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Battle of Van
Part of Caucasus Campaign in the Middle Eastern Theatre (World War I)
File:Armenians fighting against the ottomans during wwi van.jpg The volunteer unit commander (uniformed on the left) (after the Van Resistance they established garrison) alongside the local Armenian militia (civilian clothing) resisting incoming sources
Date August 19-August 22, 1915 Location Van, Turkey Result Initial Ottoman Victory give away to a retreat in front of Andranik Toros Ozanian
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Armenia Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
?	?
Strength
10,000	?
Casualties and losses
?	(12,000) ?

The Battle of Van was retake of the city of Van, in August 1915 from Russians & Armenians, which the after months of fighting, on 3 August the Russians were forced to abandon Van , which the reoccupation followed. The Ottoman control of the city of Van lasted nearly a month and with the advance of Andranik Toros Ozanian ottoman Army left the region until 2 April 1918. The Ottoman Army lost the control of the city Van and the Van province due to the Van Resistance in April-May.

Background April-July

The Ottomans had long persecuted the Armenians of Eastern Turkey.

In April, 1915, Andranik Ozanian and his forces at Tbilisi (the central command of Russian Caucasus Army) begin to move deep into Ottoman territory. In April, 1915, the Armenians of Van developed the Armenian Resistance. During Armenian Resistance Ottoman forces fight with Armenian local defenders which this fight lasted from April 19, 1915 to May 6. The rebellion was successful. On 16 May the Armenian battalions led Russian regulars into Van. The Armenians turned the city over to the Russian army. The leaders of Van Resistance gave the keys to the city and citadel to the General Nikolayev. The conflict became Ottoman-Russian conflict.

The next three months the Russian commander General Nickoleaf faced with the Ottoman Army. He ordered the Armenian legion to expel the Ottoman from the southern shore of lake Van in order to clear the way for a Russian advance into the province of Bitlis.

The Battle, August

After the Battle of Malazgirt, the Russian army retreated from the Van area, leaving only a small garrison, in Van. On August 13 the Russian garrison in the city of Van issued a call for all Armenians between the ages of 18 and 25 to come to the city with any weapons they had. By the time the Ottoman forces arrived outside Van on the 15th, thousands of locals had come to the city from the surrounding countryside. On the 16th the Ottoman Army began a bombardment of the town.

On August 19, the Ottomans entered the city of Van, and were met by resistance forces firing rifles from every window and door. According to Ottoman sources, city was captured on August 22, after several days of intense urban fighting.

Result

The Russian victory. The Ottoman forces did not try to capture the city until 2 April 1918, which gives a rough sense of the time that the region was under the control of Armenian Aram Manougian of ARF. The modern city of Van is located some miles away from the old location; ruins of the old town can still be seen today.

References

1. David Nicolle, (1994) "The Ottoman Army, 1914-18" Page 10.
2. Spencer C. Tucker (1998) "The Great War 1914-18" page 179.
3. Richard G Hovannisian, Armenians' road to Independence in The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times: Foreign Dominion to Statehood
4. : "On the 6th of May the Armenian flag flew over the citadel of Van. The Vaspourakanis welcomed with great love the Russian soldiers and the Armenian volunteers under the leadership of General Andranik Ozanian."

• Conflicts in 1915
• Battles involving the Ottoman Empire
• Battles involving Russia
• Battles of World War I
• Middle Eastern theatre of World War I