Romanian Eagle

The day after the declaration of war, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece successively dispatched their already prepared troops to cross the border and approach the Ottoman territory.

Among them, the Bulgarian army formed the main group with three armies in the direction of Istanbul. Serbia's main force (three armies) confronted the Ottoman group in Macedonia. The Greek armies of Phesalia and Epirus were preparing to deal with the armies of Thessaloniki and Yanina, respectively. The Greek navy is preparing to take action against the Ottoman navy to ensure the Balkan League's sea dominance in the Mediterranean. The Montenegrin army was tasked with fighting in Macedonia with the Serbian army. The Balkan Allies formed a siege of the Ottoman army, ready to crush his troops in Europe before Ottoman reinforcements could arrive.

For this war, the Balkan Alliance mobilized nearly 700,000 troops at the beginning, of which Bulgaria mobilized 300,000 troops and Serbia mobilized 220,000 troops. Greece mobilized 120,000 troops and Montenegro 35,000. On the other side of the war, the Ottoman Empire had 350,000 troops on European soil.

In terms of military strength, the Balkan countries basically achieved the level of two soldiers against one Ottoman soldier, so the idea of ​​​​the Balkan countries is to quickly dash forward to divide and outflank the Ottoman army. Do not give him the opportunity to wait for reinforcements in European territory.

The first of these large-scale battles took place near the town of Kumanovo in northern Macedonia in the Ottoman Empire.

On October 19, the Serbian 1st Army crossed the border and advanced southwards into Ottoman territory. The Serbian cavalry division served as the left flank of the Serbian army. In command of the Ottoman war this time was General Putnik, Chief of the General Staff.

Admiral Putnik was born in Kragujevac, the son of a secondary school teacher, educated at the Serbian Artillery Academy, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1866, and took part in the 1876 war against Turkey, although Serbia had The Battle of Alexey and the defeat of Junis in October, he gained fame for his outstanding performances. After the outbreak of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War in 1877-1878, he participated in the counter-offensive with the Russian army.

In 1885 he took part in the unfortunate war against Bulgaria as division chief of staff, and suffered heavy losses at the battles of Slivnica and Pietro in November. Graduated from the Army Staff College in 1889. He was steadily promoted to general, chief of staff in 1903, and minister of war three times (1904-1905; 1906-1908; 1912). In order to save Serbia from the trauma of his early years, he worked to improve the professional skills of the Serbian army, its weaponry and training. Under his leadership, the Serbian army became a well-equipped (relative to other Balkan countries), technologically advanced, and high-morale force.

in his army headquarters. Admiral Putnick was watching the military map giving orders to his staff.

"Send a message to the Third Army to speed up their march and get to Mitrosse as soon as possible to cover our flank.

"

After receiving the order of Admiral Putnick, the staff officer stood upright with his legs and gave a military salute. "As ordered, Chief of the General Staff."

Seeing the departing staff, Admiral Putnick was quite satisfied with the current marching speed of the First Army. The First Army, consisting of 110,000 people, is now the main force in this war in Serbia, and Bulgaria is on their right. The second army has 54,000 people, and the third army on the left has 50,000 troops. Their goal is to annihilate the Ottoman Empire's garrison in Macedonia. It's just that they didn't expect Zeki Pasha's Varda Army to be prepared for this, and they were already prepared in Kumanovo town.

Three days later, the 1st Army Forward 4th Division encountered Zeki Pasha's Varda Army, which consisted of Kara-Said Pasha's 5th Army, Dijk Pasha's 6th Army and Vtipa Pasha's 3rd Army. Seven armies. The three armies were placed east, north and northwest of the Macedonian town of Kumanovo. The Turkish army has a total of about 58,000 people, which is about half the strength of the attacking Serbian army.

"Our forward fourth division was in the town of Kumanovo and encountered the main force of the Ottoman Macedonian army."

A major staff officer took the telegram of the encounter with the Ottoman army in Kumanovo town, and hurriedly stepped forward to report to Admiral Putnik.

"Show me."

General Putnik took the telegram and read it. In this report, the 2nd Division said that they had encountered an attack of 50,000 troops from the Ottoman Empire and were now in defense operations to request support.

The size of the Ottoman army was beyond the surprise of General Putnik, the chief of staff of the Serbian Army. He did not expect to encounter a large Ottoman army so early in this war, nor did he expect that a major battle would be far away in Turkey. A small town in the north kicked off.

Admiral Putnick quickly found the location of Kumanovo Town on the military map, and he muttered while looking at the map. "To dare to fight back here, I don't take our Serbian army seriously."

He also had a reason for saying this, because on the military map the Ottoman army was fighting near Kumanovo and the entire Ottoman army was under the threat of the Serbian 3rd Army and the Bulgarian 2nd Army and was easily cut off and surrounded.

"Now I order."

Following the order of Putnick's chief of staff, the staff in the headquarters put down their work and quietly listened to his orders.

"Electric order, the 4th Division stood on the spot and waited for reinforcements, and the other divisions of the 1st Army rushed to Kumanovo town at full speed. After reaching their destination, they quickly entangled their troops. At the same time, they sent electricity to the 3rd Army and the 2nd Bulgarian Army, Report what happened to us in Kumanovo. Ask them to intersperse behind as soon as possible and I will wipe them out."

After speaking, General Putnick felt that it was not enough, and punched the military map. The place where he was hit was the town of Kumanovo.

The divisions of the First Army who received the telegram from the commander-in-chief Putnik accelerated their marching speed and rushed to Kumanovo. The Serbian Third Army and the Bulgarian Second Army also accelerated their pace, trying to rush to the predetermined location as soon as possible to encircle the Ottoman army. All the troops were mobilized for a while.

At the focal point of the battlefield, in the headquarters of the Serbian Fourth Division, which is being besieged by the Ottoman army, the staff members are busy, and various maps are hung on the walls of the house. The division commander, Miller Scheroch, was wearing a major general's uniform, and in a corner was watching the telegram sent to him by Chief of the General Staff Putnick.

"Report."

A messenger with the smell of gunpowder in his uniform interrupted the division commander's thoughts.

"speak."

Commander Milesevich put down the telegram in his hand and said to the messenger.

"I am Nikolvino, the messenger of the third regiment of the right-wing position. We were attacked by tens of thousands of Ottoman troops. The casualties were relatively large, and the field phone could not be connected. Our regiment commander Jabic sent me to ask for support."

After hearing what the messenger said, Division Commander Milesevich turned to look at a young captain in a military uniform with a sapper's logo on his epaulet.

"Captain Veloster, why haven't you sappers checked the phone lines."

The company commander of the division's engineer company complained bitterly to Division Commander Milesevich. "We're investigating, the third regiment's line has been blown three times, and we've lost seven maintenance sappers."

Hearing the cry of his engineer company commander, Commander Milesevich said with a resolute expression. "I don't care about that. You must ensure that the telephone line is unblocked, even if the sappers are dead."

Hearing such a firm order from the division commander, Captain Veloster had to obey. After giving a military salute to the division commander Milesevich, he went out and arranged for his subordinates to check the telephone line again.

After giving the order to the engineer company commander, Division Commander Milesevich picked up a field phone and told the communications staff. "Get me the Fourth Regiment Headquarters."

The fourth regiment is the reserve team of their fourth division. Now that the front line is tight, of course, a reserve team must be sent to reinforce it.

After a while, the communications staff communicated with the Fourth Regiment, and Commander Milesevich said loudly into the phone. "Is it Lieutenant Colonel Batanvik of the Fourth Regiment?"

There is a voice on the other end of the phone. "Yes."

Hearing that it was the commander of the 4th regiment, Batanvik, Commander Milesevich gave orders loudly to the phone. "I am the division commander Milesevich. Now I order you to immediately send a battalion to reinforce the third regiment of Commander Jabic on the right."

Head of Batanvik on the other end of the phone answered immediately. "Yes, division commander, I'll send a battalion to reinforce the 3rd Left Regiment right away."

After the phone call, Division Commander Milesevich spoke to the messenger of the 3rd regiment. "Now you can go back to your life. I have sent a battalion of reinforcements."

A wave of Ottoman offensives had just ended at the positions of the 3rd regiment awaiting reinforcements. Soldier Borosnillo of the 2nd Battalion and 5th Company finally relaxed his tense nerves and let out a long sigh of relief. He put down the Mosin Nagant rifle in his hand, and from his dirty pocket, he took out a roasted and cooled potato and ate it. Three months ago he wouldn't have had any interest in this baked potato, but now he thinks it tastes better than steak.

Porosnillo came from a good family, his father was a doctor in the town, and his mother was the daughter of a merchant. Because of his father's excellent medical skills, his wife and children are not worried about life at home, and Porosnillo has been well educated since he was a child, thanks to his mother's teaching. Later, he went to the capital Belgrade to read middle school and planned to go to university in two years. As a result, when he was studying, he was encouraged by his classmates, joined the army with them, and was sent to the fifth company to be a soldier. When he was sent here, because of his relatively good family conditions, he was not used to the life in the military camp, but seeing that he is eating cold potatoes with relish now, I also know that he is used to the life in the military camp.

Just as he finished eating the cold potatoes in his hand, he heard the shouts of other soldiers. "Bombardment."

Porosnillo quickly squatted into the trenches and opened his mouth to avoid the shelling.

"Boom~boom~boom~boom."

The Ottoman artillery hit a large number of artillery shells on the positions of the Serbian army, and the dust was flying for a while, and the air was filled with a thick smell of gunpowder smoke. A lot of unfortunate people lost their lives in this shelling, and Borosnillo was more fortunate. Apart from making himself ashes, he didn't even have a small wound.

"Bah~bah~bah."

After a burst of shelling, Porosnillo spit out the dirt in his mouth.

The comrades next to him shouted. "The Ottomans are up again."

"Aren't these damn Ottomans tired?" Poros Nilo complained, picking up the gun next to him and starting to throw himself into the tense battle.

At the launching position of the Ottoman army, Zeki Pasha, the commander of the Varda Army, was observing the effect of the attack with a telescope. I saw the Ottoman army attacking in skirmish lines, while the Serbian army launched a counterattack in the trenches. In the fierce counterattack of the Serbian army, the Ottoman army also suffered heavy casualties. Perhaps because the commander-in-chief was watching from behind, the commander of the Ottoman army did not order a retreat, but another wave of reinforcements. With the combined force of the two waves of Ottoman troops, they finally broke into the position of the third regiment, and a tragic hand-to-hand battle occurred for a while.

Seeing this, Zeki Pasha praised it. "well done."

Just then a Serbian reinforcement arrived, and the Ottoman army was thrown out of the position unnoticed.

In the position of the 3rd Regiment of the Serbian Army, Porosnillo was lying on the ground, and a medic next to him was bandaging him. He was stabbed in the abdomen by an Ottoman soldier, but fortunately, he reacted quickly and avoided the key point, but he suffered from the pain of the flesh and did not hurt his internal organs. He needed to lie in the hospital for a while to recover. After being bandaged by medics, he was carried on a stretcher and will be taken to the field hospital behind. After the medics had dealt with his injuries, they were busy treating the other wounded.

This time the attack of the Ottoman army cost the third regiment 614 people, but the Ottoman army did not fall well, they lost even more to 1153 people.

This time, the commander, General Drummonsuk, stepped forward with a gloomy face and spoke to the commander Zeki Pasha, who was observing the process of the battle. "I'm sorry, Your Excellency Commander, I still failed."

Hearing the self-blame of his capable subordinates, Zeki Pasha looked at him with a smile and said. "It doesn't matter, General Drummonsuk, this time we fail, we will find it next time. No one wins all the time on the battlefield."

Hearing that the boss didn't mean to blame him, Drummonsuk also sighed secretly. He intends to summarize the process of this battle to avoid making mistakes again.

After Zeki Pasha left the front line and returned to his headquarters, he said to the subordinate staff around him. "Come on, I want to think for myself."

After hearing his order, the staff members left the room one after another. Seeing that there was no one around, Zeki Pasha's complexion collapsed. He did not want to move the army to northern Macedonia to attack first. In his view, the defense in northern Macedonia was to keep the Balkan Allied forces at the border. This idea is very good but unrealistic. The Balkan countries have twice as many troops as the Ottoman European garrison. They can only be defeated by their superior troops when they defend their borders, and they can't drag the reinforcements of the Asian troops at all.

Moreover, the strategy of attacking first is seriously flawed, because the army lacks sufficient training, and the officers under their own lack the ability to lead troops, so they cannot organize and implement a successful attack. This has been shown in today's battle. This is all about money, and there is nothing he can do if the army's funds are not enough.

In his opinion, the army should be moved to the south for fortification of Bitola, where they can use the resources of Albania (which is the only area in Albania to support the Ottoman Empire), and still be able to hold it for a while, at least win it from Anna Time for Tolia to call in reinforcements. However, he had to obey the orders of the commander-in-chief of the Turkish army, Nizam Pasha, so he could only choose a fairly good Kumanovo town to launch the offensive.

"Fight another day, or retreat if it doesn't work." Zeki Pasha made a decision in his heart.

Ottoman soldiers still fought with Serbian soldiers on the battlefield, and every time they fought, many fresh lives were ended. The Ottoman army did not make much progress until it was dark, and could only fight again tomorrow. Zeki Pasha didn't know that his timing was simply wrong, and he himself would pay for the mistake.

That night, the Serbian army began to arrive one after another. They brought a large number of god of battlefield artillery to the fourth division. Because it was night, the Serbian army did not attack immediately.

In the early morning of the next day, the Ottoman army began to prepare for the attack after breakfast, and the artillery was still the first to fire. However, this time, Serbia also had a large number of artillery pieces of its own on the positions. For a time, the artillery pieces of both sides were inexorable. This made Zeki Pasha feel a little strange in his heart.

In the artillery battle between the two sides, the Ottoman army still launched an attack on the positions of the Serbian army. For a while, the smoke filled the front of the Serbian position, and the soldiers on both sides were fighting together. Many Ottoman officers felt that the defense intensity of Serbia had increased a lot today, and the number of counterattacks by the Serbian army was also increasing, which surprised them.

Of course, as their commander-in-chief, Zeki Pasha also knew about this situation, but he believed that this was because the Serbian army arrived one after another. He could only increase the attack and invest more troops to suppress the Serbian army's counterattack.

However, after increasing the input of troops, the counterattack of the Serbian army continued, which made Zeki Pasha know that something was wrong. At this time, the Serbian artillery completely suppressed the Ottoman artillery by relying on more artillery and more exquisite technology.

At this time, the Serbian army began to counterattack. For a time, the Ottoman army was caught by surprise and retreated to the starting position. And these Serbian troops had no intention of stopping at all, and launched a strong onslaught directly on the Ottoman army. The Ottoman positions were in danger of being beaten.

Zeki Pasha knew that he had to come up with countermeasures as a commander, and he ordered the staff around him. "Let the reserve militia go up."

He intends to strengthen the strength of the first-line positions, first to withstand this wave of attacks, in fact, this is the worst decision he has made in this battle. The lack of training of these militias is also prone to panic, which can destabilize the morale of the Ottoman army.

Sure enough, with the reinforcements of these militiamen, the positions of the Ottoman army were breached in many places. Seeing that, Zeki Pasha knew that the situation was over, and now he can only retreat first.

"Give the front line an order to retreat in batches to resist, and we are also ready to retreat."

After hearing the words of their commander-in-chief, the staff members put away important documents and prepared to retreat to the rear in a carriage. Zeki Pasha glanced at his command post and left first under the protection of the guards.

Although the Serbian army repelled the Ottoman army, but because they were all rushed forward, they did not carry too much ammunition, and they did not continue to pursue. However, Zeki Pasha's Varda Army suffered heavy casualties and was unable to stop the advance of the Serbian army into the Macedonia region.

In the Battle of Kumanovo, the Serbian First Army had 687 killed, 3,208 wounded, and 597 missing. Half of the casualties were on the besieged Fourth Division. The Ottoman army suffered 12,000 casualties and about 300 captured, three times as many as the Serbian army.

Although a little caught off guard at first, the Serbian army quickly recovered, and its brave counterattack dealt a heavy blow to the Ottoman army in Macedonia, although the Serbian army did not take advantage of the situation to pursue and expand the victory. But with the victory at Kumanovo, Serbia still controlled northern Macedonia. In the dispute between Serbia and Bulgaria, most of the "disputed area" was occupied by Serbia, giving Serbia a huge advantage.

(I'm sorry I can't separate, everyone will see it)

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