New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-11
WEAK ARMY CORPS
GUARDS ERzERUM
Turks Hard Pressed to
Hold Key to Vast Re-
giOn Near Russia.
ATTACKS REFUSED
WITH GRAVE LOSSES
Gar so Confident He Will Call
Less than Half of 1915 Re-
cruits Into Army.


Petrograd. Jan. 10.-Thc Turks. fore
seeing the likelihood Of the catastrophe
which has befallen their army in the
Russian Caucasus. appear TO have
moved up from before Erzerum their
18th Army Corps. which had been left
in reserve too late to effect anything
of Importance. 1t is now endeavoring
to provide rallying point for the
fugitives of the 10th Army Corps.
The Russians, however. have met the
advancing forces on the frontier ut
Karaurgan. where energetic attacks by
the Turks are being repulsed, with
very grave loss to the Moslem troops.
The 18th Army Corps. which is re-
ported to be made up largely of sec
ond rate troops, is apparently the only
force that now bars the way to En-
zerum.
The immediate result of Russian
victory and the destruction of two
Turkish army corps must be frantic
efforts on the part Of the Turks to
move up adequate force to Erzerum 70
defend this key of the whole vast re-
gion bordering on the Russian from
tiers. There is. thanks to the activity
OF the Russian Black Sea fleet, no pos
sibility of transporting troops by the
cheapest and shortest route, and there
fore the Turks will have to draw upon
the great military district of Van,
where one army corps Is always sta
toned in peace time, and where, pre-
sumably, the force of troops has at
least been doubled since the war began
by the enrolment of reserves and OF
various fighting tribes in that region.
These, however. have been kept more
or less occupied already by the Rus
sian columns which advanced from the
eastward.
Further details of the Russian vic
tories at Sari kamysha and Ardagan
rather increase the magnitude of the
success at first reported 1t appears
that at Ardagan were units which be-
longcd to the LIST Turkish Army Corps
from Constantinople, together with
large numbers Of ashi-Bazouks from
European Turkey. A standard of the
9Th Regiment of foot, belonging to
Constantinople, which was captured in
a bold charge by few troops Of 81
berian Cossacks, has been brought to
Tfs and exhibited to thousands IN
the local museum.
The first trainloads Of Turkish prs-
oners have also reached Tiflis. con-
sisting almost entirely of officers,
among them Ishan Pacha, command
ing the 9th Army Corps.
An imperial ukase has just been Is
sued regarding recruits due for SER
vice in the present year. Russia an
uually passes in normal years into her
army something more than 1OO,OOO re-
cruits. this number, of course, repre-
sentng only portion of those actual
" liable for service. The rest are
registered in the reserve. For the
present wear the ukase orders TO be
summoned TO the colors $4,000 re-
cruits. Il is significant OF Russlas
confidence in the condition of her
forces in this great war that, after
six months of such fighting as the
world has never seen before, she
deems it amply sufficient TO call up
less than half the number OF young
men who have attained the age oil
military service. and liable, therefore,
10 be summoned to the colors.