Andranik Toros Ozanian

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Andranik Toros Ozanian

(Armenian:

Անդրանիկ Թորոս Օզանյան)

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General Andranik Toros Ozanian, my great uncle, was born on February 25, 1865 in Shabin Karahissar. As a child, he attended the local church school but received no higher education. When he was 17, a local Turk was beating his father, and Andranik, enraged, killed the Turk. Andranik fled from the government. At about 20 years of age, Andranik settled down and had two children with his wife. Only a year later, when Andranik was in Varna, Bulgaria, a Turkish pogrom killed his wife and children. Andranik had had enough of the injustice of the Ottoman government, and joined the Hunchak party. However, soon afterwords, he became dissatisfied with the Hunchak’s policies, and joined the Dashnaktsutiun. His commander was Serob Pasha.

Serob Pasha

However, this was not to last, as an Armenian traitor poisoned Serob, incapacitating him, allowing Kurdish brigands to kill Serob. Serob’s wife, Soseh Mayrig, went to Andranik for help, and allegedly found him sleeping under a tree. Andranik was furious and destroyed the Kurdish militants who had carried out the killing. He then went to the Armenian traitor and killed him, saying that if traitors like this are allowed to live, the Armenian race will be undone. In 1901 Andranik was trapped inside the enormous Arakelots Vank with a bunch of Armenian monks. The Ottomans were sieging the monastery, and Andranik had no chance to get out militarily. Andranik then had an idea, to dress in Ottoman military uniforms and sneak out. His plan was successful, and for that event Andranik became legendary. In 1904 Andranik was charged with commanding a force of 500 fedayi to defend the 20,000 civilians of Sassoun from an Ottoman/Kurdish army of 50,000. Andranik successfully halted the Turkish advance, but a notable Armenian loss in that battle was Hrayr Tjokhk a famous fighter. However this did not discourage Andranik in his quest to protect his ailing people from whoever decided to oppress them. Andranik then had a falling out with the Dashnaktsutiun, who had decided to support the Ottomans in case of war between Russia and Turkey. Andranik resigned and went to Varna, creating an Armenian division in the Bulgarian army and fighting alongside them against the Ottomans in the Balkan Wars. Andranik was awarded some high Bulgarian award by the king Ferdinand himself. With the outbreak of WWI, Andranik warned his intellectual friends to not go to Bolis (Istanbul). He knew that the Ottoman invitation of the Armenian intellectuals to Bolis meant trouble. The intellectuals however did not listen and called Andranik a pessimist. He was right, and all of the intellectuals were murdered on April 24, 1915. Andranik sped to the Caucasus, where he became a Brigadier General for the Russian army. He built a large army of thousands of Armenian volunteers to save the persecuted Armenians in the Ottomans Empire and became the vanguard of the Russian advance, participating in over 20 offensives and becoming famous for his cavalry charges which were always led by Andranik himself at the helm. Andranik then advanced against Mustafa Kemal at Bitlis and decisively defeated the Ottomans army, and was ready to drive into the heart of the Empire, when Russia began to dissolve. Mustafa Kemal reoccupied Bitlis after Andranik was forced to retreat. Andranik then became the last governor of the provisional government of the Administration of Western Armenia. He knew that all the Armenians would die if they stayed in the area due to famine and invasion, so Andranik began the march to Yerevan, fighting numerous battles to defend the thousands of civilians under his protection. Andranik’s small force was virtually alone to defend the civilians, due to the fact that the Yerevan Dashnak government was very corrupt and stupid. Andranik fought the decisive battle at Dilijan, holding off the Turks for good. Andranik then went to Persarmenia where he defended more civilians, both Armenian and Assyrian. After his defensive tasks were done, he went to Zangezur, where he was left alone once again to halt the advance of Enver Pasha’s Army of Islam. At the same time, preliminary Soviet and Azeri assaults began on Zangezur. Andranik was victorious, but was disgusted at the Yerevan regime when their “best general” Drastamat Kanayan, also known as General Dro, invaded and conquered part of Georgia, dragging Armenia into another unnecessary war.

Drastamat Kanayan as a fedayi

Andranik prepared to go to Yerevan and leave for America with his supporter, saying that submitting to the Soviets would be better than losing everything by struggling. As Andranik’s soldiers were traveling to Yerevan, Drastamat Kanayan set a trap. A policeman stole one of Andranik’s soldier’s wallet, and lured them into a trap. More policeman began to fight with the soldier, who called for help, dragging more of Andranik’s soldiers into the scuffle. Drastamat Kanayan then arrived on the scene conveniently, and ordered his troops to fire on Andranik’s soldiers. The 250 cavalry refused, and Kanayan went back to Yerevan and got another division of 500, who agreed to fire on them. It was a massacre, and a lot of money was looted from Andranik’s dead men. Andranik cracked, telling the Yerevan government that if it did not grant him and the rest of his men safe passage out of the country, Andranik would be forced to attack Yerevan. The Dashnak’s knew they had messed with the wrong general, and they heartily agreed. Andranik immigrated to Fresno where he married a second time. Andranik Ozanian died on August 31, 1927. Andranik’s body was transported by France to be buried in Yerevan, but the Soviet government refused to let a former Armenian fedayi into the country to be buried. The French decided to bury him in Père Lachaisein France, where the French Army escorted the casket with tanks as it was transported to the site of burial in 1928. He was returened to be buried in the Yerablur cemetary in Yerevan, where his remains lie today…

On a side note, Drastamat Kanayan went on to become a Nazi general, commander of all the Armenians in the Nazi army and the Armenian Legion. Guess Andranik was right about him being a bad seed.

Drastamat Kanayan as a Nazi general