Andranik Ozanian - World War I

World War I

During World War I Andranik participated in the Caucasus Campaign and was appointed as general of the Armenian volunteer units of the Russian Caucasian Army. He participated in 20 different offensives where he gained fame due to his courage and the tactics he employed to defeat the Ottoman forces. The Russian authorities made Andranik a Major General in 1918 and decorated him six times for gallantry.

Andranik was the commanding officer of the fist Armenian volunteer detachment (about 1,200 soldiers), which helped lift the Siege of Van on May 6, 1915. He also commanded the battalion that defeated Ottoman forces of Halil Pasha during the Battle of Bitlis in 1916.

General Nikolai Yudenich, the Chief of Staff of the Russian Caucasus Army, described Andranik as "brave to madness". In recognition of lieutenant general Theodore G. Chernozubov the successes of Russian army in Ashnaka, Vrush-Khoran, Khanika, Kotur, Saray, Molla-Hasan, Belenjik and Garateli are significantly associated with the fighting of the 1st Armenian militia, headed by Andranik. Chernozubov praised Andranik as a brave and experienced chief, who well understood the combat situation, described him as always at the head of militia, enjoying great prestige among the volunteers. The brigade under the command of Andranik valiantly participated in the Battle of Dilman, April 15–18, 1915 in which the Caucasus was rescued from enemy invasion.

In March 1916 General Yudenich decided to disband the Armenian volunteer battalions and incorporate them into the Russian Army, an act which led to Andranik's resignation and departure from the front. In 1916–1917 Andranik was in Tiflis and Northern Caucasus, where he tried to find aid for Armenian refugees from the Ottoman Empire. From May 2–11, 1917 the First Congress of Western Armenians was organized by his initiative. From 1917 to 1918 the newspaper Hayastan (Armenia) was published by Andranik in Tiflis with Vahan Totovents as its editor.

The February Revolution of 1917 caused chaos among Russian soldiers in the Caucasus Front and by the end of that year most Russian soldiers left the front and returned to their homes. In July 1917 six Armenian regiments were created in the Caucasus Front with support of Armenian organizations in Petrograd and Tiflis. As of October 1917 two Armenian divisions were already created, with Tovmas Nazarbekian at their head. As of early 1918 only few thousand Armenian volunteers under the command of two hundred officers opposed the Turkish offenses.

Between March and April 1918 Andranik was the governor of the Administration for Western Armenia (the Armenian provisional government, a provisional administrative entity centered near Lake Van and other areas formerly occupied by the Russians. His military leadership was instrumental in allowing the Armenian population of Van to escape the Ottoman Army and flee to Eastern Armenia. The territory later became the Democratic Republic of Armenia.