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« Reply #30 on: April 26, 2010, 12:53:19 pm » |
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I told Colonel Doluhanov that there were lots of willing officers in
Tbilisi and in Batum17, and said it was no good in trying to keep those
who were eager to leave. Colonel Morel said that he had requested
sending of 60 English artillery officers to his command and that he
had their word.
I heard that they arrested and forced a Russian, possibly a Polish,
citizen, who was working at the Erzurum train station as a chief for a
living, as he wanted to leave his position no matter how much they
paid, while all this talk was proceeding.
I ordered the battalion commanders to gather all the officers around
the artillery headquarters, close to them, in order to convey the
orders easily and to keep them under a certain organization in case
of an attack that might come up.
Before his leaving Erzurum, I asked from Senior Lieutenant Yermolov
to see General Vichenskiy, the Chief-of-Staff of the Army, in Sarıkamış
and to inform him about the conditions we were living in, and do his
best to save us from the miserable position we had fallen into among
the Armenians. I told him to inform General Gerasimov, the Artillery
Commander, likewise. Yermolov left Erzurum on February 25.
I believe it was on February 24, when a Turkish airplane conducted a
reconnaissance flight over Erzurum, which caused me to deduce the
idea that the orderly Turkish troops were either in Erzincan or even in
Mamahatun18.
In those days, Colonel Morel was saying that he had received a
proclamation from the Turkish forces requesting the evacuation of
Erzurum. After the delivering of Erzurum I had the chance of meeting
Kâzım Bey19, the Commander of the Turkish Corps.
17 Georgian city on the cost of the Black Sea.
18 District affiliated to Erzincan. Today, Tercan.
19 Kâzım (KARABEKİR) was born in 1882, Istanbul. He graduated from the Military
College in 1902 and from the War Academy on 1905. He was appointed as the Chief-
of-Staff of the 1st Army and the 6th Army; Commander of the 8th, 2nd, 1st Caucasus,
14th, 15th Divisions; and the Commander of the Eastern Front on June 14, 1920
respectively. He was appointed as the 1st Army Inspector on October 21, 1923; but as
he was a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), he was given a
leave by a special decree dated December 19, 1923. He was elected as the Deputy
of Edirne in the 1st and 2nd term; and as the Deputy of İstanbul in the 5th and 8th
terms of the TGNA. He served as the president of the TGNA from 1946 to 1948. He
died on January 25, 1948. He gave numerous seminars and conferences, published
books on military, political, and historical issues, 44 of which were published.
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