The Armenian volunteer units ( ''Hay kamavorakan jokatner'') were units composed of Armenia within the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Composed of several groups at

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

strength. The Russian-Armenian volunteer units took part in military activities in the Middle Eastern theater of World War I.

Background

In August 1914, following Germany's declaration of war against Russia, Count Illarion Vorontsov-Dashkov, the Russian Caucasus Viceroy approached Armenian leaders in the Russian city of

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

to broach the idea of a formation of a separate fighting corps inside the Russian Army, made up of the Russian Empire's Armenian subjects. Armenians were already being enrolled in the regular Russian army and sent to the Eastern front, but Vorontsov-Dashkov offered to furnish weapons and supplies to outfit four detachments that were envisioned to take part in fighting against the Ottoman Empire (the Ottomans would not enter the war until October that year). His offer was received warmly, and within a few weeks, Armenian volunteers throughout the Caucasus began to enlist. Responsibility for its formation was given to a special committee created by the Armenian Congress of Eastern Armenians, which coordinated its activities from

, Yerevan and

Alexandrapol Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

Establishment

The establishment of Armenian volunteer units in the Russian army dates back to the summer of 1914. Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov consulted with the Mayor of Tbilisi

Alexander Khatisian Alexander Khatisian (; 17 February 1874 – 10 March 1945) was an Armenian politician, doctor and journalist. In a letter to his wife, the first prime minister of Armenia, Hovhannes Kajaznuni, described Khatisian as a person with "inexhaustible ...

, the primate of Tbilisi, Bishop Mesrop Ter-Movsisian, and the prominent civic leader Dr. Hakob Zavriev about the creation of Armenian volunteer detachments.Hovannisian "The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times " p 280 These units would be employed on the Caucasus front in

. The Armenian volunteer units, mostly from the Caucasus region, were impatient to take arms "to liberate their homeland". In several towns occupied by the Russian forces, Armenian students were ready to join the Russian Empire's Armenian volunteer army. Besides the regular soldiers of the Russian Caucasus Army, nearly 20,000 Armenian irregular units expressed their readiness to take up arms against the Ottoman Empire. The size of these units increased during the war and Boghos Nubar gave the summary of these units in a public letter to the

Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Paris () is the capital and largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the fourth-most populous city in the European Union and the 30th most densely pop ...

as 150,000 Armenians in the Russian Empire's volunteer units and around 40,000 Armenian irregular units. File:Pervaya Armyanskaya Drujina 1 battalion 1914.png, 1st. Armenian battalion File:Pervaya Armyanskaya Drujina 2 battalion 1914.png, 2nd Armenian battalion File:Pervaya Armyanskaya Drujina 3 battalion 1914.png, 3rd Armenian battalion Image:Pervaya Armyanskaya Drujina 4 battalion 1914.png, 4th Armenian battalion

Order of Battle, 1914

The acting commander

Andranik Ozanian Andranik Ozanian, commonly known as General Andranik or simply Andranik (25 February 186531 August 1927), was an Armenian military commander and statesman, the best known '' fedayi'' and a key figure of the Armenian national liberation movem ...

under Viceroyalty of the Caucasus

Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov (; 27 May 1837 – 15 January 1916) was a Russian general and official. He served as served as Minister of Imperial Properties between 1881 and 1897 and as Governor-General of the Caucasus Viceroyalty b ...

. * Armenian volunteer corps ** 1st battalion (

) ** 2nd battalion ( Drastamat Kanayan and

Armen Garo Garegin or Karekin Pastermadjian (), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Armen Garo or Armen Karo (Արմէն Գարօ; 9 February 1872 – 23 March 1923) was an Armenian activist and politician. Armen Karo was a leading member of the Arme ...

) ** 3rd battalion ( Hamazasp Srvandztyan ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' Hamazasp) ** 4th battalion ( Arshak Gafavian ''

'' Keri) ** Regiment Ararat ( Sargis Mehrabyan ''

'' Vartan) Andranik's detachment was assigned to the Persian Campaign along General Tovmas Nazarbekian's forces. The second, third and fourth units were assigned to the

Caucasus Campaign The Caucasus campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, later including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, the German Empire, the Central Caspian Dict ...

. Drastamat Kanayan and

directed the 2nd battalion over the offensives around

Lake Van Lake Van (; ; ) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey in the provinces of Van Province, Van and Bitlis Province, Bitlis, in the Armenian highlands. It is a Salt lake, saline Soda lake, soda lake, receiv ...

( Vaspurakan). The 3rd and 4th battalions commanded by Hamazasp and Keri were assigned to the positions along the Kars Oblast.

Enver Pasha İsmâil Enver (; ; 23 November 1881 – 4 August 1922), better known as Enver Pasha, was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Turkish people, Turkish military officer, revolutionary, and Istanbul trials of 1919–1920, convicted war criminal who was a p ...

's offensive had a great chance of success if all three wings of the Third Army could reach their objectives on time. The Ottoman Tenth Army corps, during its march from Olti to Sarikamish, suffered a delay of 24 hours in the Barduz Pass due to the resistance of the "''4th battalion of the Armenian volunteers''". This delay enabled the Russian Caucasus Army to concentrate a sufficient force around Sarikamish, resulting in the destruction of the Ottoman Third Army in the

Battle of Sarikamish The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian Empire, Russian and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empires during World War I. It took place from December 22, 1914, to January 17, 1915, as part of the Caucasus campaign. The battle resul ...

Order of Battle, 1915

The acting commander

under Viceroyalty of the Caucasus Nicholas Nikolaevich. During the siege of Van there were 20,000 Armenian volunteer units serving in the Russian army. The Russian army entered Van on 16 May 1915. v. 2000: T. 30, pp. 101–102 "On the 6th of May the Armenian flag waved over the citadel of Van. The Vaspourakanis welcomed with great love the Russian soldiers and the Armenian volunteers under the leadership of General

." Later on 15 October, under heavy fight around the region

, these battalions had lost five hundred Armenian soldiers and there were more than twelve hundred wounded or missing.Like One Family: The Armenians of Syracuse by Arpena S. Mesrobian p,53

Order of Battle, 1916

The volunteer detachment contingents, fighting under Armenian commanders, were observed in the Russian Caucasian Army as rifle battalions under Russian officers. Around 1916, more than 1,000 Armenian reserve soldiers quit the Russian army in the Eastern Front and joined the Armenian irregular units (Fedayee).

Order of Battle, 1917

The Russian Caucasus Front collapsed following the abdication of the Tsar. In 1917, the Armenian Congress of Eastern Armenians asked the Armenian soldiers and officers scattered throughout Russian occupied regions to gradually be brought together. The plan was to mobilize Armenians on the Caucasian front. With that purpose in view, an Armenian Military Committee was formed with General Bagradouni as its president. These Armenian conscripts and volunteers from the Russian Army later established the core of the armed forces of the

First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia, was an independent History of Armenia, Armenian state that existed from May (28th ''de jure'', 30th ''de facto'') 1918 to 2 December 1920 in ...

Background

Establishment

Order of Battle, 1914

Order of Battle, 1915

Order of Battle, 1916

Order of Battle, 1917

See also

References

Further reading