Labour battalion (Turkey)
Encyclopedia
Ottoman labour battalions ' onMouseout='HidePop("52739")' href="/topics/Greek_language">Greek
: Τάγμα Εργασίας Tagma Ergasias) was a form of unfree labour
in the late Ottoman Empire
. The term is associated with disarmament and murder of Ottoman Armenian soldiers during World War I
, of Pontic
and Anatolian Greeks
during the Turkish War of Independence
(see: Greek genocide, Central Army
.)
, which declared that unfair treatments between Muslim and Christian members of the Empire would end; the Armenians, now treated as equal citizens, became subject to conscription like other members of the society. This meant that they had to serve in the military.
On February 25, 1915, the Ottoman War minister Enver Pasha sent an order to all military units that Armenians in the active Ottoman forces be demobilized and assigned to the Labour battalion. Enver ordered that all Armenians in the Ottoman forces, some as old as sixty, to be disarmed, demobilized and assigned to labour battalion units. The Ottoman Army had high rate of desertion, and the number of Armenian deserters appears to have been especially large. Enver claimed Armenian soldiers in the Ottoman Army joined Armenian guerrilla bands or went over to the Armenian volunteer units
in the Russian Army.
later described the situation in his work The Number 31328 (Το Νούμερο 31328).
Leyla Neyzi
has published a study of the diary of Yaşar Paker, a member of the Jewish community of early 20th century Ankara
who was drafted to the Labour Battalions twice, first during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) and then during the World War II
in which Turkey did not take part. Neyzi's paper on the basis of Paker's diary published by Jewish Social Studies presents an overall picture for the conditions in these battalions, which were composed entirely of non-Muslim
s.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Τάγμα Εργασίας Tagma Ergasias) was a form of unfree labour
Unfree labour
Unfree labour includes all forms of slavery as well as all other related institutions .-Payment for unfree labour:If payment occurs, it may be in one or more of the following forms:...
in the late Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. The term is associated with disarmament and murder of Ottoman Armenian soldiers during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, of Pontic
Pontic Greeks
The Pontians are an ethnic group traditionally living in the Pontus region, the shores of Turkey's Black Sea...
and Anatolian Greeks
Ottoman Greeks
Ottoman Greeks were ethnic Greeks who lived in the Ottoman Empire , the Republic of Turkey's predecessor...
during the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
(see: Greek genocide, Central Army
Central Army (Turkey)
The Central Army is one of the field armies of the Army of the Grand National Assembly during the Turkish War of Independence. Its headquarters was located at Amasya....
.)
Armenians in labour battalions
Armenians did not serve in the Ottoman Empire until 1908. Soon after the Young Turk RevolutionYoung Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reversed the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, marking the onset of the Second Constitutional Era...
, which declared that unfair treatments between Muslim and Christian members of the Empire would end; the Armenians, now treated as equal citizens, became subject to conscription like other members of the society. This meant that they had to serve in the military.
On February 25, 1915, the Ottoman War minister Enver Pasha sent an order to all military units that Armenians in the active Ottoman forces be demobilized and assigned to the Labour battalion. Enver ordered that all Armenians in the Ottoman forces, some as old as sixty, to be disarmed, demobilized and assigned to labour battalion units. The Ottoman Army had high rate of desertion, and the number of Armenian deserters appears to have been especially large. Enver claimed Armenian soldiers in the Ottoman Army joined Armenian guerrilla bands or went over to the Armenian volunteer units
Armenian volunteer units
Armenian volunteer units, also known the Armenian volunteer corps were Armenian battalions in Russian and British armies during the World War I. Majority of these units support the military activities at the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. The origin of these units were varied. Some units...
in the Russian Army.
Depictions
The well-known writer-novelist Elias VenezisElias Venezis
Elias Venezis is the pseudonym of Elias Mellos, a major Greek novelist. He was born in 1904 in Ayvalık in Asia Minor and died in Athens in 1973. He wrote many books, of which the most famous are Number 31328 and Aeolian Earth...
later described the situation in his work The Number 31328 (Το Νούμερο 31328).
Leyla Neyzi
Leyla Neyzi
Leyla Neyzi is a Turkish academician who is currently working in Sabancı University, Istanbul.- Biography :...
has published a study of the diary of Yaşar Paker, a member of the Jewish community of early 20th century Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
who was drafted to the Labour Battalions twice, first during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) and then during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in which Turkey did not take part. Neyzi's paper on the basis of Paker's diary published by Jewish Social Studies presents an overall picture for the conditions in these battalions, which were composed entirely of non-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s.