The Battle of Shipka Pass from January 5-9 was the finaly battle for Shipka Pas and a crushing Russian victory during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 had its origins in the Russian goal of gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea and dominating Constantinople (Istanbul) and the adjacent Turkish Straits. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul (Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 6. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 had its origins in the Russian goal of gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea and dominating Constantinople (Istanbul) and the adjacent Turkish Straits. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Background

In December, 1877 the fortress of Pleven surrendered to the Russian Army now freeing up a significant amount of Russian reinforcements. General Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko now had an army of up to 65,000 soldiers to move about contending with the Turkish forces. First Gourko forced the Araba Konak Pass and took Sofia. From Sofia, he moved south through the Balkan Mountains to cut off the Turkish army fronting Shipka Pass. December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Pleven is a city in Northern Bulgaria. ... National Theatre, Sofia Alexander Nevski Cathedral The city of Sofia (Bulgarian: София), at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, has a population of 1,208,930 (2003), and is the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria. ... Stara Planina, Rhopode, Rila and Pirin Mountains The Stara Planina (Old Mountains) or Balkan mountain range is an extension of the Carpathian mountain range, separated from it by the Danube River. ...

The Battle

General Radezky, commanding the garrison made preparations to attack from the pass on January 5 while Gourko brought up two columns under Generals Skobelev and Mirski to cut off the Turkish retreat. On January 8, Radezky's attack began but Skobelev was held up by unsuspectedly heavy resistance and Mirski attacked unsupported, making little progress. On January 9, Mirski suffered a Turkish counterattack but Skobelev was able to move forward in support and defeat the Turks. Completely surrounded the remaining Turks under Vassil Pasha surrendered the same day. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev (1843-1882) was a Russian general famous for his conquest of Central Asia and heroism during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Results

The battles for Shipka Pass were over. Russian forces under Gourko were able to crush Suleiman Pasha's army at the Battle of Plovdiv several days later and threaten Constantinople. Four battles were fought between Russia and the Ottoman Empire for control over the crucial Shipka Pass during the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. ... Suleiman Pasha, a. ... Following the crushing Russian victory at the last battle of Shipka Pass, Russian commander Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko began to move southeast towards Constantinople. ... Map of Constantinople. ...

See Also

• Battles of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78

Sources

• http://www.russianwarrior.com/STMMain.htm?1877_militaryhist.htm&1
• http://members.aol.com/balkandave/shipka.htm
• http://abvg.net/Shipka/
• Compton's Home Library: Battles of the World CD-ROM