August 1916
Muş and Bitlis, the Caucasus front
Promoted to brigadier general and pasha in April 1916, Mustafa Kemal takes the 16th Corps to the eastern front, where the Russians have taken Erzurum, Bitlis and Muş earlier in the year. In August his corps retakes Bitlis and Muş. The Russians recapture Muş later that month. He turns down command of a new force for the Hejaz and spends the winter in Diyarbakır. In March 1917 he takes command of the Second Army.
Mustafa Kemal Pasha, commander of the 16th Corps, at Bitlis, 16 November 1916Wikimedia Commons, Unknown author, Public domain (16. Kolordu Komutanı Mustafa Kemal Paşa, Bitlis, 16 Kasım 1916.png)
Mustafa Kemal Pasha in Diyarbakır, 1916Wikimedia Commons, Unknown author, Public domain (Ataturk-1916-Diyarbakir.JPG)
Sources
- Andrew Mango, Atatürk (1999).
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