On January 6 , the 3rd Army headquarters found itself under fire . Hafiz Hakki Pasha ordered a total retreat . On January 7 , the remaining forces began their march towards Erzurum . The resulting Battle of Sarikamish became a stunning defeat . Only 10 % of the Army managed to retreat back to its starting position . After this , Enver gave up command . The Armenian volunteer units were definitely a factor in their defeat , as they challenged the Ottoman operations during critical times , and his experience may have been one of the catalysts that led the Three Pashas , of which one was Enver , to their decision to conduct the Armenian Genocide only a few months later . After his return to Constantinople , Enver blamed this defeat on Armenians living in the region actively siding with the Russians
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Caucasus campaign