The Battles of May 1918 and the Survival of Armenia

31. The Military Crisis of May 1918

In May 1918, Ottoman forces advanced into eastern Armenia.

The Armenian population faced a severe emergency.

Hundreds of thousands of Armenian refugees had already fled from Ottoman territories and previous military campaigns.

Food supplies were inadequate, transportation networks were disrupted, and the collapse of Russian authority had weakened regional defense.

The Ottoman advance threatened the Ararat plain and the approaches to Yerevan and Etchmiadzin.

Armenian commanders organized available military units, volunteers, local militias, and civilian support.

Among the important military figures were Movses Silikyan, Daniel Bek-Pirumyan, and Drastamat Kanayan, widely known as Dro.

The Armenian defense depended upon coordinated military resistance and civilian mobilization.

32. The Battle of Sardarapat

The Battle of Sardarapat, fought in late May 1918, became one of the defining events of modern Armenian history.

Armenian forces confronted Ottoman troops near Sardarapat, west of Yerevan.

The battle was fought under conditions of extraordinary danger.

A decisive Ottoman breakthrough could have opened the way toward Yerevan and threatened the survival of the remaining Armenian population in the region.

Armenian forces launched counterattacks and succeeded in stopping the Ottoman advance.

The victory helped preserve the territorial core from which the First Republic of Armenia emerged.

Sardarapat occupies a central place in Armenian national memory because its significance extended beyond the battlefield.

It demonstrated that Armenian military and civilian organization could resist an invading army even after the collapse of the imperial system upon which regional security had previously depended.

33. The Battles of Bash Abaran and Karakilisa

The defense of eastern Armenia also depended on fighting at Bash Abaran and Karakilisa.

At Bash Abaran, Armenian forces under Dro helped halt an Ottoman advance from the north.

At Karakilisa, Armenian troops and volunteers resisted Ottoman forces in heavy fighting.

The Battle of Karakilisa was particularly costly, and Armenian forces ultimately withdrew, but their resistance delayed the Ottoman advance and contributed to the broader defensive effort.

These battles were interconnected.

Together, they prevented the rapid collapse of Armenian defenses and created the conditions under which an Armenian government could emerge.

The victories and resistance of May 1918 did not end the military danger.

They did, however, preserve the possibility of Armenian statehood.