Battle of the Crna Bend (1916)
Battle of the Crna Bend | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Balkans Theatre (World War I) | |||||||
![]() Allied advance August-November 1916. | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Units involved | |||||||
8th Tundzha Infantry Division | unknown | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Heavy | unknown |
The Battle of the Cerna bend
Battle
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Cherna-River-Bulgarian-Officers-1917.jpg/250px-Cherna-River-Bulgarian-Officers-1917.jpg)
In August 1916, the Bulgarians launched the
On 6 October, the Serbs attacked again near the villages of Dobroveni and Skochivir but were again counterattacked and pushed back. The Bulgarians took the village of Brod. The Serbs, who had great superiority in artillery, attacked constantly.
On 14 and 15 October 1916, fighting continued without interruption. The Serbian pressure was immense, and the Bulgarians continued to hold their positions. The night of 15 October was one of the high points of the fighting when the Serbs launched eight consecutive attacks, all of which were repulsed. The Serbs then recovered for three days, and on 18 October, they crossed the left bank of the River Crna at Brod and fortified it. The Bulgarian army counterattacked but was repulsed.
On 23 October, the artillery fire of the Entente grew even more. The French were fighting near Kremenica. During the week, the Bulgarians tried to push them back without success, and all Serbian attacks were also unsuccessful, leading to massive casualties for both sides. Due to a lack of munitions, the Bulgarian artillery had to save shells which harmed the soldiers' morale. On 7 November, the enemy artillery started intense fire at the 3/8 Brigade, which occupied positions between Krape and Polog. After three days, the brigade's losses became so immense that on 10 November, it abandoned its positions, which the Serbs took. On 19 November, the Bulgarians also had to retreat from Bitola and took positions 5 km north of the town. The front stabilized on the line Pelister - Hill 1248 - Hill 1050 - Dabica - Gradešnica.
Aftermath
The Entente continued with its attempts for a breakthrough against the Bulgarians in the area of the River Crna the following year, again without any success. The
Annotations
- ^ The river is traditionally known in English as the Cerna. English name derived from Bulgarian: Битка при завоя на Черна, Macedonian: Битка на свиокот на Црна. Serbian: Битка на Црној реци, "Battle of the Crna River".
References
- ^ Kosta, Todorov (1943). Balkan Firebrand: The Autobiography of a Rebel Soldier and Statesman. Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. p. 95.
- ISBN 0-19-820614-3.
- ISBN 9781851094202.
- ISBN 9781974131495.
Sources
- Недев, Н., България в световната война (1915-1918), София, 2001, Издателство „Анико“, ISBN 954-90700-3-4
- Атанасов, Щ. и др. Българското военно изкуство през капитализма, София, 1959, Държавно военно издателство при МНО