This is a Russian soldiers belt buckle which is in very nice condition which is near complete missing belt loop on the back but it still retains its brown colour with insignia fairly clear to see on it but is a bit faded from being buried. The buckle is in semi- relic but very nice and solid condition it has been nicely cleaned perfect for display or any collection and is a nice example of this Russian Army buckle and rare to find from the battlefield in this nice condition. The buckle was recovered the battlefield around Trabzon in Turkey from the fighting after the Russian landings in March 1916 on the Turkish coast.
The coastal region between the city and the Russian frontier was the site of key battles between the Ottoman and Russian armies during the Trebizond Campaign, part of the Caucasus Campaign of World War I. A bombardment of the city in 1915 by the Russian navy cost the lives of 1300 citizens.
The Russian army landed at Atina, east of Rize on March 4, 1916. Lazistan Sanjak fell within two days. However, due to heavy guerrilla resistance around Of and Çaykara some 50 km to the east of Trabzon, it took a further 40 days for the Russian army to advance west. The Ottoman administration of Trabzon foresaw the fall of the city and called for a meeting with community leaders, where they handed control of the city to Greek metropolitan bishop he promised to protect the Muslim population of the city. Ottoman forces retreated from Trabzon, and on April 15 the city was taken without a fight by the Russian Caucasus Army.
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