along the coastal front. The first of
these was undertaken during the night of March 26, 1916, but
apparently was unsuccessful. It was an answer to a strong attack on
the part of the Russians during the preceding day which resulted in
the dislodgment of Turkish troops holding strong positions in the
region of the Baltatchi Darassi River and in the occupation by the
Russians of the town of Off on the Black Sea, thirty miles to the east
of Trebizond. This success was due chiefly to the superiority of the
Russian naval forces, which made it possible to precede their infantry
attack with heavy preparatory artillery fire. By March 27, 1916, the
Russians had advanced to the Oghene Dere River, another of the
numerous small rivers flowing into the Black Sea between Rizeh and
Trebizond. There they had occupied the heights of the left (west)
bank. During the night the Turks made a series of strong
counterattacks, all of which, however, were repulsed with considerable
losses to the attackers. Another Turkish counterattack in the
neighborhood of Trebizond was launched on April 4, 1916. Although
strongly supported by gunfire from the cruiser _Breslau_, it was
repulsed by the combined efforts of the Russian land forces and
destroyers lying before Trebizond. During the next few days the Turks
offered the most determined resistance to the Russian advance against
Trebizond, especially along the river Kara Dere. This resistance was
not broken until April 15, 1916, when the Turks were driven out of
their fortified positions on the left bank of that river by the
combined action of the Russian land and naval forces. The Russian army
was now, after almost a fortnight's desperate fighting, within sixteen
miles of its goal, Trebizond. On April 16, 1916, it again advanced,
occupying Surmench on the Black Sea, and reaching later that day,
after a successful pursuit of the retreating Turkish army, the village
of Asseue Kalessi, only twelve miles east of Trebizond.

With this defeat the fall of Trebizond apparently was sealed. Although
reports came from various sources that the Turkish General Staff was
making the most desperate efforts to save the city by dispatching new
reenforcements from central Anatolia, the Russian advance could not be
stopped seriously any longer. Every day brought reports of new Russian
successes along the entire Armenian front. On April 17, 1916, they
occupied Drona, only six and a half miles east of Trebizond. Then
fina