{"id":275,"date":"2022-01-30T11:11:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-30T11:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/the-sad-story-of-soldiers-who-freeze-martyrdom-the-epic-of-sarikamis\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T08:57:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:57:54","slug":"the-sad-story-of-soldiers-who-freeze-martyrdom-the-epic-of-sarikamis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kasifiz.com\/english\/the-sad-story-of-soldiers-who-freeze-martyrdom-the-epic-of-sarikamis\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sad Story of Soldiers Who Freeze Martyrdom The Epic of Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f Epic took place during the First World War. It is a conflict that took place between the Ottomans and the Russians due to the occupation of Caucasia-Kars, Ardahan-Batum. Occupied places have endangered the integrity of the homeland. If the Russians could not be stopped, Anatolia, the last stronghold of the Turkish nation, could be completely lost. It was aimed to drive the Russians out of Anatolia and liberate the occupied Turks. At the same time, it was desired to put an end to the Russian and Armenian massacres. For this reason, the Turkish nation went to the front to fight a life and death war.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The war took place on December 22, 1914. The Ottoman Empire suffered great losses. While 60 thousand Ottoman soldiers were martyred, 30 thousand Russians died. The saddest part of the war is that most of the Ottoman casualties froze to death, not in combat, but in cold weather. The Russians captured 200 Turkish officers and 7000 privates. 30 cannons and 20 machine guns were captured as booty.<\/p>\n

What Happened in the Sarikamis Epic<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Enver Pasha, who wanted to clear the Russians from Anatolia, aimed to win the war by hitting the Russians with great power from where he never expected. For this reason, he planned to cross the Allahuekber mountains. Allahuekber Mountains is a high mountain that reaches 2-3 thousand altitudes in some parts.<\/p>\n

When the operation starts, the temperature shows -30 degrees below zero. Since some of the Turkish soldiers came from the desert, they wear summer uniforms. On 15-22 December 1914, thousands of soldiers froze to death in the Allahuekber Mountains near Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f.<\/p>\n

Staff Officer \u015eerif Bey, in his book “Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f”, described what happened that day as follows;<\/p>\n

\u201cA soldier crouching in the snow by the roadside, hugging a pile of snow with his arms, was gnawing with his teeth, trembling and wailing. I wanted to remove it and send it to the road. He never saw me. The poor guy was crazy. In this way, we left maybe more than ten thousand people under the snow in one day and passed through these cursed glaciers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Duke Alexandrovich Pietrovic, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Army, wrote about what he saw in Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f;<\/p>\n

\u201cNine heroes kneeling in the first row. They took aim with their Mausers, they were about to pull the trigger, but they couldn’t. They were so stiff\u2026 And Major Nihat on the right. Standing upright, his head bare, his hair dyed white, his eyes opposite\u2026 I did not receive the last Turkish detachment in the Allahuekber mountains. They had surrendered to their God long before us.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

After the Allahuekber mountains, which were overcome by giving thousands of martyrs, Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f was besieged. But it could not be captured due to extreme cold and hunger.<\/p>\n

Results of the Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f Operation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Enver Pasha returned to Istanbul after the war. For a long time, it was forbidden to make any publications about Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f. No news or statement was published by censorship. Many years later, the Ottoman people learned what happened in the war.<\/p>\n

When the mobilization for Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f started, Anatolia was at a sufficient level in terms of supplies and equipment. However, due to the lack of officers, the lack of personnel and the lack of railways, the preparations could not be made at an adequate level. In addition, the Russian navy sank the ships that brought winter clothes and weapons to the Turkish army. For this reason, the 3rd Army had to continue the war with its own means. <\/p>\n

It is said that there was a chain of mistakes and omissions related to the Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f mobilization. As a result of this, the Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f operation ended with treasure. There were some problems in the administration and administration of the army, the 3rd Army lost its fighting power and the superiority passed to the Russians. In this expedition to liberate 3 occupied provinces, the Eastern Anatolia Region was made open to invasion.<\/p>\n

While the wounds of the 93 War were not yet healed, new sufferings were caused. The Russians massacred thousands of people living in the region, as the Turkish people supported the army. Armenians living in the eastern provinces were provoked and rebellions broke out in many provinces. For this reason, hundreds of people have had to migrate to places that seem safer.<\/p>\n

The Sar\u0131kam\u0131\u015f operation also changed the course of the First World War. Britain opened the Dardanelles Front for support to reduce the pressure on Russia. In 1918, Sarikamis and Kars were taken back with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. However, in accordance with the terms of the Armistice of Mudros, the old borders were returned and the lands were lost again.<\/p>\n

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