The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-19
PctrOgrad Official Statement
Asserts Turkish Army Was
Cut to Pieces.
FORTS ARE FULL OF DEAD
Fleeing Regiments Annilli-
lated or Captured by the
MuScOvitcS.

which defended Erzerum is In wild
Hight in various directions. with the
Russians hot on their heels. moving
down any troops tha, turn for resist
ancc and capturing the remainder.
The booty taken with the fall OF the
great Armenian fortress ~ enormous.
Tho Turks left their entire heavy ar
tllcry behind Thus far the victors
lave counted 200 heavy guns. Tn
deferred by a severe snowstorm Grand
Duke Nicholas's troops continue in their
ourush.
igh.hg has begun IN the costai
region. where Russian warships are co.
operating west of Trebizond, the next
Russian objective.
Fort. run Of Turkish Dead.
Tne War Office communication. as
issued to-day. says
The completeness Of the defeat sus-
tanned 10y the Turks and the terrible
losses they suffered IN the Erzeruin
ightin- are becoming more and more
clear.
me forts Ia the fortress itself and
in the surrounding country are full "
Turkish dead.
The remnants Of the Turkish army
chased by our troops are fleeing in dts
order in different directions. \ severe
snoWS orm has failed to c,,oi the
srdur Of our men in pursuit who are
close on the heels of the enemy and
are annihilating them or taking
prisoners at the tail ends OF Turkish
columns.
We captured at Erzerum the entire
fortress artillery and a large part Of
the Turkish field artillery. Up TO the
present We have counted 100 guns.
We have taken a huge quantity OF ar
tlllery ammunition and arms, several
dozen motor cars wireless apparatus
and a pontoon park.
The troops OF the Caucasus army
have suffered bu, slight losses and
arc ready for fresh exploits.
4 semi-officiai statement issued in
rctrograd adds the following inforrna.
ton:
The exact number o! Turkish troops
captured AZ Erzerum Is not known. but
the greater part of the garrison got
away. as the fortress was not invested
hu, waS carried 10y assault The num-
Der ~ guns captured reaches 1909.
The .city's defensive works were or
gauized by the German commander Pos.
sel' and are spoken of as admirable and
.,s emhodying all the resources of mod
crn artillery and engineering.
THE latest advic-s indicate that the
heavy Turkish reenforcements which had
been fastening to the aid OF Erzerun,
failed To arrive in time.
Before the evacuation kurds merc!-
lnSSl, r,,.sSu.reI th,t,sapts pf
ians.'
violent Battle RaGtnR.
4 violent battle is raging west OF
Erzerum. according TO n Budapest des-
patch. Another report to-day was that
Baburt. the ancient city on the road
from l;rZerum to Trcbizond, had been
captured by the Russians
The Russians. according 10 retrograd
adviccs. are pushing on toward the
puntine Mountain This would indi-
cate that the main Russian force is
bent upon pushing it's drive northwest
ward. with Trebizond as the goal. Bai-
burt Is forty miles. Trebizond 1875 miles.
from i.rzerum The defenders of Erze-
rum fled 10 the west
While the genera, strategy of the eau
casus operations Is directed by Grano
Duke Nicholas, the actual operation,
against Erzerum were led by his right
hand man, Gen. Yudenitch. who has beer
In command in the fighting in that thea
tire for more than year. Much praise
is also given in Petrograd to the Grand
Dukes chief q! stan, Gen. Januschke.
witch.
The Athens correspondent of the Dali,
MAI tclecraphs
Information has been received from
4
effect that the Russians attacking Ere
rum advanced with the bayonet an,
broke the Turkish centre. which con
sisted Of about 10O. 900 men, They tool
5000 prisoners.
The Russians have also gained a sue
cess near the Persian border"
The same papers Petrograd CORE
spundent says
1T is possible tina, the decision I,
evacuate Erzerum was taken by th'
Turks several days ago. rhe bulk o
the garrison left and tho remaining real
guard was comparatively small Never
theless. the Russian task was tcrribl.
difficult Gen Yudenitch's strateg,
would have been even more brilliant i
hc had forced the garrison to retire un
der the pressure Of dispositions to,
strong TO be resisted. As II was, h,
drove ii out by hard lighting"
Military observers agree that the fal
of the Asiatic stronghold Is bound tr
have a tremendous military and mora
effect in the East Above all. II will
compel the Turks to revise their entire
campaign in Asia. particularly in Persia
and Mcsopotamia.
The Morning Posts Pctro;rad CORE
spondent describes the capture of Erzc
rum as ''thc first stage of the Russian
march to Cons,antinople. which Is un
likely TO be effectively opposed anywhere
eastward of Sivas,"
The strategic value Of the capture o
Erzerun. according to this correspondent
lies in the fact that the Turco-t;crmai
armies must concentrate in Asia Mino
TO safeguard Constantinople
Effect IN Balkans.
The moral effect OF the Russian vic
tory is already becoming evident in tn
twO Balkan Kingdoms still neutral
Greece and Rumania. The latter coun
try is expected to be particularly i'm
pressed by the feat of the Cars eau
casus army, which IL bound to go Il lonl
way toward discrediting the pro-Cierna
prOpaganda's keynote that the Allies
and especially Russia, "are beaten"
Burharest dispatches to-day state tina
Rumanian official circles friendly to tn
Entente expect concentration of Rus
sian troops on the Bcssurabian frontie
in March to enable Rumania to transfe
troops to the bulgarian frontier, wher
CoNtinwcd w Third Pogs.