Armenian volunteer units

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Armenian volunteer units were Armenian soldiers in Russian, French and British armies during the World War I. The French volunteer units were named as French Armenian Legion, which has its own page. Also there were Armenian militia fought under the control Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Majority of these units support the military activities at Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. Most famous commanders of these units were on alongside the Russian army units, such as Andranik Toros Ozanian whom was the commander of Armenian volunteer units within the Russian army.

The origin of these military units are also varied. There were many Armenian units which were escaped from Ottomans such as former Ottoman Parliamentary representatives Karekin Pastirmaciyan (Erzurum) and Hamparsum Boyaciyan, led the Armenian units in defending the Western Armenia.

1 Under Russian Army
2 Democratic Republic of Armenia
3 See also
4 Notes

[edit] Under Russian Army

There were 20,000 Armenian Volunteers ^[1] under the unit that enetered to Van On May 16 1915 which these Armenian battalions led Russian regulars into Van.^[2] ^[3] By October 15, under heavy fight around the region Lake Van, these battalions had lost five hundred (Armenian soldiers) and there were more then twelve hundred wounded or missing. ^[4]

Around 1916, more than 1000 of Armenian soldiers quit from Tsarist army and joint to Armenian irregular units (Armenian militia)which most of them will be united one more time under Democratic Republic of Armenia. ^[5] In 1918, Andranik, major general, was controlling soldiers from the old Russian army (note: 1918 old Tsarist army was dissolved; referring to Armenians whose origin was Russia), and 150,000 Armenians who had volunteered from all over the world.

[edit] Democratic Republic of Armenia

Armenian volunteer units became the military units under Democratic Republic of Armenia. Andranik was the chief organizer which these units used in liberation of Administration for Western Armenia.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

^ July, 1915 Letter from Mr. E. Vartanian, an Armenian-American Volunteer in the Russian Service, to His Brother-in-law in Egypt; Dated 9th /22nd July, 1915, and Published in the Armenian Journal "Houssaper," of Cairo.
^ Richard G Hovannisian, Armenians' road to Independence in The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times: Foreign Dominion to Statehood
^ [Sv. 2000: T. 30, pp. 101-102]: "On the 6th of May the Armenian flag waved over the citadel of Van. The Vaspourakanis welcomed with great love the Russian soldiers and the Armenian volunteers under the leadership of General Andranik Ozanian."
^ Like One Family: The Armenians of Syracuse by Arpena S. Mesrobian p53
^ Like One Family: The Armenians of Syracuse by Arpena S. Mesrobian

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