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Armenian Volunteer Units




  caption Marching
  dates 1914 - 1917
  country Russia
  allegiance Armenia
  role Detachment
  size 150,000By Joan George "Merchants in Exile: The Armenians of Manchester, England, 1835-1935" page 184 (Summary of the Armenian contribution to the allied war effort)
  notable Commanders Andranik Toros Ozanian , Garegin Njdeh
  ceremonial Chief Hakob Zavriev
  ceremonial Chief Label Establishment


Armenian volunteer units were Armenian Battalions in Russian and British armies during the World War I . The Armenian force during this period also included French Armenian Legion which was established under the French army and Armenian Militia (mainly under the control Armenian Revolutionary Federation ), which was not linked to any major field army. Majority of the Armenian units support the military activities at Middle Eastern Theatre Of World War I . Most famous commander alongside the Russian army units was Andranik Toros Ozanian who became the commander of volunteer units.

There where also Yezidi-Kurdish volunteer groups that fought together with General Andranik Ozanian and the Artsakh movement who fought for Vaiq, Goris, Ijevan and Yeraskhavan but also in the battles at Bash-Aparan.

The origin of these military units were varied. There were many Armenian units which were escaped from Ottomans, such as former Ottoman Parliamentary representatives Garegin Pastermadjian (Erzurum) and Hampardzum Boyadjian .


UNDER RUSSIAN ARMY


With the onset of WWI, Armenians of the Russia who were obligated to serve became part of the regular armed forces and helped to establish the Eastern Front . In the summer of 1914, Vorontsov Daskov consulted with Tiflis mayor Aexndre Khatsian, the primate of Tiflis, Biship Mesrop, and prominent civic figure Dr. Hakob Zavriev about creating Armenian volunteer detachments.Hovannisian “The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times “ p 280 As the Armenians in Russia had already been drafted into the regular armed forces and sent to European Theatre Of World War I , the volunteer units would make up of Armenians who were not citizens of the empire or not obligated to serve. These units would be employed for the Caucasus Campaign . Many of them who were living in Caucuses and many of them were impatient to take arms to liberate their homeland.Hovannisian “The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times “ p 280

, was controlling soldiers from the old Russian army (note: 1918 old Tsarist army was dissolved; referring to Armenians whose origin was Russian), and 150,000 Armenians who had volunteered from all over the world.


BRITISH ARMY


There were 8,000 Armenian soldiers fighting under the command of General Allenby's Egyptian Expeditionary Force . General Allenby said of Armenian soldiers were:


DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

Armenian volunteer units became the military units under Democratic Republic Of Armenia . Andranik was the commander in chief of these units used which were also used in the liberation of Administration For Western Armenia .


SEE ALSO



NOTES