian Army Corps took the initiative against the Ottoman Empire....
, Ardahan
Battle of Ardahan
Battle of Ardahan between 25 December 1914 to 18 January 1915 was the Ottoman military operation commanded by German Lt. Col. Stange to capture the city Ardahan and cut the Russian support link to Sarikamish-Kars line in supporting the Battle of Sarikamish.....
, and Battle of Sarıkamış
Battle of Sarikamis
The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during World War I. It took place from December 22, 1914 to January 17, 1915 as part of the Caucasus Campaign. The outcome was a Russian victory. The Ottomans employed a strategy which demanded that their troops be...
Order of Battle, 1915
It was under the nominal command of the Governor General of the Caucasus Nicholas Nikolaevich beginning with the January 1915. His chief of command was Nikolai Yudenich.- Caucasus Army Corps from February 2, 1915 - 12. March 1917 Kalitin, Pyotr Petrovich
- Turkistan Army Corps from February 3, 1915 - 3 April 1917 General of Infantry Przewalski, Michael A.
The 1915 engagements were Battle of Dilman
Battle of Dilman
The Battle of Dilman was a battle fought at Dilman between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire which resulted in a Russian victory under Tovmas Nazarbekian. Apart from the Armenian officers who served under Tovmas Nazarbekian's battalions of the Russian Caucasus Army, the Armenians also ran...
, Van
Siege of Vān
The Siege of Vān occurred in 1547 when Suleiman the Magnificent attacked Persia in his second campaign of the Ottoman-Safavid War ....
, Battle of Manzikert (1915), and Kara Killisse
Battle of Kara Killisse (1915)
The Battle of Kara Killisse was a battle on the Caucasus front in July 1915 after the Battle of Manzikert. In Russian historical literature, this engagement is considered as a part of "Alashkert defensive operation" ....
Order of Battle, 1916
The 1916 engagements were ErzincanBattle of Erzincan
The Battle of Erzincan was a Russian victory over the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.In February 1916, Nikolai Yudenich had taken the cities of Erzurum and Trebizond. Trebizond had provided the Russians with a port to receive reinforcements in the Caucasus. Enver Pasha ordered the Third...
, Erzerum Offensive, Trebizond Campaign
Trebizond Campaign
The Trebizond Campaign, also known as the Battle of Trebizond was a series of brilliant Russian naval and land operations that resulted in the capture of Trebizond. It was the logistical step after the Erzerum Campaign. Operations began on February 5 and concluded when the Ottoman troops abandoned...
, Battle of Bitlis
Battle of Bitlis
The Battle of Bitlis refers to a series of engagements in the summer of 1916 for the city of Bitlis and to a lesser extent nearby Muş, between the Russian Imperial forces and their Ottoman counterparts....
, and Mush.
Order of Battle, 1917
It was under the nominal command of Vasily KharlamovVasily Kharlamov
Vasily Akimovich Kharlamov was a Russian politician involved in the revolution and civil war.Kharlamov, of the Don Cossacks, was a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party and was elected to all four State Dumas of the Russian Empire...
of Transcaucasian Commissariat
Transcaucasian Commissariat
The Transcaucasian Commissariat was established at Tbilisi on November 11, 1917, as the first government of the independent Transcaucasia and following the Bolshevik seizure of power in St...
beginning with the May 1917. His chief of command was Ilia Odishelidze
Ilia Odishelidze
Ilia Odishelidze ; , Ilya Zurabovich Odishelidze) was a Georgian military leader who had also served as a general of the Imperial Russian army....
.
- Caucasus Army Corps from April 12, 1917 Lyakhov, Vladimir Rakhmanov
- Turkistan Army Corps from April 25–12 October 1917 - Lt. Gen. Chaplygin, Alexander; 12 October 1917 -? - Lieutenant General Savitsky, Hippolyte V.
Notable officers
- Georgian Ilia OdishelidzeIlia OdishelidzeIlia Odishelidze ; , Ilya Zurabovich Odishelidze) was a Georgian military leader who had also served as a general of the Imperial Russian army....
- Russian Theodore G. ChernozubovTheodore G. ChernozubovTheodore G. Chernozubov was a Russian Imperial Army officer who became lieutenant general on 20 February 1915. He was trained at Pazheskom corps and later Imperial General Staff Academy in 1889....
- Armenian Tovmas NazarbekianTovmas NazarbekianTovmas Nazarbekian, commonly known as General Nazarbekov , was an Armenian general in the Russian Caucasus Army that appointed as the governor of the Administration for Western Armenia and later promoted to commander-in-chief of Democratic Republic of Armenia.He was born to a wealthy Russianized...
- Armenian Movses SilikyanMovses SilikyanMovses Silikyan , , Movses Silikov) was a famed Armenian general and national hero of World War I, Major General in the Russian army and subsequently in the Armenian army...