Vardar offensive facts for kids
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| Part of the Macedonian front and Balkans Theatre of World War I | |||||||
 A Bulgarian telephone station at Lake Doiran, March 1917 |
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Allied Army of the Orient
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The Vardar offensive (Bulgarian: Офанзива при Вардар) was a major military operation during World War I. It took place from September 15 to 29, 1918, near the end of the war. This battle was fought on the Macedonian front in what is now North Macedonia.
On September 15, soldiers from Serbia, France, and Greece attacked Bulgarian trenches at a place called Dobro Pole. This attack, along with heavy artillery fire, greatly hurt the Bulgarian soldiers' morale. Many of them started to leave their posts.
A few days later, on September 18, another group of Allied forces attacked Bulgarian positions near Lake Doiran. The Bulgarians fought back strongly with machine guns and artillery, stopping the Allied advance there. However, because their defenses at Dobro Pole had collapsed, the Bulgarians had to retreat from Doiran.
The Allies then chased the German and Bulgarian armies, moving deeper into Vardar Macedonia. By September 29, the Allies had captured Skopje, which was a key city. This put the remaining German army in great danger.
Around the same time, a rebellion against the king started in Bulgaria. This forced Bulgaria to sign a peace agreement called the Armistice of Salonica. This agreement meant Bulgaria had to leave the war. The treaty also said that 77,000 Bulgarian and German soldiers were captured, and the Allies gained 500 artillery pieces. Bulgaria's defeat changed the war's balance against the Central Powers. The fighting on the Macedonian Front officially ended at noon on September 30, 1918.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
World War I began in 1914 after Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. This event led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. Soon, many European countries joined the fight, dividing into two main groups: the Central Powers and the Entente coalition.
Serbia was defeated in 1915. Because of this, France and Britain sent troops from another battle to Greek Macedonia. This created the Macedonian front. Its goal was to help the Serbian army take back Vardar Macedonia.
In 1916, Bulgaria invaded Greece. The Greek army was ordered not to fight back by their pro-German king. This made many Greeks angry. With help from the Allies, a new Greek government was formed. In 1917, this new government declared war on the Central Powers. Greece joining the war, along with new soldiers, gave the Allies a big advantage.
In May 1918, the Allies attacked a strong Bulgarian position called Skra. French and Greek forces quickly captured Skra. This was a big win for the Allies. The Bulgarians lost many soldiers, with over 1,700 captured. This victory showed the strength of the Greek army.
After the loss at Skra, the Bulgarian prime minister resigned. The new prime minister tried to make a secret peace deal with Britain. He wanted Bulgaria to leave the war and keep its territory. But Britain refused, promising Greece that it would protect Greek interests.
By July 1918, the Bulgarian commander knew his army couldn't defend the front well. He asked Germany for more help, but Germany was busy on other fronts. This meant Bulgaria was left to defend itself.
The Bulgarians knew the Allies were planning a big attack. They prepared their defenses, especially at Dobro Pole. However, their soldiers had low morale. They were tired, didn't have enough food, and many refused to work on defenses.
Just before the Allied attack, General Louis Franchet d'Espèrey explained his plan. First, French and Serbian troops would attack Dobro Pole. This would break the Bulgarian front line and threaten their supply routes. Dobro Pole was a tall peak with good views, surrounded by strong trenches.
Second, British, French, and Greek forces would attack the Bulgarian army between the Vardar river and Lake Doiran. This would stop the Bulgarians from forming new defenses. The Doiran area had been attacked twice before by the Allies, but the Bulgarians had won both times. Bulgarian defenses there were very strong, with many trenches and machine gun posts.
The Allied plan was to push through these defenses. They wanted to capture important towns like Prilep and Skopje. If the Bulgarian front collapsed, the Allies aimed to stop the enemy from retreating.
The Attack Begins
Battle for Dobro Pole
On September 14, 1918, at 8:00 a.m., the Allied forces started a huge artillery attack. They fired 566 guns at the Bulgarian positions. Allied planes also bombed enemy areas. This heavy shelling didn't kill many Bulgarian soldiers, but it severely damaged their morale.
On September 15, at 5:30 a.m., French and Serbian troops attacked. They targeted key Bulgarian positions like Sokol and Dobro Pole. The attack caused many Bulgarian soldiers to desert. The remaining soldiers couldn't hold their ground.
The French troops captured Dobro Pole after a tough fight. The Serbian troops also took important peaks. By the end of the day, Bulgaria had lost about half of its 12,000 soldiers in the battle. This included 3,000 prisoners and 2,689 dead. The Allies lost about 1,700 French and 200 Serbian soldiers.
On September 16, the Serbians took more mountain ranges. Greek soldiers also joined the advance. Allied planes continued to bomb bridges on the Vardar river. By the end of the day, the gap in the Bulgarian front line was 25 kilometers wide and 7 kilometers deep.
On September 17, Greek soldiers bravely climbed Mount Preslap, a key Bulgarian artillery position. The Bulgarians abandoned their posts and retreated. Other Serbian and Greek units also captured more areas.
By September 18, Allied troops had advanced 15 kilometers into enemy territory. They had taken important locations that would help them push deeper into Vardar Macedonia. The Bulgarian forces couldn't stop the Allied advance. They left behind wounded soldiers and a lot of military equipment.
Battle for Doiran
On September 16, the Allies began a strong artillery attack on Bulgarian positions near Doiran. The Bulgarians fired back, and the artillery duel lasted for two days. On the night of September 17-18, the Bulgarians were attacked with gas shells. However, new gas masks and good training helped them survive the attack.
On September 18, at 5:00 a.m., British forces attacked the 9th Bulgarian Division. Greek and British brigades also attacked Bulgarian trenches, taking many prisoners. Other British and Greek units advanced between the lake and a mountain called Belasica. However, the Bulgarians fought back hard. They used machine guns and artillery to push the Allies back. By the end of the day, the Allied forces were back where they started. One British brigade lost 65% of its soldiers.
The attack started again on September 19, at 4:00 a.m., after a night of heavy shelling. British, French, and Greek divisions were involved. After five hours of intense fighting, the Allies managed to capture the town of Dojran and Mount Kala Tepe. However, other key positions remained in Bulgarian hands. After this battle, the Allies couldn't make any more attacks in the Doiran area because they had lost too many soldiers. Bulgaria lost 518 dead, 998 wounded, and 1,210 captured. The Greeks had 503 killed, 2,286 injured, and 615 missing. The British suffered 3,871 dead and wounded.
Pushing Forward
On September 20, the French and Serbian armies crossed the Crna river. When the defenders of Doiran heard about the breakthrough at Dobro Pole, they left their positions and rushed to defend their homeland. On September 21, the Allies realized the Bulgarians were retreating and immediately started chasing them.
The Serbian army moved towards Krivolak, trying to cut off the Bulgarian and German armies. The Bulgarian Second Army tried to avoid fighting the Allies directly.
On September 22, Italian forces joined the attack. They captured a strong German position and took 150 prisoners. Fighting continued as the Allies advanced towards Prilep. On September 23, General d'Espèrey changed the plan. The Italians were ordered to attack Kičevo to stop enemy forces from reaching Skopje. French troops were tasked with securing Prilep. Half an hour later, the French entered Prilep.
On September 24, Bulgarian soldiers stopped the Italian cavalry for a while. But on September 25, Italian and French forces captured Kruševo. The German and Bulgarian high command decided to gather their forces in Skopje.
On September 25, a group of Bulgarian deserters arrived in Kyustendil, looting the city and causing chaos. These rebellious soldiers then gathered at Radomir, only 48 kilometers from the capital city of Sofia. On September 26, Italian cavalry entered Drenovo, learning that the Bulgarians were retreating from Veles. On September 27, leaders of a Bulgarian political party took control of these rebellious troops and declared a Bulgarian Republic. About 4,000-5,000 rebellious troops threatened Sofia the next day in what was called the Radomir Rebellion.
The Serbian Second Army captured Štip and entered Veles. Skopje was defended by a small group of soldiers, armored trains, and artillery. Between September 27 and 28, French regiments managed to get past the Bulgarian defenses around Skopje. On September 29, at 4:00 a.m., the French general planned the final attack on Skopje. The attack started an hour later. French soldiers used thick fog to advance. By 11:00 a.m., the French entered Skopje, capturing 220 Bulgarian and 139 German soldiers, along with guns and supplies.
What Happened Next
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With their army in chaos, a Bulgarian group went to Thessaloniki to ask for a ceasefire. On September 29, General d'Esperey granted them the Armistice of Salonica. This meant Bulgaria had to surrender. Bulgaria's defeat completely changed the war's balance against the Central Powers. The fighting on the Macedonian Front ended at noon on September 30. The treaty stated that 77,000 German and Bulgarian soldiers were captured, and the Allies gained 500 artillery pieces. The Radomir Rebellion was stopped by October 2. The Bulgarian king, Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, gave up his throne and went into exile the next day.
German Emperor Wilhelm II famously said, "Disgraceful! 62,000 Serbs decided the war!" This showed how important Bulgaria's surrender was. On September 29, 1918, the German army leaders told Kaiser Wilhelm II that Germany's military situation was hopeless.
The British and Greek armies moved east towards the Ottoman Empire. The French and Serbian forces continued north. The British army got close to Constantinople. With no army to stop them, the Ottoman government asked for a ceasefire on October 26. In Serbia, the French and Serbian army took back their country. On November 3, Austria-Hungary was forced to sign a ceasefire, ending the war on that front. On November 10, the French general's army crossed the Danube river, ready to enter Hungary. Hungary then signed another ceasefire.
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