The third Turkish offensive took place early in July, 1915. This time
the Turks, with all their available forces--eleven divisions of regular
troops, again under the command of Khalil Bey--attacked the very center
of the Caucasian army. In a few days they re-occupied Malashkert,
Toutakh, and the greater part of the plains of Alashkert. During one
week the center of the Russian army retreated more than 100 kilometers
(62 miles) leaving behind the district of Van entirely unprotected, and
in danger of being surrounded at any moment. If the Turks had had one or
two more divisions of troops at their service in those days, they would
have been able very easily to take prisoners the entire fourth army of
the Russian left wing and cut off their way of retreat. In order to
escape from this dangerous situation, the Russian left wing was forced
to retreat hastily toward the Russian frontier and sent a part of its
forces to aid the central army. Only at the end of July did the Russian
army, having received aid from its left wing, and under the leadership
of the Armenian General Nazarbekoff, succeed in forcing back the Turks
to their former line. These were the conditions under which nearly
150,000 Armenian inhabitants of the district of Van were compelled to
leave all their property at the mercy of the enemy's fire and flee
toward Erivan.