CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE SARIKAMIS OPERATION FROM THE STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL POINT OF VIEW

Abstract

Historical events must be examined objectively using different sources. Sarıkamış Operation continues to be one of the most controversial and debated battles in Turkish history. The main reason for this is that the operation is not generally evaluated under the influence of the conditions in those days, and trying to explain based on several biased sources. In Turkish History, Sarıkamış is seen as an operation in which the cold climate conditions and the lack of winter equipment were not taken into consideration. Sarıkamış also caused the loss of 90.000 soldiers with barely a shot being fired with the enthusiasm of an adventure. No operation can be claimed to be perfect. However being scientific requires consideration of the frame of time and space. The inability to examine all the main factors affecting the emotional and the event in the evaluation of historical events are the most important reasons that lead us to the wrong. Therefore, instead of dramatizing the events by emotional approach, it is thought to be useful examining the main factors affecting this operation at that time by looking at events from a broader framework. The aim of this study is to examine the different sources and evaluate the operation of Sarıkamış before and by the results and provide a different perspective for subsequent research.