A brutal winter battle in 1915 saw an entire Ottoman army freeze to death
The 1915 Battle of Sarikamish remains one of the most harrowing military disasters in history, where tens of thousands of Ottoman soldiers perished from extreme cold before ever reaching the battlefield.
During the winter of 1914 and 1915, Ottoman Minister of War Enver Pasha attempted a daring maneuver through the Allahüekber Mountains to surprise the Russian army. However, the troops were ill-equipped for the sub-zero temperatures and high altitudes. An estimated 30,000 to 60,000 soldiers froze to death in the snow, many while still clutching their rifles.
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