TRABZON’DA 10 TEMMUZ 1919 CEPHANELİK PATLAMASI

Abstract

A huge ammunition depot exploded in Trabzon on July 10, 1919. The effects of the explosion were seen even in Batumi, 100 miles distant. There were many weapons and ammunition left by the Russian army in the ammunition depot. The explosion of the ammunition depot was important because the opening date of the Erzurum Congress was scheduled to be the same day. On the other hand, British control officers in the city was preparing to hand over ammunition to the Volunteer Russian Army (White Army). The explosion caused enormous destruction. Nearly every window in the city was broken, roofs of the houses collapsed and serious damage was experienced in the other parts of the city in addition to a large number of casualties and deaths. Yet, the authorities kept secret the real causes of the disaster and the violence and the actual damage of the explosion. The Turkish “Military Investigation Commission” claimed that the explosion was an accident. According to officials Entente: The explosion of the ammunition depot in Trabzon was no doubt deliberately plotted by the Turks. This study analyses the reasons and the effects of the explosion according to the main sources such as the Turkish and American archival files together with the newspapers of that period