stimated at three to one against the
Russians. Fighting in the deep snow at altitudes of 8,000 to 10,000
feet in a severe winter is an enormously difficult undertaking for the
attacking side, and it is evident that the Turkish forces suffered
terrible hardships in their attempt to retain a footing on Russian
territory.

At the end of January and the beginning of February furious fighting
raged in the neighborhood of Sarikamish, when the Russians inflicted
another defeat on the Turks. During a blinding snowstorm the former
had crossed a mountain and, after heavy fighting, captured the
commanding general and the staff of the Thirtieth Turkish Division and
a large quantity of war material. The roaring of the wind was so great
that the Russian approach could not be heard, while the thickly
blowing snow rendered the troops invisible.

At the same time the Russian squadron bombarded the Turkish barracks
at Trebizond and Rizah from the Black Sea, also sinking some Turkish
sailing vessels used as transports. Under the superintendence of
German engineers the Turks hurriedly set about constructing a branch
railroad from Angora to Sivas, Asia Minor, intended to replace the
Trebizond water route as a line of communication for the Turkish
troops on the Caucasus front. Meanwhile another Russian column pushed
out from Julfa along the Tabriz road to force battle upon the Turkish
army invading the Persian province of Azerbaijan. The Turks advanced
northward from Tabriz to Marand, where a stubborn battle was fought.
They were commanded by Djevet Pasha, who was considered one of their
best tacticians and most aggressive fighters, but after a series of
unsuccessful frontal onslaughts his army broke in disorder, abandoning
cannon, colors (standards), and all their dead and wounded. To the
Russians the victory was more of political than military value, for it
dealt a severe blow at Turkish and German influence in Persia.

On February 8, 1915, the Turkish cruiser _Midirli_ (formerly the
German warship _Breslau_) fired upon the Russian port of Jalta on the
Crimean Peninsula, opposite Balaklava. The Russian fleet retaliated
by again bombarding Trebizond on the other side of the Black Sea.

About February 20-21, 1915, several small engagements were fought in
the vicinity of Chorokh, as a result of which the Turks were driven
beyond the river.

On February 22, 1915, news came from Petrograd to the effect that the
Turks had indulged in cruel