Battle of Doiran (1917)

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Battle of Doiran
Part of Macedonian front (World War I)
Date 22 April 1917 - 8 May 1917 Location Lake Dojran, present-day Republic of Macedonia Result Bulgarian victory
Belligerents
Bulgaria	United Kingdom
Commanders
Vladimir Vazov	Unknown
Strength
Ninth Pleven Infantry Division: 30,000 men 147 guns 35 mortars 130 machine guns[1]	3 Divisions: 43,000 men 160 guns 110 mortars 440 machine guns[2]
Casualties and losses
2,000	12,000

During the Second conference of the Military Counsel of the Entente in Chanties was decided to continue with the attempts considerable breakthrough on the fronts. The task for the Entente forces on the Macedonian Front was to inflict major defeats on the Bulgarian army and make a wide breakthrough in the Balkans in relatively short time. The Allied command which expected reinforcements planned a major assault in the direction of Vardar and Doiran. In 1917 the Second Thracian Infantry Division was replaced on the positions at Doiran by the Ninth Pleven Infantry division under the command of Colonel Vladimir Vazov.

[edit] Initial attacks

On 9 and 10 February the Allies attacked the positions of the 33th Svishtov and 34th Troyan Regiments but were repulsed by a decisive counter-attack by the Troyan Regiment. The enemy advance on 21 February was repulsed by the Bulgarian artillery after two day battle.^[3]

As the Allied command found that the Bulgarian position were better fortified that in the previous year, it ordered s systematic artillery fire on the Bulgarian defenses. In the meantime it continued the development of their forming-up ground which was at a distance of 800 - 1,500 m from the defensive lines of the Pleven Division. To make the breakthrough the enemy concentrated three British divisions (22th, 26th, 60th) with its artillery - more than 43,000 men, 160 guns, 110 mortars and 440 machine guns. The objective did not differ much from the battle in the previous year and the main blow was on a front of 5-6 km in the direction of Kalatepe.^[4]

The prognosis of the Bulgarian command for a major Allied offensive was confirmed by the intelligence and the behaviour of the enemy. The Ninth Pleven Division was reinforced and had a total of 30,000 men, 147 guns, 35 mortars, 130 machine guns.

According to the orders of the High Command the front was divided into three zones with different width: right from the River Vardar to the Varovita hight with width of 13 km defended by 1st Brigade (6 companies with 48 guns, 12 mortars and 56 machine guns); central from the Varovita height to the Karakondzho height, 4 km wide, defended by 57th Regiment (3 companies); left from the Karakondzho height to the Lake Doiran, 9 km wide, defended by 2nd Brigade (6 companies, 76 guns, 19 mortars and 52 machine guns).^[5]

[edit] The defensive positions

The Macedonian Front in 1916-1917.

In 1917 the defensive positions and fortifications were further improved. It included two a main position with two rows of continuous trenches with depth of 1,5 - 2 meters; 200 to 1000 m away from one another and linked with passages for communications. In front of the positions there was a system of wire entanglements with two lines. Between the rows of trenches there were watch points, shelters, machine gun nests and sunken batteries. Behind these defenses there were concrete galleries, fire position for the artillery and platforms for the ammunitions. In front of the main position there were smaller fortifications and at 2 - 5 km behind it there was partly constructed second position.

[edit] The battle

The battle for breakthrough in the Bulgarian positions began on 22 April and continued with small interruption to 9 May 1917. The assault began with a bitter four-day artillery fire in which the British fired around 100,000 gun shells. As a result the earthworks and some wooden structures of the front positions were destroyed. The Bulgarians also opened fire from the batteries between Vardar and Doiran. Vladimir Vazov ordered day and night fire on the Allied positions.^[6] The initial several-hour struggle between the British and Bulgarian batteries was followed by a one-hour Bulgarian counter-fire in which 10,000 shells were cast.

Vladimir Vazov was a prominent General. His successful defense of Doiran made him a hero for the Bulgarians.

The English infantry began its attack in the night of 24-25 April - 12 companies attacked the positions of the Bulgarian 2nd Brigade and after bloody fight managed to take the points "Nerezov", "Knyaz Boris" and "Pazardzhik" but after a Bulgarian counter attack the British were repulsed with heavy casualties and by 8 p.m. retreated.^[7] The British assaults on the right and central front were also repulsed with heavy casualties with the help of the artillery.

The enemy attacks in the next two days were futile and defeated by constant fire and counter-attacks. Due to the strong Bulgarian fire the British returned to their initial position on 27 April and the Bulgarian soldiers immediately started to reconstruct the destroyed fortifications.

Due to the critics of their High command the British made new attempts for a breakthrough. On 8 May after a long artillery fire they began another attack. The main assault started at 9 p.m. with five waves of British troops attacking the Bulgarian positions. After four attacks in the night of 8-9 May the British were defeated and suffered enormous casualties.^[8] A correspondent of The Times wrote that the British soldiers called the "Boris" point "the valley of death".^[9]

The artillery duel continued to 9 May but due to the heavy casualties the British had to abandon all attacks. They lost 12,000 killed, wounded and captured of which more than 2,250 were buries by the Bulgarian defenders. The losses of the Ninth Pleven Infantry Division were 2,000 of whom 900 died from diseases and wounds.^[10]

Vladimir Vazov was promoted a Major-General.

[edit] Aftermath

In the next 16 month the front was relatively calm with local skirmishes. Both sides used that time to further strengthen and consolidate their positions. In 1918 a new massive Anglo-Greek attack was crushed by the Pleven Division in the battle of Doiran.

[edit] Sources

• Doiran Epopee

[edit] Footnotes

v • d • e Bulgaria in World War I
Prelude	South-western front: Serbian Campaign, Macedonian front	Romanian front • Outcome • Others	Important persons
Balkan Wars 1912–1913 First Balkan War 1913 Treaty of London Second Balkan War Treaty of Bucharest Treaty of Istanbul Neutrality 1915 Negotiations of Bulgaria with the Central Powers and the Entente Bulgarian-German treaty Secret Bulgarian-German agreement Military convention between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria Bulgarian-Turkish convention Mobilization	Commanders Bulgaria Nikola Zhekov • Kliment Boyadzhiev • Georgi Todorov • Vladimir Vazov Entente: Serbia: Radomir Putnik • Živojin Mišić • Stepa Stepanović • Petar Bojović; France:Maurice Sarrail • Adolphe Guillaumat • Franchet d'Esperey; United Kingdom: George Milne; Greece: Panagiotis Danglis Battles 1915 Battle of Morava • Battle of Ovche Pole • Battle of Kosovo • Battle of Krivolak 1916 First battle of Doiran • Battle of Lerin • Battle of Struma • Battle of the River Cherna 1917 Second battle of Doiran • Battle of the Red Wall 1918 Battle of Dobro Pole • Third battle of Doiran	Commanders Bulgaria Nikola Zhekov • Panteley Kiselov • Stefan Toshev • Todor Kantardzhiev Entente: Romania: Constantin Prezan • Alexandru Averescu; Russia:Andrei Zaionchkovsky Battles 1916 Battle of Turtucaia • Battle of Dobrich • Battle of Kobadin • Advance to Bucharest Outcome 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk • Armistice of Focşani • Treaty of Bucharest • Protocol of Berlin Outcome Armistice of Solun Vladaya revolt Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Others Bulgarian administration in Kosovo Anti-military propaganda	Ferdinand Aleksandar Protogerov August von Mackensen Boris Draganov Vladimir Vazov Georgi Todorov (general) Ivan Kolev Kliment Boyadzhiev Konstantin Zhostov Krastyu Zlatarev Nikola Zhekov Panteley Kiselov Stefan Toshev Todor Kantardzhiev