The Battle of Lovcha, ''or Loftcha'' (today

Lovech Lovech ( bg, Ловеч, Lovech, ) is a city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast from the capital city of Sofia. Near ...

), was a battle of the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 ( tr, 93 Harbi, lit=War of ’93, named for the year 1293 in the Islamic calendar; russian: Русско-турецкая война, Russko-turetskaya voyna, "Russian–Turkish war") was a conflict between th ...

which occurred during the

siege of Plevna The siege of Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of Russia and Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at Svishtov, it began advancing towards ...

. Russian forces successfully reduced the fortress at Lovcha, which had protected Plevna's communication and supply lines. In July 1877, shortly after the

began, the garrison's commander, Osman Pasha, received 15 battalions of reinforcements from

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 h ...

. He chose to use these reinforcements to fortify Lovcha, which protected his lines of support running from Orchanie (present-day

Botevgrad Botevgrad ( bg, Ботевград ) is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located in Sofia Province and is close to Pravets. Botevgrad lies 47 km from Sofia. History and name The village was called Samundzhievo (Самунджиево) unti ...

) to Plevna. After the failure of the first two attempts to storm the city of Plevna, the Russians brought up significant reinforcements, and the

investing Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing i ...

army now totaled 100,000. Intent on cutting Osman's communications and supply lines, General Alexander Imeretinsky was sent out with 22,703 Russian troops to seize Lovcha. On 1 September Generals Alexander Imerentinsky,

Mikhail Skobelev Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev (russian: Михаил Дмитриевич Скобелев; 29 September 1843 – 7 July 1882), a Russian general, became famous for his conquest of Central Asia and for his heroism during the Russo-Turkish War ...

, and

Vladimir Dobrovolsky Vladimir Mikhailovich Dobrovolsky (russian: Владимир Михайлович Добровольский; – ) was a Russian major general who was most notable for his service in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Biography Vladimir Do ...

reached Lovcha and attacked the city. Fighting continued for the next two days. Osman marched out of Plevna to the relief of Lovcha, but on 3 September, before he could reach Lovcha, it fell to the Russians. Survivors of the battle withdrew into Plevna and were organized into 3 battalions. After the loss of Lovcha, these additional troops brought Osman's force up to 30,000, the largest it would be during the siege. The Russians settled on the strategy of a complete investment of Plevna, and with the loss of its major supply route, the fall of Plevna was inevitable.

Sources

* ''Compton's Home Library: Battles of the World'' CD-ROM * Бръняков Б., Действията около град Ловеч през Освободителната война 1877 -1878 г., Печатница „ Светлина “, Ловеч, 1928 г. {{Reflist Lovcha, Battle of Lovech 1877 in Bulgaria Lovcha History of Lovech Province Lovcha September 1877 events

See also

Sources