The Battle of Sarikamish[c] 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 battle resulted in a Russian victory. The Ottomans employed a strategy which demanded highly mobile troops, capable of arriving at specified objectives at precise times. This approach was based both on German and Napoleonic tactics. The Ottoman troops, ill-prepared for winter conditions, suffered major casualties in the Allahuekber Mountains. Around 25,000 Ottoman soldiers froze to death before the start of the battle.[9]
After the battle, Ottoman Minister of War Enver Pasha, who had planned the Ottoman strategy in Sarikamish, blamed his defeat on the Armenians, and the battle served as a prelude to the Armenian genocide.[16][17]
^Масловский Е.В. Мировая война на Кавказском фронте 1914-1917 гг. Стратегически очерк.– Париж,1933.С.133 “By the beginning of January, there were no more than 12,000 combat-ready soldiers in the ranks of the Ottoman Army, and this was out of 150,000 who started the operation»
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