Russian troops captured the fortress town of Erzurum in eastern Turkey on February 16th 1916.
The midwinter resumption of the First World War Caucasus campaign had taken the Ottomans by surprise.
Russia struck in January, before Turkish forces had time to regroup following the Allied withdrawal from Gallipoli.
General Nikolai Yudenich, commander of the Caucasus army, launched his offensive just a day after Russia’s allies, Britain and France, completed their pull-out.
After the fall of Erzurum, the Russians pushed further into Anatolia, capturing the Black Sea port of Trabzon in April and regions near Lake Van.
Armoured car units from Britain’s Royal Naval Air Service were sent to support Russia in the Caucasus in 1916.
Source: Wikipedia/various
Images courtesy of Imperial War Museums (© IWM Q 107442)
Posted by: CN Editorial Team