On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of death of Commander Drastamat Kanayan
Summary
Hamlet M. Gevorgyan, Arthur S. Ghazaryan
Keywords – Drastamat Kanayan, battle of Surmalu, Republic of Armenia, front of Kars, Ararat valley, Karo of Sasun, Kurd, Koghb, Kazim Karabekir Pasha, Caracalla, Yerevan, Vahe Artsruni, A. Aharonyan, Igdir, Kuro Tarkhanyan, Martiros Abrahamyan.
The battle of Surmalu led by Drastamat Kanayan was the last battle of the Armenian-Turkish war of 1920, when the Armenian army won a decisive victory. But this fact did not receive due attention among Armenian historiography and society. Although the Government of Armenia and the army’s high command believed that the main front was the one of Kars, but Surmalu was not at all inferior to Kars due to its geographical position and tactical importance. The front of Surmalu was closer to Yerevan and to the most densely populated region – the Ararat valley, besides, compared to Kars front there were no sufficient troops and weapons. The victory of the Armenian armed forces in the battle of Surmalu saved Armenians of Ararat valley from being slaughtered.
Thus, the victory of the Armenian troops in the battle of Surmalu during the Turkish-Armenian War of 1920 was crucial to the future survival of Armenia, and Dro has once again proved that he deserved the name of the invincible commander.