Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-24
Of TURKS
IS HELD DECISIVE
Petrograd Claims Turks in the
Caucasus Were Put
to Rout.
CAMPAIGN WAS STARTED
LATTER PART OF SUMMER
Fighting Continued for Months I'm
til Final Defeat of Entire
Third Army.

PETROGRAD, January %. via Lon
don, January 2A-The defeat of the third
Turkish army in the Caucasus. resulting
in its retirement upon Erzerum. is regard
ed here as a greater victory than at Sari
kamysh a year ago. when these same
troops were SO denoralized that they were
only recently enabled to resume the Of
fensive.
The entire 18th Corps. and parts
of the 9th and 10th Of the Turkish army,
were engaged in the battle in the
neighborhood of Lake Tortum, according
to the military authorities here. Behind
these were concentrated the reserves from
the ninth and the garrison of the Erzerum
handling of the Turkish divisions, how
ever, they were unable to withstand the
sudden and unexpected onrush OF the
Russians against the center.
Campaign a Long One.
The campaign began toward the end
Of summer. During autumn three
Turkish divisions were thrown back at
Olti and along the sea coast, while
in the district OF Lake Van a division
under Hall Bey was defeated. The
the defeat of the Persians. Turks and
Germans, thus guaranteeing the safety
Of the Russian tanks.
In December the Russians began an
active attack against the Turkish CEN
ter, and on January broke the lines
Of the 18th Corps, so that these forces
were obliged to retire in disorder. Evil
IDENTIFY, according to the Russian mill
tary authorities. the Turks had not for
gotten the lesson of Sari kamysh,
when. in trying to rescue the 9th Corps
by flank attacks. they suffered a
virtual humiliation of the 9Th and 10th
corps as they were then constituted.
They did not risk similar maneuver
on this occasion, but permitted the
TANKS to be unmolested, massing their
forces against the central positions.
Offensive Quickly Stopped.
Not until three days after the begin
ming of the retreat of the main Turk
ish army was an attempt made to
threaten the Russian right along the
sea. This offensive was quickly stop
ped. After a breach had been forced
in the positions of the 18th Corps the
retreat became a rout. the Turks fall
ing back upon the Erzerum fortress,
leaving dead and wounded, guns and
equipment behind.
The defeat of the Turks, it is assert
ed, was particularly disastrous in the
direction of Koprukeui, where. by ar
tillery attacks followed by assault
with the bayonet. the Russians virtu-
ally destroyed three regiments, leaving
the key to the Erzerum positions in
Russian possession.
Both Sides Are Intrenched.
1t is pointed out that after the Sari
Kamysh battle, the Turks were able to
hold this position.
The operations on the southwestern
front have taken on the character of
trench warfare. the two sides being in
close contact and strongly intrenched.
Offensive movements have ceased for
the time being on the middle Stripa and
in the district of Czernowitz. The Rus
sian offensive, however, continues on
the lower Stripa and the Dniesier,
where the Russians have tried to break
through the enemy positions and men,
ace the flank based on BuczacZ and
have captured the strategically impor-