Sardarapat – The Battle That Prevented the Complete Destruction of Armenians

“It was the greatest battle – Armenians have shown that they are capable of being the best warriors in the world,” Turkish general Vehib Pasha would admit.

The Sardarapat battle occurred on May 21-28, 1918, between the Armenian regular military units and militia on one hand and the Turkish troops invading Eastern Armenia on the other. The battle occurred in the area of the Sardarapat railway station (the city of Hoktemberyan was under the Soviet Union, now Armavir).

Today, Sardarapat is viewed not only as a battle that stopped the Turkish offensive by Armenia but also as a battle that prevented the complete destruction of the Armenian people.

According to British historian Christopher Walker, had the Armenians lost the battle of Sardarapat, “it is entirely possible that the name ‘Armenia’ would have survived only as a term of historical geography.”