Caucasian Battlefields A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border 1828–1921

The Caucasus region, which forms a natural boundary between Asia and Europe, has always been of great strategic importance. Russia's expansion into the region in the late eighteenth century brought conflict with the Ottoman Empire, creating a new area of contention between these two states, and the borderlands remained in a state of intermittent conflict until the end of the First World War. This volume, first published in 1953, discusses the four major conflicts which took place in the region during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Focusing on military strategy, the book describes in great detail battles, skirmishes and logistical problems of warfare in a mountainous and remote region. Illustrated with thirty-nine maps, it provides a wealth of information for military historians and remains an authoritative account.

Book I. The Russian Conquest of Caucasia: 1. The historical geography of Caucasia; 2. The Russo-Turkish campaign of 1828–9; 3. Russian pacification of the main chain of the Caucasus. Development of British interest in Caucasia 1830–52; Book II. The Caucasian Theatre during the Crimean War: 4. Frontier operations, Autumn 1853; 5. Operations in Guria and Kakheti. Battle of Kurudere. Summer-Autumn 1854; 6. Siege of Kars. Operations in Eleskirt region. Turkish invasion of Western Georgia, 1855–6; Book III. The Caucasian Campaign of 1877–8: 7. The Russian and Turkish armies in 1877. Failure of the Russian 'protective offensive'; 8. The Black Sea coast. Operation against Batum and Turkish diversion in Abkhazia; 9. Tergukasov's operation in the Eleskirt Valley. The two actions at Tahir (June 1877); 10. Battle of Zivin-dag. Tergukasov's retreat and the relief of Bayazit; 11. The defence of Batum and the diversion in Abkhazia. Second pass, June-August 1877; 12. The Aras valley and the passes of the Agri-dag. Battle of Kizil-tepe. August-September 1877; 13. Battles for Kars: Yahni and Alaca-dag, October 1877; 14. The Battle of the Camel's Neck (4 November 1877). Attempt to storm Erzurum (8–9 November); 15. The storm of Kars. Winter operations in the Çoruh Valley, November 1877 to January 1878; Book IV. The Caucasian Campaigns of World War I, 1914–18: 16. The Transcaucasian frontier, 1878–1914. The German factor in the Middle East; 17. Turkish prelude to World War I; 18. War on the Caucasian Frontier, November 1914; 19. Sarikamis: Enver's Caucasian offensive, December 1914; 20. The defence of Sarikamis, 26-31 December 1914; 21. The defeat of Enver Pasa; 22. The consequences of Sarikamis; 23. Flank operations on the Caucasian Front, January–March 1915; 24. Advance of IV Caucasian Army Corps and counter-offensive of the Turkish Third Army. Battle of Malazgirt, July 1915; 26. Lull on the Caucasian Front. Yudenich's new plans. September–December 1915; 27. The Battle of Köprüköy, 10–19 January 1916; 28. Before the storm of Erzurum, 20 January to 10 February 1916; 29. The storm of Erzurum, 11–15 February, 1916; 30. Consequences of the fall of Erzurum. Operations on the strategic flanks to end of March 1916; 31. Baratov in Persia, December 1915 to March 1916; 32. The Caucasian front to April 1916. Trebizond operation; 33. Anglo-Russian strategic co-operation. Baratov's advance to Kasr-i-Shirin, April–May 1916; 34. The Caucasian front to June 1916. Vehip Pasa's abortive offensive; 35. Battles of Bayburt and Dumanli-dag, Fall of Erzincan, July 1916; 36. War in the mountains. Bingöl and Dersim, June-July 1916; 37. The offensive of the Turkish Second Army, August–September 1916; 38. The second Turkish invasion of Persia, June–August 1916; 39. The winter of 1916–17; 40. The abortive attempt at Anglo-Russian combined strategy, January–May 1917; 41. The Turkish invasion of Transcaucasia, 1918; Epilogue; Bibliographical and supplementary notes; Index.

The Caucasus region has always been of great strategic importance. First published in 1953, this volume analyses the four major conflicts which took place in the region between 1828 and 1921. Illustrated with thirty-nine maps, it provides a wealth of information for military historians.