Rafael de Nogales was a Venezuelan mercenary who was an officer in the Ottoman Army in World War I. He directed artillery against Armenians during the Van Resistance. ^[1] He later wrote a book describing his experiences with the Ottoman Army in World War I as well as witnessing the massacres of Armenians in Bitlis, Siirt and Van during the Armenian Genocide. A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict and is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that... This article details the military of the Ottoman Empire. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... Combatants Ottoman Empire Armenian residents of Van Commanders Jevdet Bey Armenak Yekaryan Strength 12,000 1,500 Casualties  ? 12,000 ? (mass civilian casualties) For the conflict of 1896 see Defense of Van. ... Bitlis is a city in Turkey, capital of Bitlis Province. ... Siirt is the capital of Siirt Province in eastern Turkey. ... A van is a vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. ... Armenian Genocide photo. ...

Books

• Four Years Under the Crescent(Sterndale Classics) ISBN 1-903656-19-2

Notes