The Russians achieved total surprise and broke through the Ottoman defenses, sending the Third Army retreating towards Erzurum.

There were two lines of defenses, carefully positioned to take advantage of the terrain, with wire obstacles to impede the attackers covered by machine guns backed up by artillery.

General Yudenich decided to break through at the boundary between the northern and central sectors of their line, near the Cakir-baba ridge.

[3] The Russian plan started with a number of diversionary attacks that tied down Ottoman troops and local reserves on January 10, 1916.

After several days of fighting the Ottoman commander, Abdul Kerim Pasha, moved his only reserve, the 17th Division, to what he thought was the Russian main attack.