The Erzerum Offensive
Its outer chain of forts lies on the Deve-Boyun, a range of rolling hills from 7,000 to 8,000 feet high, dividing the head-waters of the Araxes from those of the western Euphrates. Bounding the Passan and upper Euphrates plain on the South is the great range of the Palan-teken, rising to 10,000 feet, and running east and west like most of the ridges of Armenia outside the volcanic zone. To the North of the plain lies a confused area, where volcanic effusions have overlaid the original plateau ranges. To the East, not far from the Russo-Turkish frontier, lie the masses of the Djelli-Gel and Kodjut-Dag, which to the West merge into the great uplift of the Kargar-bazar. Further West still rise the Giaur and Dumlu Dags, between which and the Kargar-bazar is the only gap in the whole length of the mountain-wall that shields Erzerum on the North. This gap is the defile of Gurji-Bogaz,[1] and the road through it, at the height of 7,000 feet, is the only approach to Erzerum from this side. Coming up from the South and passing through this defile, one enters the valley of the Tortum river and descends into the relative depression of Olti Chai and the middle Chorokh. The problem for the Turks was to hold the approaches to Erzerum along the Passan plain on the East (this was effected by the 9th and part of the 10th Army Corps), and to block the narrow gap in the mountains on the North-east (this was done by the 11th Army Corps, which had entrenched itself some months previously on the mountain mass of the Gey Dag, just South-west of Olti). To the South of Erzerum, across the Palan-teken, lay a part of the 10th Army Corps, protecting the road leading into the Van basin and on to Mesopotamia.
- ↑ Turkish for "Georgian Gates."
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