Capture of Trabzon (1918)

Trabzon campaign (1918)
Part of Caucasus Campaign
Date 24–25 February 1918[2] Location Trabzon, Turkey Result Ottoman victory[3] Territorial changes Trabzon is back in the hands of the Ottomans.[4]
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Russian Republic Pontic Greeks Armenian fedayi[1]
Commanders and leaders
Wehib Pasha Enver Pasha	Unknown
Units involved
Third Army (Ottoman Empire)	Unknown
Casualties and losses
600 killed 700 wounded	1,050 casualties[5] 250 casualties[6]

The Capture of Trabzon refers to the military operation carried out by the reorganized Ottoman Third Army, under the command of Wehip Pasha, which resulted in the seizure of Trabzon on February 24, 1918. This event took place during World War I.^[7]

Seizure

In the context of the Ottoman front during World War I, the German government had initially opposed Turkish advances into the Caucasus region. However, due to their growing frustration with the actions of Trotsky, the Germans abandoned their previous objections and agreed in the final version of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty to the clearance of Russian troops from the districts of Ardahan, Kars, and Batum.^[7]

Taking advantage of this shift in German policy, the reorganized Ottoman Third Army, which incorporated divisions from the disbanded Second Army, undertook an offensive to capture Trabzon. Vehip Pasha, the commander of the Ottoman Third Army, led this operation.^[7]

On February 24, 1918, Trabzon was successfully seized by Ottoman forces.^[8] However, the capture of the city was not without bloodshed. Approximately 600 individuals lost their lives, and 700 others were wounded, primarily due to an explosion in an ammunitions depot. The circumstances surrounding the explosion remain uncertain, as it is unclear whether it was an accident or an intentional act. The casualties included 1,050 Russians and 250 Greeks,^[9] highlighting the diverse ethnic composition of the region.^[7]

Notes and references

1. Gingeras, Ryan (2016-03-24). Fall of the Sultanate: The Great War and the End of the Ottoman Empire 1908-1922. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-108692-2. Ottoman units approached Erzurum and Trabzon [... ] by retreating Armenian troops...
2. Bilton, David (2014-02-11). The Central Powers on the Russian Front 1914–1918. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-3453-8.
3. (McMeekin 2015, p. 424) "Commanded by Vehip Pasha, took Trabzon on February 24"
4. Erickson, Edward J. (2021-05-24). The Turkish War of Independence: A Military History, 1919–1923. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-7842-8. General Vehip Pasha's Ottoman troops went forward, capturing Erzincan and Trabzon
5. (McMeekin 2015, p. 424) "the casulities included 1,050 Russians"
6. (McMeekin 2015, p. 424) "and 250 Greeks"
7. (McMeekin 2015, p. 424)
8. Heper, Metin; Sayari, Sabri (2013-05-07). The Routledge Handbook of Modern Turkey. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-30963-2.
9. (McMeekin 2015, p. 424) "The casualties included 1,050 Russians and 250 Greeks"

Books

• McMeekin, Sean (2015-10-13). The Ottoman Endgame: War, Revolution and the Making of the Modern Middle East, 1908-1923. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-0-7181-9972-2.