View source for Battle of Bitlis

{{Short description|1915–16 battles in the Caucasus Campaign}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Bitlis<br>Битлисское сражение<br>Բաղեշի ճակատամարտ<br>Bitlis Muharebesi
| partof            = [[Caucasus campaign]]
| image             = [[Image:Ataturk-1916-Bitlis.jpg|300px]]<br>[[File:Antranik in Bitlis 1917.jpg|300px]]
| caption           = 
| date              = July 1915 – August 1916
| place             = [[Bitlis Vilayet]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| result            = Russian victory<ref name=IMDA/><ref name=EA/><ref name=tucker2002/>
| combatant1        = [[Russian Empire]]
*[[Armenian volunteer units]]
*[[Assyrian volunteers]]<ref name="Mesopotamia, 1917-1920
A Clash of Loyalties; a Personal and Historical Record">[https://books.google.se/books?id=ktpmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA35&dq=agha+petros+caucasus+campaign&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwih98PosYCLAxX8ElkFHXr1PEk4ChDrAXoECAUQBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false, 1931, p. 35]</ref>
| combatant2        = [[Ottoman Empire]]
*[[Kurds|Kurdish]] tribesmen
| commander1        = '''[[Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich|Nikolai Yudenich]]'''<br>[[Andranik Ozanian]]<br>[[Agha Petros]]<ref name="Mesopotamia, 1917-1920
A Clash of Loyalties; a Personal and Historical Record">[https://books.google.se/books?id=ktpmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA35&dq=agha+petros+caucasus+campaign&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwih98PosYCLAxX8ElkFHXr1PEk4ChDrAXoECAUQBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false, 1931, p. 35]</ref>
| commander2        = '''[[Mustafa Kemal Pasha]]'''<br>[[Ahmed Izzet Pasha]]{{#tag:ref|Army commander|group=cmt.}}
| strength1         = [[Russian Caucasus Army (World War I)|Russian Caucasus Army]]<br>[[Armenian fedayi|Armenian ''Fedayi'']]
| strength2         = [[Second Army (Ottoman Empire)|Second Army]]<br>[[Kurds|Kurdish]] Tribesmen
| casualties1       = Unknown
| casualties2       = 34,000 captured or killed<ref name="tucker2002" />
}}
{{Campaignbox Caucasus Campaign}}

The '''Battle of Bitlis''' refers to a series of engagements in the summer of 1916 for the town of [[Bitlis]] and to a lesser extent nearby [[Muş]], between [[Imperial Russian Army|Russian Imperial forces]] and their [[Ottoman Army|Ottoman counterparts]]. The town was the last stronghold of the Ottoman Empire preventing the Russians from entering Anatolia and Mesopotamia.
Part of the battle is known as [[Battle of Muş]]

The first military confrontation at Bitlis occurred in July 1915, when Russian troops launched an unsuccessful assault on the town's fortifications. The second confrontation began in February 1916 and ended with the capture of Bitlis by new Russian corps, which largely consisted of the 1st Battalion of the Armenian volunteer units under the command of [[Andranik Ozanian]]. The [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] withdrawal from [[Gallipoli]] gave opportunity for Turkish forces to redeploy to the [[Caucasus]] region. Russian commander [[Nikolai Yudenich]] intended to attack the Turks before they could organize their forces to launch an attack.<ref name="tucker2002">{{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Spencer |year=2002 |title=The Great War, 1914-1918 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v_2HAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA180 |publisher=UCL Press |pages=180–181 |isbn=1-85728-390-2 |author-link=Spencer C. Tucker |quote=But Yudenich retook both on 24 August, whereupon both sides retired into winter}}</ref> After a series of clashes in [[Koprukoy]], [[Erzurum]], [[Muş]], the Russian [[4th Caucasus Army Corps|IV Caucasian Corps]] captured Bitlis on 2-3 March,<ref>{{cite book |last=Burg |first=David F. |year=2010 |title= Almanac of World War I|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dwhzE57Q0eUC |publisher=University of Kentucky Press |page=104|isbn=9780813127453}}</ref> 1,000 more prisoners were taken in the city.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Gilbert |title=The First World War: A complete History |location=Moscow |publisher=Квадрига |year=2023 |isbn=978-5-389-08465-0 |page=322 }}</ref>

The Ottoman troops of [[Ahmed Izzet Pasha]] were composed of veterans from the [[Gallipoli campaign]]. They were to outflank the Russians in Bitlis before the end of March, but communications were terrible, and troops had to march from Ankara for a month. The [[Turkish Second Army]]'s (belated) offensive began on 2 August 1916 and successfully took back Bitlis (and [[Muş]]) but lost other territories in the Euphrates region to the Russians.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Spencer |last2=Wood |first2=Laura Matysek |last3=Murphy |first3=Justin D. |year=1999 |title=The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gv3GEyB19wIC&pg=PA175 |publisher=Garland Publishing |page=175 |isbn=0-8153-3351-X}}</ref> On 24 August, the Russian forces had recaptured both Mush and Bitlis.{{sfn|Jaques|2006|p=143}}<ref name="tucker2002" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Chalabian |first=Antranig |date=1988 |title=General Andranik and the Armenian Revolutionary Movement |pages=273–275 |publisher=Antranig Chalabian |isbn=0962274119 |author-link=Antranig Chalabian}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Herman |first=Gerald |year=1992 |title=The Pivotal Conflict: A Comprehensive Chronology of the First World War, 1914-1919 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KAMMAQAAMAAJ |location=Westport, Connecticut |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=268 |isbn=0-313-22793-4}}</ref><ref name=IMDA>{{cite book |title=The International Military Digest Annual: A Review of the Current Literature of Military Science for 1915 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fRUJAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA224 |location=New York City |publisher=The International Military Digest |year=1916 |page=224 |quote=Noteworthy in this theater is the Russian success in recapturing Mush and Bitlis (Aug 25), which the Turks had won earlier in the month.}}</ref><ref name=EA>{{cite book |title=[[Encyclopedia Americana]] |volume=29 |location=Danbury, Connecticut |publisher=[[Grolier]] |year=2000 |page=300 |isbn=0-7172-0133-3 |quote=In any case, Yudenich was able to recapture Mus and Bitlis on August 24.}}</ref><ref name=EAIE>{{cite book |year=1970 |title=Encyclopedia Americana International Edition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wKtRvM5yOZ4C |location=Danbury, Connecticut |publisher=Grolier |page=299 |quote=To the south, the Turkish Second Army took Mus and Bitlis in mid-August, but the Russians recaptured the two towns a week later.}}</ref> The Ottomans suffered 34,000 casualties, around half of which were POWs.<ref name="tucker2002" />

== See also ==
*[[Battle of Muş]]
*[[Battle of Çapakçur]]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|group=cmt.}}
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Battles of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]

==Sources==
*''The Berlin-Baghdad Express: the Ottoman Empire and Germany's bid for world power'', Sean McMeekin, page 243
*{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Battles |first=Tony |last=Jaques |volume=1,A-E |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2006  |quote=While Russian General Nikolai Yudenich seized Erzincan, Ahmet Izzet Pasha's Second Army advanced against the Russian left flank, where his corps cammder Mustafa Kemal seized Bitlis and Mus. Yudenich counter-attacked and, after prolonged combat west of Lake Van, he retook Bitlis and the Turks abandoned Mus before winter ended the fighting.}}
* {{Cite book |last=Öz Akçora, Kaya |first=Ergün, Mehmet |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/549884 |title=The Place and Importance of Bingöl and Bitlis in the First World War |date=May 14, 2022}}

{{Ottoman battles in the 20th century}}
{{coord missing|Turkey}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bitlis}}
[[Category:Battles in 1916]]
[[Category:Battles of the Caucasus Campaign]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Battles of World War I involving Russia]]
[[Category:Bitlis vilayet]]
[[Category:1916 in Armenia]]
[[Category:History of Bitlis]]
[[Category:1916 in the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:1916 in the Russian Empire]]