As you know, in 1877 the Russian Empire entered the war with the Ottoman Empire, aiming to help the Bulgarians. It was attended by several thousand volunteers who went to shed blood for the Slavic brothers. More than 200,000 Russians laid down their lives for the liberation of Bulgaria. For their children and grandchildren, Bulgaria's participation in the First World War against the Entente, of which Russia was a part, was a real blow. This article is devoted to the events that took place on the Balkan Peninsula from 1915 to 1919.
Backstory
1908 was marked by the proclamation of the Bulgarian kingdom. Ferdinand of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty became its ruler. After that, the young Bulgarian state, which recently gained independence, decided to become a major country in the Balkans by expanding its borders.
In 1912, she, along with her neighbors-allies, entered the war against Turkey. In 1913 the Ottoman Empire was defeated. ByUnder the Treaty of London, part of Macedonia and Thrace were annexed to the Bulgarian kingdom, which gave the country access to the Aegean Sea.
Second War for Peninsular Domination
The victory did not bring peace to the people of the Balkans, as the allies immediately became enemies and began to divide the territories that Turkey had lost.
A new war broke out, in which Ferdinand the First had to fight not only against the Turks, who sought revenge, but also against Greece, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro.
Bulgarian troops were defeated. The country lost not only some areas of Macedonia and Thrace, but also the original Bulgarian territories. Both Ferdinand and part of the Bulgarian society sought revenge, which was the reason for Bulgaria's entry into the First World War.
Neutrality
In the first days after the outbreak of World War I, Bulgaria declared that it did not support any of the warring parties. However, the government of the country understood that only participation in hostilities could help return the lost territories.
The search for allies has begun. The country's leadership was ready to support any side of the conflict that promised to give Bulgaria a larger piece of the "Balkan pie" if they won. At the same time, Prime Minister Radoslavov promised the Russian ambassador that his country would not oppose its liberator.
Engaging in war
In early 1915, Austrian and German banks provided Bulgaria with new loans in the amount of 150 million marks. ExceptIn addition, these countries provided financial assistance to political forces that advocated the need to enter the war against the Entente alliance.
In the summer, the Central Powers announced that if Bulgaria came out on their side, she would receive Thrace, all of Macedonia, southern Dobruja, and also receive a war loan in the amount of 500 million marks.
Another reason that prompted Ferdinand the First to violate neutrality was the success of the Austro-German troops against Russia and Turkey in the Dardanelles operation.
Bulgaria's entry into World War I
September 6, the Foreign Ministers of Germany and Bulgaria signed a convention in Sofia. According to this document, Bulgaria undertook to send 6 divisions to the front, which were to take part against Serbia and operate under the command of the German Field Marshal General. For this, the country received a loan of 200 million marks, part of the territory of Macedonia and the lands that were ceded to Greece and Romania under the Bucharest peace treaty.
First Company
On October 14, 1915, the Bulgarian kingdom declared war on Serbia, officially speaking out against the Entente, of which Russia was a part.
Her 4 infantry divisions entered the battle against the Serbian army. On October 24, they occupied Pirot, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy and captured 60 guns.
On November 10, 1915, Bulgarian troops occupied Niš and united with the Austro-German armies.
A major battle took place near the Macedonian town of Krivolak. As a result, the Anglo-French divisions retreated, whichgave the Bulgarians the opportunity to try to surround the Serbian troops. However, the latter managed to escape, and the remnants of the units were evacuated to the island of Corfu.
Thus, Serbia was completely occupied by the German-Austrian-Bulgarian armies. In addition, the Central Powers managed to capture Montenegro.
1916
After the events presented above, the only force of the Entente in the Balkans remained a corps of 150,000 people stationed in Thessaloniki. Evacuated units from Serbia arrived to help them.
At Lake Doyran, 4 allied divisions repeatedly attacked the Bulgarians, hoping to break through their front. The latter staunchly defended themselves, and the Anglo-French troops suffered serious losses.
On August 17, the Bulgarians went on the offensive near the Struma River. The French troops failed to delay them, and the attackers reached the Aegean coast. The Bulgarians managed to capture about 4,000 sq. km. This operation was of the utmost importance, as it thwarted the offensive of the Entente troops, but already in the fall, luck began to change the Bulgarian command.
Romanian company
In the early years of World War I, Romania remained neutral. However, on August 27, she had to break it. Having declared war on Austria-Hungary, Romania received retaliatory notes from Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The latter formed the Danubian army, which moved in the direction of Tutrakan. Despite the support of the Russian troops, the Romanians suffered defeat after defeat.
November 23 Danube armycrossed the Danube. After fierce fighting with the Russian-Romanian troops on December 7, the German-Bulgarian units entered Bucharest.
1917 Company
In the last years of the First World War, the Bulgarians fought on several fronts at once. In the spring of 1917, hostilities began near Lake Doyran. As a result, the loss of the British, who opposed the Bulgarians, amounted to 12,000 people.
However, Greece entered the war in the summer, after which the Central Powers refused to conduct active operations on the Thessaloniki front.
1918 Campaign
In early May, a peace treaty was signed in Bucharest. Bulgaria passed South Dobruja and some other territories that previously belonged to Romania.
On September 14, 1918, the battle began, which went down in history as the “Doiran epic”. For several days, the Bulgarians held back the onslaught of 6 British and Greek divisions, inflicting 7,000 casu alties on them.
Despite this, after a few days they found themselves in a difficult situation and began to retreat. Soon the withdrawal took on a panic character.
77,000 soldiers, 5 generals, 1,600 officers, 500 guns, 10,000 horses, etc. were captured. The British were preparing to invade Bulgaria. Against the backdrop of all this, the soldiers rebelled. Unrest has begun.
Surrender
The command of the Bulgarian army tried to stop the retreat with harsh methods. However, by September, about 30,000 soldiers refused to fight, and some of them headed for Sofia.
After realizing allthe danger of the situation, in the autumn of 1918 Bulgaria concluded a truce with the states of the Entente. Under the terms of the agreement, the Bulgarian army left all the occupied territories of Greece and Serbia.
In other words, Bulgaria was the first of the countries belonging to the Central Bloc to withdraw from the war in World War I.
Consequences
After signing the treaty, Tsar Ferdinand abdicated the Bulgarian throne. The monstrous human losses had a negative impact on demographics even many decades later. During the First World War, the country not only failed to return the lost territories, but also lost part of its own.
