🇬🇧 The Battle of Sardarapat. The First Republic of Armenia
The First Republic of Armenia
The February and October Revolutions of 1917 led to the disintegration of the Caucasian front: Russian units were retreating or falling apart, while South Russian and local formations were left without supplies and command. The Ottoman Empire took advantage of this situation. As early as March 1918, Ottoman forces occupied Erzincan and Erzurum, and in May they launched an offensive eastward, aiming to capture Yerevan and eliminate the Armenians as a political and ethnic factor in the region.
The Armenian forces defending Eastern Armenia included remnants of the Armenian Corps, numbering up to 21,000 men, infantry regiments of the 11th Caucasian Division, volunteer battalions, cavalry units, and artillery (28 guns). The total number of defenders was about 6,000–7,000. The Armenian troops were commanded by Major General Movses Silikyan. Notable officers in the battle included Daniel and Poghos Bek-Pirumyan, Tovmas Nazarbekov, Kristapor Araratov, and others.
The Ottoman forces, under the command of Vehib Pasha, numbered up to 10,000–12,000 troops from several divisions of the 2nd Caucasian Corps. Despite their numerical superiority in infantry and artillery, the Turks faced logistical difficulties and were exhausted after a prolonged offensive.
- Turkish Offensive (May 21–24): Following orders issued on February 10, 1918, the Ottoman forces launched a new offensive into Transcaucasia, focusing their efforts on capturing Sardarapat as a springboard for an attack on Yerevan.
- Critical Defense: The Armenians occupied strategic heights near the Sardarapat station, reinforcing their positions with artillery and engineering fortifications. The fiercest battles occurred near Bash-Aparan and the Khanishin Pass, where volunteers held off the enemy at great cost.
- Counteroffensive (May 25–28): With the arrival of reinforcements from the Armenian Corps and Russian volunteers, including units led by Bogdan Bekhshi Yegiazaryan, Armenian forces launched a decisive counterattack. The Turkish troops were pushed back to the Araks River, and the 2nd Caucasian Corps was defeated.
- Military Victory: The Ottoman offensive was stopped, preventing the destruction of the Armenian population of Eastern Armenia.
- Political Consequences: On May 28, 1918, following the victory, the First Republic of Armenia was proclaimed in Tiflis — the first act of Armenian statehood in the 20th century.
- National Symbol: The Battle of Sardarapat became a symbol of the heroism and unity of the Armenian people. The victory is seen as a “man-made miracle” and a key event in the national revival.
- Sardarapat Memorial: In 1968, on the 50th anniversary of the battle, a monumental memorial complex was opened in Sardarapat (architect Rafael Israelyan, sculptor Ara Harutyunyan), featuring a bell tower-mausoleum and statues of winged bulls.
- Memorial Day: May 26 is celebrated in Armenia as the Day of Victory in the Battle of Sardarapat — a national holiday dedicated to the salvation of the people and the rebirth of Armenian statehood.
Thus, the Battle of Sardarapat entered history as a decisive struggle for the survival of the Armenian people and the restoration of their statehood. Its memory lives on in the national consciousness, symbols, and holidays of modern Armenia.