Battle of Geok Tepe (1879)

The Battle of Geok Tepe (1879) occurred in 1879 during the Russian conquest of Central Asia. In the 19th century the Russians tried to capture the area of the Turkmens. A Russian army under command of general Lomakin besieged the Turkmen fortress of Geok Tepe. The Akhal Teke Turkmens managed to repel the Russian assault causing the Russians to retreat, but the Russian returned two years later, captured Geok Tepe and massacred most of the Turkmen population.

The expedition
The Russians had launched attacks against the Turkmen between 1871 and 1878, but were unable to exert lasting control. In 1879, a new expedition of 3,500 men under General I. D. Lazarev marched towards Geok Tepe, bypassing Kyzyl-Arvat on the way. On 14 August, Lazarev contracted an infection and died, leaving General Lomakin in command.

The battle
The Russians reached Geok Tepe on 9 September 1879, to find that the inhabitants, around 20,000 in all, had taken refuge in the fortress. Lomakin's forces took the outer defenses, and began pouring cannon and rocket fire into the fortress. Civilians fled from the fort, hoping to escape, but Lomakin ordered them driven back with artillery fire. Lomakin then ordered a frontal assault on the fort, and the Turkmens sortied to meet them. In the close-quarters fighting, the Turkmens' superior numbers prevailed, repelling the Russian attack. The Turkmens followed this with a counterattack, which was beaten off with difficulty by the Russian artillery. The Russians then retreated.

Aftermath
The Russians suffered nearly 200 killed and 250 wounded in the battle, while about 2,000 Turkmens were killed and a further 2,000 wounded.

After returning to Russian territory, Lomakin was relieved of his command.