Battle of Muş

The Battle of Muş, also known as the Ognot campaign, took place during World War I in the southeastern Anatolian region of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), between forces of the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire. One of the commanders involved in the battle was Mustafa Kemal, who later became known as Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey.^[14] The battle resulted in a Russian victory. After about three weeks of fighting, the Russians captured the city of Muş.^[15] The Ottoman Second Army suffered heavy casualties and was nearly destroyed.^[2]

Battle of Muş
Part of the Caucasus campaign of World War I
Map of military operations on the Caucasus campaign in 1914–1916 by Andrei Zayonchkovski
Date 3 August 1916 – 24 August 1916 Location Muş, Ottoman Empire Result Russian victory[NB 1] Territorial changes Russian recapture of Muş and Bitlis
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Russian Empire Armenian volunteer units[9]
Commanders and leaders
Ahmed Izzet Pasha Mustafa Kemal Pasha Faik Pasha	Nikolai Istomin Nikolai Yudenich Tovmas Nazarbekian[10]
Units involved
Second Army Kurdish Tribesmen	Russian Caucasus Army Armenian Fedayi
Strength
81,000[11]–120,000[12] men	50,000 men
Casualties and losses
56,000[12]–60,000 killed, wounded or captured[13][11]	20,000 killed, wounded and captured[citation needed]

Battle

Following major Russian victories in the northern theater, as well as the Russian capture of Bitlis in the south, the Ottoman forces faced significant setbacks. The Ottomans were forced to redeploy troops, including veterans from the successful defense of Gallipoli against Russia's Western allies.

On 3 August, with a significant manpower advantage of 2.5 to 1, the Ottomans launched a general offensive against Russian forces along the entire front. After heavy fighting, the Russians abandoned Muş by 8 August. Ultimately, however, the 1st Russian Division managed to turn the tide and decisively defeat four Ottoman divisions. Due to the remote location, the initial phase of the battle presented logistical challenges for the Russians, who in some areas faced Ottoman forces which outnumbered them as much as 4 to 1.^[16]

Through fierce resistance, as well as the effective deployment of new mobile artillery, the Russians inflicted significant casualties on the Ottomans.^[17] Seizing the opportunity, Russian General Nikolai Yudnich launched a counteroffensive against Ottoman force across the entire front.^[18]

The Russians recaptured Muş on 23 August. Ottoman General Faik Pasha was reportedly killed during the battle.^[2] Some sources place General Pasha's death on 24 August or 25 August. However, other sources claim that he died after the battle, on 30 August.^[19]

Aftermath

The Ottomans' defeat in the Battle of Muş solidified Russia's military dominance. In the aftermath, the Ottoman Second Army suffered heavy losses at the hands of Russian artillery, and it was eventually reduced to the size of a corps.^[2]