Caucasian Active Army, December 1914

[maxnechitaylov]

Caucasian Active Army at the beginning of December, 1914
(according to Maslovskiy)

1) Primorskiy area (By-the-Sea)

1st Kuban Plastun Btn
264th Georgievsky Infantry Rgt (4 btns)
19th Turkestan Rifle Rgt (3 btns)
eight Militia druzhinas
4th Bry of 66th Artillery Bde = 8 guns
Mikhaylovskiy Fortress Sapper Btn (2 comp.)
Frontier Guard: one btn and one sotinia of 25th bde
1st and 2nd Mikhaylovskaia Supernumerary batteries - 12 guns
In all: 9 btns, 8 druzhinas, 20 guns, 1 sotnia, 2 Engineer companies


2) Erzerum area: 62 1/4 btns, 39 sotnias, 172 guns, 10 Engineer coys, 1 druzhina

a) Olta detachment
8 btns and 24 guns of 20th Inf. Division
3rd Gorsko-Mozdokskiy Cossack Rgt (6 sotn.)
half of battalion and one sotnia of 26th bde Frontier Guard
1st Kars Separate Sapper Company
4th Armenian Druzhina (Keri's)
In all: 8,5 btns, 7 sotnias, 24 guns, 1 druzhina, 1 Engineer company

b) Sarykamysh detachment:
I Caucasian Army Corps:
39 Inf. Division: 16 btns, 48 guns
20 Inf. Division: 8 btns
1st Kuban Plastun Bde: 5 btns
2nd Kuban Plastun Bde: 6 btns
1st Caucasian Separate Artillery Divizion: 12 guns
1st Caucasian Mortar Divizion: 12 howitzers
1st Caucasian Sapper Btn (4 coys)
1st Caucasian Cossack Division: 24 sotnias
3rd Caucasian Cossack Rgt - Kuban host (6 sotn.)
3/4 of btn and two sotnias of 26th bde Frontier Guard
II Turkestan Army Corps:
4th Turk. Rifle Bde: 12 btns, 24 guns.
5th Turk. Rifle Bde: 6 btns, 16 guns.
2nd Turkestan Sapper Btn (5 coys)
In all: 53 3/4 btns, 32 sotnias, 148 guns, 9 coys


3) Erevan area:
IV Caucasian Army Corps:
66th Inf. Division: 8 btns, 40 guns.
2nd Caucasian Cossack Division: 24 sotnias, 12 guns.
Transcaspian Cossack Bde: 12 sotnias, 6 guns.
2 btns and 5 sotnias of 26th and 27th bdes Frontier Guard
2nd Caucasian Separate Sapper Company
2nd and 3rd Armenian druzhinas
In all: 10 btns, 41 sotnias, 58 guns, 1 Engineer coy, 2 druzhinas

4) Azerbaijan Area:
2nd Caucasian Rifle bde: 8 btns, 24 guns
4th Caucasian Cossack Division: 24 sotnias
3/4 of btn of 27th bde Frontier Guard
1st Armenian druzhina
In all: 8 3/4 btns, 24 sotnias, 24 guns, 1 druzhina

5) guard of Black Sea coast:
3rd Kuban Plastun bde: 6 btns

6) Kars Fortress:
263th Gunibskiy Infantry Rgt: 4 btns
Kars Fortress Sapper Btn (2 coys)

7) Army Reserve:
3rd Caucasian Rifle Bde: 8 btns, 18 guns
Siberian Cossack bde: 12 sotnias, 6 guns

Caucasian Active Army, total:
108 btns, 117 sotnias, 298 guns, 15 Engineer coys, 8 Militia druzhinas, 4 Armenian druzhinas

[stevebecker]

Mate,

Thank you for that, its a chance to check against the other lists we have been working on.

I think you missed the 1st Caucasus Rifle Brigade in the 1st Cauc Corps

Keep going .

What did the Turks bring against them?

3rd Turkish Army

2nd Cav Div (9th Cav Bde 11th Cav Bdes)

Erzurum
9th Corps (17th 28th 29th Div's)
9Bty Horse Arty (8 guns) possibly with 9 Cav Bde)
19th or 20th Cav Regt (1914) 9th Eng Bn - 9th Model Bn - 9th Train Bn - 9th Sig Co

Erzincan
10th Corps (30th 31st 32nd Div's) and 7th Obüs/How Bn -2x batteries each with 4x 105 mm guns or reported 120mm Bty 12-14 (all Guns?) lost against the Russians
19th Cav Regt 10th Eng Bn - 10th Train Bn - 10th Sig Co (telegraph) - 10th Model Bn

Van
11th Corps (18th 33rd 34th Div's) and
11th Horse Arty Bn 2xBttys 8 guns possibly with 11 Cav Bde
25th Cav Regt (1914) 11th Eng Bn - 11th Train Bn - 11th Sig Co - 11th Model Bn

Large numbers of paramilitary Jandarma units along the frontier cities most formed into units like;

Van Jandarma Div - Van Jandarma Regt (7xBns) Bitlis Jandarma Regt (independent) Diyarbakir Jandarma Regt (independent)
Van Cav Bde (Reserve)
Erzurum Jandarma Regt
Bayburt Jandarma Bn
Trabzon Jandarma Regt
Sivas Jandarma Regt
others not indentified?

That's what I found so far, it still does not show the Corps and Army Artillery or where the Four Reserve Cavalry Divisions operatated?

So Max if any of these details are covered in that Russian order of battle on the Turkish 3rd Army would be good to cross check?

S.B

[maxnechitaylov]

I think you missed the 1st Caucasus Rifle Brigade in the 1st Cauc Corps

No. It's sent to the Western front together with the 2nd Caucasian AC, and it's replaced in the 1st Caucasian AC with the 2nd Caucasian Rifle Bde.

3rd Turkish Army
2nd Cav Div (9th Cav Bde 11th Cav Bdes)

See below. In the end of November, 1914, cavalry regiments had only 200 horses each.

According to Korsun:
9th Corps [destroyed in December]: 17th Div. (49, 50, 51 rgts, 17 art. rgt); 28th Div. (82, 83, 84 rgts, 28 art. rgt); 29th Div. (85, 86, 87 rgts, 29 art. rgt); 9th Cav. Bde (21, 22, 25 rgts [in fact, only one squadron in all brigade], 4th Horse Artillery Divizion)
10th Corps: 30th Div. (88, 89, 90 rgts, 30 art. rgt) [destriyed in December]; 31st Div.(91, 92, 93 rgts, 31 art. rgt); 32nd Div. (94, 95, 96 rgts, 32 art. rgt); 10th Cav. bde (19 and 20 cav. rgts - actually, only 5 squadrons)
11th Corps: 18th Div. (52, 53, 54 rgts, 18 art. rgt); 33rd Div. (97, 98, 99 rgts, 33 art. rgt); 34th Div. (100, 101, 102 rgts, 34 art. rgt) [destroyed in December]; 11th Cav. Bde (23 and 24 rgts - in fact, only 4 squadrons).

That's what I found so far, it still does not show the Corps and Army Artillery or where the Four Reserve Cavalry Divisions operatated?

Kurdish Cavalry rgts:
1st and 4th Ashiret (Reserve) Cavalry Divisions: together with 2nd Cavalry Division, in Passin (Passinskaia) valley.
2nd and 3rd Ashiret (Reserve) Cavalry Divisions: against Russian Erevan detachment. Later 2nd Division sent to Passin valley.

3rd Ashiret Cavalry Bde and five Frontier Guard btns: Persian frontier, against Russian Azerbaijan Detachment.
36bis and 37bis divisions arrived to Khnys-Kala in November, 1914.
37th Division (13th Corps) sent to Van area (end of the November, 1914).

15 Frontier Guard Btns: Caucasian Frontier.

X Corps sent to Erzurum (beginning of the November, 1914).
3rd Division (1st Corps): sent to Batum region.

[stevebecker]

Max,

Cheers

The Regular Turkish 9th Cav Bde had in 1914 two order of battle

Oct 1914 - 21st Cav Regt 22nd Cav Regt 24th Cav Regt

Nov 1914- 21st Cav Regt 22nd Cav Regt 23rd Cav Regt 24th Cav Regt

9Bty Horse Arty Bn 2xBtys (8 guns)


The Regular 11th Cav Bde

(19th Cav Regt) 20th Cav Regt 23rd Cav Regt 25th Cav Regt

11th Horse Arty Bn 2xBtys (8 guns)

Still not sure on the movement of the 19th and 23rd Cav Regts around the 2nd Cav Div when formed from the two Cav Bdes? but since you show them in the 10th Corps then may explan what the Turks were doing.

I could find no 10th Cav Bde in the Turkish order of battle?

All formed into the Regular 2nd Cav Div between Oct Nov 1914

I could find no 3rd Ashiret (Res) Cavalry Bde, but there were a 1st Res Cav Bde and 2nd Res Cav Bde but these were around the 1st Res Cav Div area as some their Res Cav Regts made up regts in the 1st Res Cav Div.

The 3rd Division (1st Corps): sent to Batum region is possibly the;

3rd Composite Müretteb or Mürattep Div Caucasus reformed as 1st Expeditionary Force

Your right the two Divs (35th and 36th Divs) of the 12th Corps arrived around Mosul 1914 and the 37th Div (13th Corps) around Diyâr i Bekr in Oct 1914. But the 35th Div had gone to Baghdad by Jan 1915 leaving the 36 and 37 Divs around that area.

I forgot about these units in Northern Persia. thanks for reminding me.

Cheers

S.B

[maxnechitaylov]

since you show them

I only bring to you the Russian version of Turkish BO...

[maxnechitaylov]

I could find no 3rd Ashiret (Res) Cavalry Bde

Yet existed in September, 1915:
12 sotnias (hundreds)

https://archive.org/stream/mirovaiavoin ... 8/mode/1up

[stevebecker]

Max,

No worries mate

It may explain there being no 10th Cav Bde in Turkish records as these Cav Regts were attach to the 10th Corps.

I am thinking since this Bde (3rd Ashiret (Res) Cavalry Bde) is shown in records then it must have been there so did the Turks call it by another name?

Turkish records show the Van Reserve Cav Bde around that area, so was 3rd Ashiret (Res) Cavalry Bde maybe that Cav Bde.

Van Cav Bde (Reserve)

18th Res Cav Regt Özalp
19th Res Cav Regt Baskale
29th Res Cav Regt Özalp
30th Res Cav Regt Hanik

I have no disbanding date for this Cav Bde and appears in records with the Van Jandarma Div during the war.

the other two Res Cav Bdes

1st Reserve Cav Bde - Erzerum

3rd Res Cav Regt Hinnis
24th Res Cav Regt Hinnis
25th Res Cav Regt Hinnis + MG Co

2nd Reserve Cav Bde - Kara Kilisee

2nd Res Cav Regt Hinnis
21st Res Cav Regt Hinnis
17th Res Cav Regt Mürettep + MG Co

So it would follow that the other Res Cav Bde would be shown as the 3rd Res Cav Bde instead of the Van Res Cav Bde.

I did find the 3rd Res Cav Bde at Arjish (shown in the Handbook on the Turkish Army by the British in 1916)

its mentioned with the 1st and 2nd Res Cav Bde

British records are shown as the details in the Handbook on the Turkish Army coming from the Russians.

Cheers

S.B