Armenian casualties of deportations
Armenian casualties of deportations, part of World War I casualties, only cover a subset of Ottoman Armenian casualties during the Tehcir (deportation) activities of the Ottoman Empire under the Tehcir Law May 27, 1915, February 8-1916 what is known as Armenian genocide. The death toll of Armenians during this period is controversial. Most historians claim the size of this process is the proof of statewide activity in terminating the Armenian people, which is categorized as the state organized genocide.
The Armenians who were displaced by the Tehcir (deportation) process was only a subset of the total Armenian population in Anatolia. Even though the exact number of Armenians living in Anatolia (see: Ottoman Armenian population) is a very controversial topic, the Ottoman records were much more clear of this period because of regulation of the enforcement,[1] which demanded that there would be three copies of information, one which will be kept in the regional churches, and one in the regional administration, and one will be kept by the commission responsible of the execution of the law. The second (regional administration) and third party (commission responsible) of this law were held responsible for the protection of the properties until the immigrants return.[2] Also there are American Relief Committee reports about the deportees.
Deportation[edit]
The Railway[edit]
The Ottoman government loaded Armenians into cattle cars. They sometimes crammed as many as ninety people in one car, a car that had a recommended capacity of thirty-six. These people were locked in the cars with no food or water. The main line used was the Baghdad Railway. This is the same tactic Germans would employ in the next World War to carry out a similar genocide.[3] It is estimated that over 32,000 Armenians were deported by the rail system. American diplomats in the area estimated that only around 15% of the people survived, due to brutal treatment.[4]
The Marches[edit]
After the survivors were unloaded from they train cars, they were often sent on death marches with no destination. They would literally just wander in the desert until they died of starvation, thirst, or exhaustion. Along these marches, they would be attacked by killing squads allegedly hired by the government just to further inflict suffering on the Armenians.[5]
The Camps[edit]
Those who were not sent on death marches, or whose marches actually had a destination, were rounded into concentration camps. In these camps, the Armenians were starved and subject to disease. The alleged killing squads also paid visits to these camps to slaughter the inhabitants or abduct the women.[6] About 150,000 Armenians died in the Deir ez-Zor Camps and about 80,000 in the Ra's al-'Ayn Camps. Totaling 230,000 deaths in these 2 major camps.
Not Deported[edit]
There were two important Armenian communities [living in two regions] of the Ottoman Empire that were not deported; first one was province of Smyrna and second one was province of Istanbul.[7] The Tehcir was ordered for Gregorian Armenians, so there the Catholic and Protestant Armenians were exempted [note some regions did not differentiate].[7] If Gregorians were converted to Islam, they were not given the same treatment.[7] There were those who managed to escape the process.[7] According to the investigations of the Patriarchate, there were 580,000 Armenians in 1912 in the Vilayets of Erzeroum, Bitlis, and Van, which were within the Russian lines [some were under the control of Administration for Western Armenia] when the deportation put forward.[7] According to Arnold Toynbee a quarter of a million Protestants, Catholics, converts and others who were spared, and estimated the total number of Armenians in Ottoman Empire who escaped deportation at not more than 600,000.[7]
Deported[edit]
According to Arnold Toynbee at least 1,000,000 people comprised the deportation and massacre, with the likelihood that the real number was probably 1,200,000 or more.[7] Lewy, Guenter, quote the Salahi Sonyel claims that 700,000 Armenians were deported.[8] According to The Catholic Encyclopedia (1922) the number of deported was 600,000.[9] The USA government source puts the number of deported people 486,000, and it also includes the resource size requested to coordinate the American Committee for Relief in the Near East efforts.[10] According to Turkish sources a total of 438,758 people were "relocated".[11] The regional breakdown of the deportations were claimed as follows:
| The citizens effected under the Tehcir Law [12][13] | ||
| Province | Transferred | Not transferred |
| Adana | 14,000 | 15-16,000 |
| Ankara (Central) | 21,236 | 733 |
| Aydın | 250 | |
| Birecik | 1,200 | |
| Diyarbakır | 20,000 | |
| Dörtyol | 9,000 | |
| Erzurum | 5,500 | |
| Eskişehir | 7,000 | |
| Giresun | 328 | |
| Görele | 250 | |
| Halep | 26,064 | |
| Haymana | 60 | |
| Smyrna | 256 | |
| İzmit | 58,000 | |
| Kaleaçık | 257 | |
| Karahisarı sahib | 5,769 | 2222 |
| Kayseri | 45,036 | 4,911 |
| Keskin | 1,169 | |
| Kırşehir | 747 | |
| Konya | 1,900 | |
| Kütahya | 1,400 | |
| Mamuretülaziz | 51,000 | 4,000 |
| Maraş | 8,845 | |
| Nallıhan | 479 | |
| Ordu | 36 | |
| Perşembe | 390 | |
| Sivas | 136,084 | 6,055 |
| Sungurlu | 576 | |
| Sürmene | 290 | |
| Tirebolu | 45 | |
| Trabzon | 3,400 | |
| Ulubey | 30 | |
| Yozgat | 10,916 | |
| TOTAL | 422,758 | 32,766 |
Casualties[edit]
According to Arnold Toynbee at least 50 percent [500,000 - 700,000] would be casualty of the deportations.[7] The Turkish official documents claim that total casualties of deportations fall into 9-11 per cent, [(40,000/38.758)*100] . The Turkish official (TTK Publication) claim that it was understood from Ottoman documents that many people were fallen victim to hunger while on the road.[11] Apart from these, some 25-30,000 people had lost their lives when struck by fatal diseases such as typhoid and dysentery.[11] In all, an estimated 40,000 casualties had been registered during relocation.[11] The number of casualties based on attacks occurred as follows:[11]
- 500 people on the road between Erzurum and Erzincan.[11]
- 2000 in Meskene, between Urfa and Aleppo.[11]
- 2000 others on the outskirts of Mardin were massacred in attacks launched by bandits or nomadic Arabs.[11]
- 5000 people were killed in attacks on convoys passing through Dersim.[11]
- Total (1,2,3,4): 9,500-10,000 were killed in attacks to convoys
Survived[edit]
In the Bulletin of 5 April 1916, the American Relief Committee has published a cable recently received in the United States from a competent source, in which the total number of "Armenians exiles alive at the time in the regions of Der-el-Zor, Damascus and Aleppo is estimated roughly at 500,000[7] According to The Catholic Encyclopedia (1922) the number of survivors were 90,000, however this number was the Armenian population in Aleppo (Syria) in 1919.[9] There is no record about the fate of the 510,000 in this source, which they could have been relocated to other places. According to Turkish sources 382,148 of these safely reached their new destinations.[11]
Summary[edit]
This data only covers the deportations, but not the death total of Armenians during WWI.
| Arnold Toynbee[7] | Turkish[11] | Catholic Encyclopedia[9] | Lewy Gunter[8] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armenians deported | 1,000,000-1,200,000 | 438,758 | 600,000 | 700,000 |
| Ratio of Casualty | 50% | 9%-10% | ||
| Survivor | <500,000 | 382,148 |
See also[edit]
- Armenian Genocide
- Ottoman Armenian casualties
- World War I casualties
References[edit]
- ↑ ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832
- ↑ ATBD, December 1982, ibid., no:81, document 1832
- ↑ Balakian, The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response, 190-191
- ↑ Balakian, The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response, 193
- ↑ Balakian, The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response, 191
- ↑ Balakian, The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response, 191-192
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Arnold Toynbee, "A Summary of Armenian History up to and Including the Year 1915," in Viscount Bryce, preface, The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire 1915-16: Documents presented to Viscount Grey of Fallodon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs By Viscount Bryce (New York and London: G.P.Putnam's Sons, for His Majesty's Stationary Office, London, 1916), pp. 637-653.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lewy, Guenter "The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide" page 248.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Edward Aloysius Pace, 1922, The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine ... page 57
- ↑ U.S. State Doc 59,867.48/271 see document in detail
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf, Ermeni Tehcirine Ait Gercekler (1915), TTK Publication, Ankara, 2001.
- ↑ Halacoglu, Prof. Dr. Yusuf, Facts Relating to the Armenian Relocation (1915), TTK Publication, Ankara, 2001.
- ↑ DH, EUM. 2nd Branch, File 1, document 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 51, 55, 64, 152, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 194, 200, 206
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