Battle of Kresna Gorge
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The Battle of Kresna Gorge was fought in 1913 between the
Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
and the
Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...
during the
Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...
. The battle was fought over an eleven day period, between 8–18 July, over a front of 20 km, in a maze of forests and mountains. The battle marked the last phase of Greek advances into Bulgarian territory before the ceasefire and the
peace treaty A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring ...
.


Background

With the Serbian front static and the Bulgarian Army defeated in Greece,
King Constantine I Constantine I ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αʹ, ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army ...
of Greece ordered his army to march deeper into Bulgarian territory and capture the Bulgarian capital,
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
. Constantine desired a decisive victory in the war despite the objections of Prime Minister
Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movem ...
who realized that the Serbs, having won their territorial objectives, were now trying to put the remaining combat of the war onto the Greeks by staying passive. The Greek army also had to ask for help from the leader of the Ottoman forces, Enver Pasha. Instead he massacred 120,000 Greeks in Anatolia. The Greeks were entirely encircled so they had to ask for peace before the Bulgarians could destroy the entire Greek army.


Conflict


Greek advance and breaking through the Kresna Pass

After the victorious Battle of Doiran the Greek forces continued their advances north. On 18 July, the 1st Greek Division managed to drive back the Bulgarian rear guard and captured an important foothold at the southern end of the
Kresna Kresna ( bg, Кресна ) is a town and the seat of Kresna Municipality in Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria. It is located in the southwestern part of Bulgaria. Geography The town of Kresna lies in Sandanski–Petrich Valley at the north en ...
Pass. In the pass, the Greeks were ambushed by the Bulgarian 2nd and 4th Armies which were newly arrived from the Serbian front and had taken up defensive positions. After bitter fighting, however, the Greeks managed to break through the Kresna Pass. The Greek advance continued and on 25 July, the village of
Krupnik Krupnik (Polish language, Polish, or Krupnikas (Lithuanian language, Lithuanian) is a traditional sweet alcoholic drink similar to a liqueur, based on grain spirit (usually vodka) and honey, popular in Poland and Lithuania. In Poland it is grou ...
, north of the pass, was captured, forcing the Bulgarian troops to withdraw to
Simitli Simitli ( bg, Симитли ) also known as Simitliya ( bg, Симитлия), is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It has a population of 7,454 and is located 17 km south of Blagoevgrad. It is the seat of Simitli Mun ...
. Simitli was captured on 26 July, while during the night of 27–28 July the Bulgarian forces were pushed north to Gorna Dzhumaya (now
Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre ...
), 76 km south of
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
. Meanwhile, the Greek forces continued their march inland into
Western Thrace Western Thrace or West Thrace ( el, υτικήΘράκη, '' ytikíThráki'' ; tr, Batı Trakya; bg, Западна/Беломорска Тракия, ''Zapadna/Belomorska Trakiya''), also known as Greek Thrace, is a Geography, geograp ...
and on 26 July, entered
Xanthi Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi (regional unit), Xanthi regional unit of the modern regions of Greece, region of East Macedonia and Thrace. A ...
. The next day the Greek forces entered
Komotini Komotini ( el, Κομοτηνή, tr, Gümülcine, bg, Комотини) is a city in the region of East Macedonia and Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Rhodope. It was the administrative centre of the Rhodope-Evros super-pr ...
, without incurring Bulgarian opposition.


Bulgarian counterattack and armistice

The Greek army was stopped in front of
Gorna Dzhumaya Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre ...
by significant Bulgarian resistance. On 28 July, Greek forces resumed the attack and captured a line stretching from Cherovo to Hill 1378, southeast of
Gorna Dzhumaya Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre ...
. During the evening of 28 July, however, the Bulgarian army under heavy pressure was forced to abandon the town. The following day, the Bulgarians attempted to encircle the outnumbered Greeks in a Cannae-type battle by applying pressure on their flanks. Nevertheless, the Greeks launched counterattacks at
Mehomia Razlog ( bg, Разлог ) is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II. The municipali ...
and to the west of
Kresna Kresna ( bg, Кресна ) is a town and the seat of Kresna Municipality in Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria. It is located in the southwestern part of Bulgaria. Geography The town of Kresna lies in Sandanski–Petrich Valley at the north en ...
. By 30 July, the Bulgarian attacks had largely subsided. On the eastern flank, the Greek army launched an attack towards Mehomia through the Predela Pass. The offensive was stopped by the Bulgarian army on the eastern side of the pass and fighting ground to a stalemate. On the western flank, an offensive was launched against Charevo Selo with the objection of reaching the Serbian lines. This failed and the Bulgarian army continued advancing, especially in the south, where by 29 July the Bulgarian forces had cut the Greek line of retreat through
Berovo Berovo ( mk, Берово, ) is a small town near the Maleševo Mountains, from Skopje, from Strumica and from Kočani, in North Macedonia. It is the seat of Berovo Municipality. Demographics According to the 2002 census, the town had a tot ...
and
Strumica Strumica ( mk, Струмица, ) is the largest city2002 census results
in English and Macedon ...
, leaving the Greek army with only one route of retreat. After three days fighting at the sectors of
Pehčevo Pehčevo ( mk, Пехчево, is a small town in the eastern part of North Macedonia. It is the seat of Pehčevo Municipality. Pehčevo is known for its winter tourism. History In the late 19th and early 20th century, Pehčevo was part of the ...
and
Mehomia Razlog ( bg, Разлог ) is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II. The municipali ...
, however, the Greek forces retained their positions. On 30 July, the Greek headquarters planned to launch a new attack in order to advance towards the sector of
Gorna Dzhumaya Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre ...
. On that day hostilities continued with the Bulgarian forces deployed on strategic positions north and northeast of the town. Meanwhile, King Constantine I, who had neglected a Bulgarian request for truce during the drive for Sofia, informed Prime Minister Venizelos, that his army was "''physically and morally exhausted''" and urged him to seek cessation of hostilities through Romanian mediation. This request resulted in the Treaty of Bucharest being signed on which ended one of the bloodiest battles of the
Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...
.


Legacy

The armistice left both parties claiming victory. From the Greek point of view, after eleven days of battle, the Bulgarians had clearly failed to turn the Greek army's flanks, and consequently the Greeks considered the battle a defensive victory. The Bulgarians believed that they were the victors since their attack successfully stopped the Greek Army's advance towards Sofia and caused the Greeks to accept an armistice. This view is supported by the opinion held by some historians that although the battle was ended inconclusively by the armistice, at the end of the war, the Greek army was threatened by encirclement and annihilation. The Greek claimed, however, that the Bulgarians had involved all their available forces in the prolonged battle and lacked the additional manpower to complete an encirclement of the Greek forces.


Gallery

File:Map Battle Simitli 1079 1378.jpeg, Advance of the Greek forces after breaking through the
Kresna Gorge Kresna Gorge ( bg, Кресненско дефиле) is a steep valley in south-western Bulgaria, stretching about 18 km. The gorge has been formed by the Struma River, which flows from the Vitosha mountains. Kresna gorge has a rich biodiversity ...
(July, 25–30) File:Battle of Kresna Map.png, Demarcation line and disposition of the Greek forces, following the
Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
. File:Greeks in Bulgaria.JPG, Greek artillery advances through the Kresna Pass.


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kresna Gorge Battles of the Second Balkan War Conflicts in 1913 Battles involving Greece Battles involving Bulgaria History of Blagoevgrad Province July 1913 events