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The Armenian Legion, established with the . The soldiers in this legion were referred to informally among the Armenians as "Gamavor" (Volunteer). INITIAL PLANS Signed in Paris by General Roques , Minister of War, and General Lacaze , Minister of Navy, the official decision regarding the establishment of the Armenian Legion dates November 15th, 1916 in Paris . According to this initial decision,
ESTABLISHMENT The Legion was established officially in Cairo , Egypt in November 1916, with the accord of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an Armenian delegation. Several Armenian organizations pledged contribution to form several battalions under the planned Armenian Legion. Negotiations of Boghos Nubar with French political and military authorities culminated in the formation of the French Armenian Legion. Ninety-five percent Armenian in composition, the Legion included Ottoman Armenian refugees, former prisoners of war, and permanent residents of Egypt, America, and Europe. Under the command of General Edmund Allenby, the Legion, fighting in Palestine, Syria, and finally Cilicia, won the plaudits of Clemenceau’s government and its Entente allies."Richard G. Hovannisian, Armenia on the Road to Independence,' 1967 The majority of the the soldiers were said to be recruits from the Armenian-American community or embittered survivors of the battle of Musa Dagh who were living in refugee camps in Port Said , Egypt, at the time. The parties agreed to the following:
The number of volunteers was an equivalent of 6 battalions, each containing 800 volunteers, and another 6 battalions was planned to be formed. Armenian committees were organizing the conscription process to recruit these soldiers in France and United States. ACTIONS ]] After the initial training in Cyprus, the Armenian Legion was first deployed in Palestine , to help French and British armies against Ottoman and German armies. Following this campaign, they were deployed in Anatolia (Asia Minor) according to the initial decisions. They were active in the cities of Adana and Mersin .http://legionarmenian.free.fr In May 1919, the Armenians declared an independent state in Clicia. However this state was short lived as France disbanded the Armenian Legion and recognized Turkey's sovereignty over the region in 1920 .http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/august_september/history002.htmlhttp://tekeyan.kronotech.com/Cilicia/homeland.htm SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
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