The Armenian Rebellion at Van

 This book covers the Armenian rebellion and the events of the First World War in the Turkish region of Van. Built out from the old city and the country's largest lake, the region bordered Iran (occupied by Russia at the time) to the east and Russia to the north. This book by Justin McCarthy and others uses Ottoman records to present a different view of the events from mainstream historical narratives. Van was only one of six vilayets that had substantial Armenian populations, and while linked, this book does not address the wider, and much contested, Armenian genocide.

The book describes the region, setting out its history, demographics, and the often rather loose Ottoman control. Kurdish tribes exerted significant control over their areas in the region, and the borders with Iran and Russia could never be properly policed by the limited Ottoman military based there. It was a tough posting: pay was often late, and in 1904 they rioted because they hadn't been given enough to eat. Disease was another risk, with several typhoid outbreaks in the army. Ammunition was always low. The Ottomans created irregular cavalry from the Kurdish tribes called the Hamidiye. Loosely based on the Cossack model, although with even less discipline, they always put tribal loyalty above the Ottoman state.

The Armenians were a minority in Van and had formed several revolutionary parties. They had plenty to revolt about, not least taxation and the violence against them. Their plan was to create a rebellion that would bring outside assistance. They sought diplomacy from Western nations and threatened Russian military intervention. Weapons could easily be imported from over the border

Armenians and Kurds had previously rebelled, following the Ottoman defeat by the Russians in the 1877-78 War. In 1896, a major rebellion occurred when Western intervention in Ottoman territory was possible, and it was stopped only because the powers disagreed over the spoils. The plan was to hold Van until the Russians intervened, but they didn't, and the rebellion was crushed. The Russians had mixed views on Armenian rebellions, as they certainly didn't want an independent Armenia on their territory or to encourage revolutionary activity. 

The region continued to be poorly governed, with famine, Kurdish raids from Iran, and high taxation levels. The Balkan Wars again highlighted Ottoman weakness and raised hopes of Russian intervention or a diplomatic solution. However, WW1 ended those hopes. The Russians prioritised the war against Germany and Austria, leaving limited forces to invade Turkey from the Caucasus. The occupation of Iran gave the Russians easier access, and the 70,000 Ottoman troops should have been able to defend the region. However, Enver Pasha believed an offensive was the right tactic, brought the Ottoman forces up to 95,000, and launched an attack. This was the Sarikamish campaign, which sent poorly equipped Ottoman forces over high mountain passes in summer uniforms. 75,000 men were lost, along with all the artillery. 

Russian troops in the Sarikamish campaign

This left the region weakly defended, and the Armenian rebellion began. There seems to be little doubt that this was well planned and that the Ottomans were aware. They responded in typical fashion, killing the Armenian leaders along with attempts to conscript young men, leaving Armenian villages undefended. Who did what, and in what order, is contested, but the outcome was death and destruction for civilians, Muslim and Christian. The Ottoman military struggled to defend the border and put down the rebellion, which was widespread across the region. It made it easier for the russian invasion to succeed in capturing the region. The war flowed back and forth, with civilians retreating with the troops for fear of reprisals by both sides. The Russians were in no rush to allow Armenians back into the region, as they had their own plans to occupy it with other settlers. Half of the Armenians in Van died during the war, and slightly more Muslims also lost their lives.

The Ottomans did not control the region at the end of the war, but the territory was recovered during the Turkish War of Independence. Deportations of Armenians had begun long before that in other parts of Turkey, with killings and deaths arising from the forced marches. Whether that was a genocide remains a contested issue to this day.

The author's conclusion that the Armenians in Van would have been better off with the Ottomans than rebelling assumes they believed they had any option, given previous massacres. Others strongly disagree with the views in this book. Relying on the Russians to enable an independent Armenia was certainly naive. The Ottoman army never had enough troops to defend the region and suppress a rebellion, and Enver Pasha's offensive made the situation far worse. In the end, it was the civilians of all religions who paid the price of the conflict.

The military aspects of this obscure conflict during WW1 gets little attention. We gave it a go in this week's midweek game, using Bloody Big Battles rules in 15mm. The Ottomans were defending one of the passes into the region, and the Russians had to break through. They did, but it was a close fight.

The Russians worked around both flanks, leaving the Ottoman centre too weak to hold the pass.