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Originally posted by DraganOfStip
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Other than that,your military history isn't something to brag about really.
Battle of Ongal (680)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
The Battle of Ongal took place in the summer of 680 in the Ongal area, an unspecified location in around the Danube delta near the Peuce Island. The battle had an enormous significance and influence not only for Balkan but also for European history with the creation of the First Bulgarian Empire.
After the victory, the Bulgars advanced south and seized the lands to the north of Stara Planina. In 681 they invaded Thrace defeating the Byzantines again. Constantine IV found himself in a dead-lock and asked for peace. With the treaty of 681 the Byzantines recognised the creation of the new Bulgarian state and were obliged to pay annual tribute to the Bulgarian rulers, which was greatly humiliating for the empire which managed to defeat the Persians and the Arabs.
Battle of Anchialus (708)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
In 705, the Bulgarian Khan Tervel helped the ex-emperor of Byzantium, Justinian II to regain his throne after 10 years in exile. To show his gratitude, Justinian gave the Bulgarians an enormous quantity of gold, silver and silk as well as the "Zagore" area, located between Stara Zagora, Sliven and the Black Sea. Three years later, Justinian II considered himself strong enough to invade Bulgaria and restore his rule over these lands.
The Byzantines reached the Anchialus fortress and set their camp there unaware of the fact that the Bulgarian army was in the vicinity. While the invaders were gathering food, Tervel and his cavalry charged the outermost Byzantine troops. In the same time the infantry attacked the camp. The Byzantines were surprised and confused; most of them perished in the battle or were captured as well as many horses and arms. The emperor was one of the very few who managed to reach the fortress and escaped to Constantinople on a ship.
The Bulgarians secured the new territorial gains for centuries. In 711 when a riot forced Justinian II to seek for help, Tervel gave him only 3,000 soldiers who after several skirmishes were given safe conduct to Bulgaria by the new emperor and Justinian II was executed.
Siege of Constantinople (717)
Bulgaria, Bysantene Emipre VS Umayyad Caliphate
The Second Arab Siege of Constantinople in 717–718 was a combined land and sea effort by the Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate to take the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. The campaign marked the culmination of twenty years of attacks and gradual Arab encroachment on Byzantine lands.
The Syriac chronicler Michael the Syrian mentions 200,000 men and 5,000 ships, a number certainly much inflated. Al-Mas'udi mentions 120,000 troops, and Theophanes the Confessor 1,800 ships. The supply train alone is said to have numbered 12,000 men, 6,000 camels, and 6,000 donkeys.[20] Whatever the true numbers, the attackers were considerably more numerous than the defenders; according to Treadgold, the Arab host may have outnumbered the entire Byzantine army. Although the siege consumed a large part of the Caliphate's resources, it was still capable of launching raids against the Byzantine frontier in eastern Asia Minor during the siege's duration: in 717, Sulayman's son Daud captured a fortress near Melitene and in 718 Amr ibn Qais raided the frontier. On the Byzantine side, the numbers are unknown. Aside from Anastasius III's preparations (which may have been neglected following his deposition), the Byzantines could count on the assistance of the Bulgars, with whom Leo concluded a treaty that may have included terms of alliance against the Arabs.
Leo III made a plea to Tervel for help, relying on the treaty of 716 and Tervel agreed. The first clash between the Bulgarians and the Arabs ended with a Bulgarian victory. During the very first stages of the siege the Bulgarians appeared in the Muslim rear and large part of their army was destroyed and the rest were trapped. The Arabs built two trenches around their camp facing the Bulgarian army and the walls of the city. They persisted with the siege despite the severe winter with 100 days of snowfall. In the spring, the Byzantine navy destroyed the Arab fleets that had arrived with new provisions and equipment, while a Byzantine army defeated Arab reinforcements in Bithynia. Finally, in early summer the Arabs engaged the Bulgarians in battle but suffered a crushing defeat. According to Theophanes the Confessor, the Bulgarians slaughtered some 22,000 Arabs in the battle. Shortly after, the Arabs raised the siege. The Byzantine-Bulgarian victory of 718 and the victory of the Frankish king Charles Martel in the battle of Tours stopped the Muslim invasion in the interior of Europe.
Siege of Serdica (809)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
The Siege of Serdica took place in the spring of 809 at modern Sofia, Bulgaria. As a result, the city was permanently included in the Bulgarian State. After the destruction of the Avar Khaganate, Khan Krum turned his gaze to the southwest to liberate the Slavs which populated the valley of the Struma River and Macedonia. The main obstacle was the strong Byzantine-held fortress of Serdica (Sofia).
Battle of Pliska (811)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
The Battle of Pliska or Battle of Vărbitsa Pass was a series of battles between troops, gathered from all parts of the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Nicephorus I Genik, and Bulgaria, governed by Khan Krum. The Byzantines plundered and burned the Bulgar capital Pliska which gave time for the Bulgarians to block passes in the Balkan Mountains that served as exits out of Bulgaria. The final battle took place on 26 July 811, in some of the passes in the eastern part of the Balkan, most probably the Vărbitsa Pass. There, the Bulgarians used the tactics of ambush and surprise night attack to effectively trap and immobilize the Byzantine forces, thus annihilating almost the whole army, including the Emperor. After the battle, Krum encased Nicephorus's skull in silver, and used it as a cup for wine-drinking. This is probably the best documented instance of the custom of the skull cup.
The battle of Pliska was one of the worst defeats in Byzantine history. It deterred Byzantine rulers from sending their troops north of the Balkans for more than 150 years afterwards, which increased the influence and spread of the Bulgarians to the west and south of the Balkan Peninsula, resulting in a great territorial enlargement of the First Bulgarian Empire.
Battle of Boulgarophygon (896)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
The Battle of Boulgarophygon or Battle of Bulgarophygon was fought in the summer of 896 near the town of Bulgarophygon, modern Babaeski in Turkey, between the Byzantine Empire and the First Bulgarian Empire. The result was an annihilation of the Byzantine army which determined the Bulgarian victory in the trade war of 894–896.
Despite the initial difficulties in the war against the Magyars, who acted as Byzantine allies, the battle of Boulgarophygon proved to be the first decisive victory of the young and ambitious Bulgarian ruler Simeon I against the Byzantine Empire. Simeon would go on to inflict a number of defeats on the Byzantines in pursuit of his ultimate goal, the throne in Constantinople. The peace treaty that was signed as a result of the battle confirmed the Bulgarian domination in the Balkans.
Battle of Southern Buh (896)
Bulgaria VS Hungary
The Battle of Southern Buh occurred near the banks of the so called river, in modern Ukraine. The result was a great Bulgarian victory which forced the Magyars to leave forever the steppes of southern Ukraine and to establish the Kingdom of Hungary a hundred years later.
Battle of Achelous (917)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
The Battle of Achelous or Acheloos also known as the Battle of Anchialus, took place on 20 August 917, on the Achelous river near the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, close to the fortress Tuthom (modern Pomorie) between Bulgarian and Byzantine forces. The result of the battle was a decisive Bulgarian victory which not only secured the previous successes of Simeon I but made him de facto a ruler of the whole Balkan Peninsula excluding the well-protected Byzantine capital Constantinople and the Peloponnese.
The battle of Achelous was one of the worst disasters that ever befell a Byzantine army, and conversely one of the greatest military successes of Bulgaria. Among the most significant consequences was the official recognition of the Imperial title of the Bulgarian monarchs, and the consequent affirmation of Bulgarian equality vis-ŕ-vis Byzantium. After the Bulgarian victory in the war between 894 and 896 the Byzantines were forced to pay tribute to Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria. The Byzantine historian Leo the Deacon says that 75 years after this military catastrophe the field at Anchialus was still covered with tens of thousands of Roman skeletons. The battle was among the bloodiest in the whole medieval history and some historians refer to it as "the battle of the century".
Battle of Bitola (1015)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
[Bulgarian propaganda deleted]
Battle of Tryavna (1190)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
The battle of Tryavna occurred in 1190 in the mountains around the contemporary town of Tryavna, central Bulgaria. The result was a Bulgarian victory over the Byzantine Empire, which secured the successes achieved since the beginning of the Rebellion of Asen and Peter in 1185.
After his second campaign in Moesia and the fruitless siege of Lovech in 1187 the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos was forced to conclude a truce thus de facto recognizing the independence of Bulgaria. Until 1189, both sides observed the truce. The Bulgarians used this time to further organize their administration and military. When the soldiers of the Third Crusade reached the Bulgarian lands at Niš, Asen and Peter offered to help the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Frederick I Barbarosa with a force of 40,000 against the Byzantines. However, the relations between the Crusaders and the Byzantines smoothed and the Bulgarian proposal was evaded.
The Byzantines prepared a third campaign to revenge for the Bulgarian actions. Like the previous two invasions they managed to overcome the passes of the Balkan mountains. They made a feint indicating that they would pass near the sea by Pomorie but instead headed to the west and passed through the Rishki Pass to Preslav. The Byzantine army next marched westwards to besiege the capital at Tarnovo. At the same time, the Byzantine fleet reached the Danube in order to bar the way of Cuman auxiliaries from the northern Bulgarian territories.
The siege of Tarnovo was unsuccessful. The defense of the city was led by Asen himself and the morale of his troops was very high. The Byzantine morale, however, was quite low for several reasons: the lack of any military success, heavy casualties and particularly the fact that the soldiers' pay was in arrears. This was used by Asen, who sent an agent in the guise of a deserter to the Byzantine camp. The man told Isaac II that, despite the efforts of the Byzantine navy, an enormous Cuman army had passed the river Danube and was heading towards Tarnovo to relive the siege. The Byzantine Emperor panicked and immediately called for a retreat through the nearest pass.
The battle was a major catastrophe for the Byzantines. The victorious army captured the Imperial treasure of Byzantium including the golden helmet of the Byzantine Emperors, the crown and the Imperial Cross which was considered the most valuable possession of the Byzantine rulers - a solid gold reliquary containing a piece of the Holy Cross. It was thrown in the river by a Byzantine cleric but was recovered by the Bulgarians. These trophies later became the pride of the Bulgarian Treasure and were carried around the capital, Tarnovo, during official occasions.
Siege of Varna (1201)
Bulgaria VS Byzantine Empire
The siege of Varna took place between 21 and 24 March 1201 at Varna, on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast between the Bulgarians and the Byzantines. The Bulgarians were victorious and captured the city.
After the youngest of the three Asen brothers, Kaloyan, was crowned Emperor in early 1197 he immediately showed his resolution to continue the war with the Byzantines by all means and liberate all Bulgarian lands. In the next year Kaloyan even allied with Ivanko, the murderer of his eldest brother, Ivan Asen.
At the turn of the new century he seized the strong castle of Constancia (near modern Simeonovgrad) and then stroke on an opposite direction and besieged the last Byzantine stronghold to the north of the Balkan mountains, Varna. Varna was defended by a large garrison including western mercenaries who were known to be the bravest soldiers in the Byzantine army. To take the fortress the Bulgarian engineers constructed an enormous siege tower which was wider that the outer moat. With the help of the siege equipment the Bulgarian army was able to cross the moat and reach the walls of the city and on the third day of the siege, on 24 March 1201 the Bulgarians made a breakthrough. According to the Byzantine historian Nikitas Choniates Kaloyan did not hesitate to kill all defenders despite the fact that it was Easter. The Byzantines were thrown in the moat and buried alive. After that he destroyed the city walls and returned to the capital Tarnovo.
By the end of the year Bulgaria and Byzantium started negotiation which ended with a peace treaty in the beginning of 1202. The Bulgarians secured their new gains and now were able to face the Hungarian threat to the north-west. After several battle in the valley of the Morava river, the Hungarians were defeated.
Battle of Adrianople (1205)
Bulgaria VS Latin Empire (the Crusaders)
The Battle of Adrianople occurred on April 14, 1205 between Bulgarians under Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, and Crusaders under Baldwin I. It was won by the Bulgarians after a skillful ambush using the help of their Cuman and Greek allies. Around 300 knights were killed, including Louis of Blois, Duke of Nicaea and Baldwin was captured and later died in captivity. The Bulgarians then overran much of Thrace and Macedonia. Baldwin was succeeded by his younger brother, Henry of Flanders, who took the throne on August 20, 1206.
Battle of Serres (1205)
Bulgaria VS Latin Empire (the Crusaders)
After the stunning victory in the battle of Adrianople (1205) the Bulgarians gained control of most of Thrace with the exception of several larger cities which Emperor Kaloyan wanted to capture. In June 1205 he moved the theatre of the military actions to the south-west towards the domains of Boniface Montferrat, the King of Solun and vassal of the Latin Empire.
The successful campaign in 1205 ended with the capture of Plovdiv - its citizens desired to join Bulgaria but the Byzantine nobility led by Alexius Aspietos resisted. After Kaloyan seized the city its ramparts were destroyed and Aspietos was hanged. In the following year the war against the Latin empire and the local Byzantine nobility continued and the Crusader army was defeated once again in the battle of Rusion.
Battle of Rusion (1206)
Bulgaria VS Latin Empire (the Crusaders)
The battle of Rusion occurred in the winter of 1206 near the fortress of Rusion (Ruskoy, contemporary Turkey) between the armies of the Bulgarian Empire and the Latin Empire of Byzantium. The Bulgarians scored a major victory.
In the whole military operation the Crusaders lost more than 200 knights, many thousands of soldiers and several Venetian garrisons were completely annihilated. The new Emperor of the Latin Empire Henry of Flanders had to ask the French King for another 600 knights and 10,000 soldiers. Geoffrey of Villehardouin compared the defeat with the disaster at Adrianople.
Battle of Messinopolis
Bulgaria VS Latin Empire (the Crusaders)
The battle of Messinopolis took place on 4 September 1207 near the town of Komotini (Gyumyurdzhina) in contemporary Greece between the Bulgarians and the Latin Empire. It resulted in a Bulgarian victory.
While the armies of Emperor Kaloyan were besieging Odrin to the east, the King of Thessalonica Boniface of Montferrat launched attacks towards Bulgaria from Serres. His cavalry reached Messinopoplis at 5 days raid to the east of Serres but in the mountainous terrain around the town his army was attacked by a larger force main composed of local Bulgarians. The battle began in the Latin gear guard and Boniface managed to repulse the Bulgarians but while he was chasing them he was killed by an arrow and soon the Crusaders were defeated. His head was sent to Kaloyan who immediately organized a campaign against Boniface's capital Thessalonica. However, Kaloyan was murdered by conspirators during the siege and the grieved Bulgarians raised the siege.
Battle of Boruy (1208)
Bulgaria VS Latin Empire (the Crusaders)
The battle of Boruy took place in June 1208 near the city of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria between the Bulgarians and the Latin Empire. It resulted in a Bulgarian victory.
In the summer of 1208 the new Emperor of Bulgaria Boris who continued the war of his predecessor Kaloyan against the Latin Empire invaded Eastern Thrace. The Latin Emperor Henry gathered an army in Silivri and headed to Odrin.
Upon the news of the Crusader's march the Bulgarians retreated to better positions in the area of Boruy (Stara Zagora). In the night they sent the captured Byzantines and the spoil to the north of the Balkan mountains and moved in a battle formation near the Latin camp which was not fortified. At dawn they suddenly attacked the enemy. The Crusaders who were in duty started a fierce fight to give time for the rest to prepare for battle. While most of the Latins formed their squads they suffered heavy casualties inflicted by the numerous and well-experienced Bulgarian archers before putting their armour. In the mean time the cavalry managed to go round the Latin flangs and attacked their main forces. In the battle that followed the Crusaders lost many men and Emperor Henry himself was lariated and barely escaped from captivity - a knight managed to cut the rope with his sword and protected Henry with his heavy-armoured body from the Bulgarian arrows. In the end the Crusaders forced by Bulgarian cavalry to pull back and then the Latin army began to retreat to Plovdiv in battle formation.
Battle of Samara Bend (1223)
Volga Bulgaria VS Mongols
The Battle of Samara Bend or the Battle of Kernek was the first battle between Volga Bulgaria and the Mongols, probably one of the first major battles the Mongols lost. It took place in autumn 1223, at the southern border of Volga Bulgaria. The Bulgars allegedly retreated and the Mongols pursued them. Then the main Bulgar forces ambushed the Mongols. After Mongols were rounded up, the Bulgars massacred them and only 4,000 managed to escape, according to local traditions and proven from Arabian chronicle.
Battle of Klokotnitsa (1230)
Bulgaria VS Latin Empire (the Crusaders)
he Battle of Klokotnitsa occurred on 9 March 1230 near the village of Klokotnitsa (today in Haskovo Province, Bulgaria). As a result, the Second Bulgarian Empire emerged once again as the most powerful state in Eastern Europe and the power of the Despotate of Epirus faded. The battle is often considered by historians to be the luckiest and most fruitful in Bulgarian military history.
Theodore Komnenos summoned an enormous army including western mercenaries. He was so confident for his victory that he took the whole royal court with himself including his wife and children. His army moved slowly and plundered the villages on its way. When the Bulgarian tsar learned that the state was invaded, he gathered a small army of a few thousand men and quickly marched southwards. For four days the Bulgarians covered a distance three times longer than Theodore's army for a week.
On 9 March, the two armies met near the village of Klokotnitsa. It is believed that Ivan Asen II ordered the broken mutual protection treaty to be stuck on his spear and used as a flag. He was a good tactician and managed to surround the enemy who was surprised to meet the Bulgarians so soon. The battle continued until sunset. The Epirotians were completely defeated, only a small force under the despot's brother Manuel managed to escape the battlefield. The rest were killed in the battle or captured, including the royal court of Epirus and Theodore himself.
Ivan Asen II immediately released the captured soldiers without any conditions and the nobles were taken to Tarnovo. His fame for being a merciful and just ruler went ahead of his march to the lands of Theodore Komnenos and they were regained to Bulgaria without resistance.
Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885)
Bulgaria VS Serbia
The Serbo-Bulgarian War was a war between Serbia and Bulgaria that erupted on 14 November 1885 and lasted until 28 November the same year. Final peace was signed on 19 February 1886 in Bucharest. As a result of the war, European powers acknowledged the act of Unification of Bulgaria which happened on 6 September 1885.
The Serbian defeat made Austria-Hungary take action. On November 28, the Viennese ambassador in Belgrade, Count Khevenhüller-Metsch, visited the headquarters of the Bulgarian Army and demanded the ceasing of military actions, threatening that otherwise the Bulgarian forces would meet Austro-Hungarian troops. The ceasefire was signed on December 7 but that did not stop the Serbians from continuous unsuccessful attempts to conquer Vidin with the idea to use it in negotiations later, even after military activities had stopped on demand of their ally. On February 19, 1886 the peace treaty was signed in Bucharest.
Battle of Adrianople (1913)
Bulgaria, Serbia VS Ottoman Empire
The Battle or Siege of Adrianople or Siege of Edirne (Bulgarian: Битка при Одрин, Serbian: Опсада Једрена, Turkish: Edirne Kuşatması) was fought during the First Balkan War, beginning in mid-November 1912 and ending on 26 March 1913 with the capture of Edirne (Adrianople) by the Bulgarian 2nd Army.
The victorious end of the siege was considered an enormous military success because the defenses of city were carefully developed by leading German siege experts and were dubbed 'undefeatable'. The Bulgarian army, after 5 months of siege and two bold night attacks, took the Ottoman stronghold.
The loss of Edirne delivered the final decisive blow on the Ottoman army and brought to a close the First Balkan War.
Battle of Kalimanci (1913)
Bulgaria VS Serbia
The Battle of Kalimanci was a battle fought between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Bulgaria during the Second Balkan War. The battle started on the 18th and ended on the 19th of July 1913. The Bulgarian Army halted the Serbian Army from pushing them out of Macedonia and joining up with the Greek Army at the downstreams of the river Struma. The battle ended in an important Bulgarian defensive victory.
Battle of Krivolak (1915)
Bulgaria VS France
Following the intervention of Bulgaria in World War I, on October 1 1915 the Bulgarian offensive against Serbia started, with the First Bulgarian Army defeated Serbian forces in the Morava Offensive and 2nd Bulgarian Army defeating Serbian forces in the Ovche Pole Offensive . However, in early October, parts of the Entente Armee d'Orient land in Salonika (Thessaloniki) and advance to the north to support the retiring Serbian units in Kosovo.
Intending to protect the rail line linking Salonika to Niš, French forces (elements of the 57th Infantry Division) moved into southern Serbia on 19 October to Krivolak, where they discovered that Bulgarian forces had already managed to cut the railway line to the north of Krivolak. As a result of continuous requests for reinforcements from the Serbian Government, further French forces were sent into the area, until by 20 October there was the entirity of the French 156th Infantry Division and part of the French 57th Infantry Division spread from Krivolak to near the Bulgarian border (a frontage of nearly 50 kilometers).
With the Serbian forces cut off from outside supply, they were forced to retreat westwards into Albania, where they were evacuated to the Greek island of Corfu.
Morava Offensive (1915)
Bulgaria VS Serbia
The Morava Offensive Operation was undertaken by the Bulgarian First Army between 14 October 1915 and 9 November 1915 as part of the strategic offensive operation of Army Group Mackensen against Serbia in 1915. Under the command of Lieutenant General Kliment Boyadzhiev the Bulgarians seized the fortified areas of Pirot, Niš and the valley of the river Morava[disambiguation needed]. As a result the Serbian forces were compelled to retreat towards Kosovo.
In the beginning due to the harsh weather and the tough terrain the Bulgarian advance was slow but despite the desperate resistance of the defenders, there was a Bulgarian breakthrough near Pirot in 10 days and the Serbs retreated to the Timok and the Bulgarian 1st Army chased them.
The battle continued for 27 days and the Bulgarians penetrated up to 90 km deep into the enemy's territory. The Serbs lost 6,000 men; 60 guns and huge amount of military equipment.
Battle of Turtucaia (1916)
Bulgaria, Germany VS Romania
The Battle of Turtucaia in Bulgaria, was the opening battle of the first Central Powers offensive during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. The battle lasted for five days and ended with the capture of the fortress of Tutrakan (Turtucaia in Romanian) and the surrender of its Romanian defenders.
The rapid fall of Tutrakan and the loss of two infantry divisions was a surprise with crucial consequences for the entire Romanian Campaign. Most importantly, it unnerved the Romanian High Command and severely affected the morale of the army and the people. The scale of the defeat forced the Romanians to detach several divisions from their armies in Transilvania, greatly reducing the impetus of the advance there. On 7 September that advance was restricted by the Romanian high command, and on 15 September it was halted altogether, even before the armies had linked up on a defensible front. Major changes were made in the command structure of the forces operating against the Bulgarian Third Army. General Aslan and his chief of staff were sacked. Command of the Romanian Third Army was taken over by General Averescu, and the Russo-Romanian forces in Dobrudja were reorganized as the Army of the Dobrogea under General Zayonchkovski.
The speed with which the victory was achieved was so unexpected by the Central Powers that even Field Marshal Mackensen, who was usually present on the site of important battles, hadn't planned to arrive on the battlefield until several days after the actual capitulation of the fortress. It boosted the morale of the Bulgarians and their allies as far away as the Macedonian Front, as well as in political circles in Berlin and Vienna. Kaiser Wilhelm, who had been particularly depressed by Romania's entry into the war, celebrated with a champagne party for the Bulgarian representative at the headquarters of the German High Command. The suspension of the Romanian offensive in Transylvania, which had threatened to overrun the province, gave General Falkenhayn enough time to concentrate his force and go on the offensive by the end of September.
Battle of Doiran (1916)
Bulgaria VS United Kingdom, France
In the beginning of August 1916 three French and one British divisions with 45,000 men and 400 guns launched an offensive against the Bulgarian positions at Lake Dojran, defended by the Second Thracian Infantry Division. The attack began on 9 August with heavy artillery fire on the positions of the 27th Chepino Regiment and 9th Plovdiv Regiment. All four attacks that followed - on 10, 15, 16 and 18 August were repulsed by the Second division and the Allies were forced to retreat to their original positions with heavy casualties.
Battle of Dobrich (1916)
Bulgaria VS Romania, Russian Empire
The battle of Dobrich, also known as the battle of Bazargic or the Dobrich epopee, took place between 5 and 7 September 1916 between the armies of Bulgaria and Romania. Despite being outnumbered, the Bulgarian Third Army was victorious and took Southern Dobruja, pushing the Russian and Romanian forces further north and defeating them once again at the Lake Oltina - Kara Omer - Mangalia line.
Battle of Monastir (1917)
Bulgaria VS France
The battle of Monastir took place on the Macedonian Front between Bulgaria and France on 18 May 1917. It ended with a complete Bulgarian victory with only 261 French survivors.
Between 1915 and 1918 the Macedonian front passed through the summit of the Baba Mountain overlooking the city of Bitola. Against the Bulgarian Sixth Vidin Infantry Division stood two French and one Serbian division. In 1916 the Entente managed to seize Bitola but it was impossible for them to use the city because it was within the range of the Bulgarian artillery on Baba Mountain. In the beginning of 1917 the French High command in Solun decided to make an operation to take the Baba Mountain from the Bulgarians, to seize the valley between Bitola and Prilep and to continue the blow towards the Vardar valley.
On 12 March hundreds of guns began to fire at the Bulgarian positions at the Red Wall and Height 1248. It continued for 24 hours and more than 200,000 shells were fired, destroying the fortifications. However, warned by their intelligence, the Bulgarians hid in the concrete bunkers on the opposite sides of the peaks and did not suffer any casualties.
The symbolic peak was regained and remained in Bulgarian hands until the end of the War. The five French divisions lost between 40% and 75% of their equipment and made no attempts to attack the Bulgarians again.
Battle of Doiran (1918)
Bulgaria VS United Kingdom, Greece and France
The third Battle of Doiran was fought from 18 September to 19 September 1918, with the Greeks and the British assaulting the positions of the Bulgarian First Army near Dojran Lake. The battle was part of World War I and took place in the Balkan Theatre. The battle ended with Bulgarians repulsing all attacks, but then retreating.
On September 18th, the British XII Corps attacked with the 66th and 67th Brigades of the 22nd Division and the Greek Seres Division. The Bulgarian first line of trenches was overrun, and the Seres Division penetrated to the second line. The Bulgarians responded with heavy artillery fire and counter-attacks that recaptured the ground lost. Meanwhile the British 66th Brigade's 7th South Wales Border battalion lost heavily and failed in its attacks. Attacks by its the 11th Welsh Regiment and 9th Border Regiment did not go well either. The British 67th Brigade's 12th Cheshire Regiment followed by the 9th South Lancashire Regiment and 8th Kings Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) charged into withering Bulgarian artillery and machinegun fire. the 67th Brigade lost 65% of its soldiers. At the end of the day the XII Corps was back at its starting point. On September 19th, the XII Corps attacked again. Because the XVI Corps attacks north of the lake had failed, the XII Corps would attack alone. The Greek Seres Division repeated the previous day's performance, taking some Bulgarian trenches before being thrown back by heavy artillery, machine gun fire and counterattacks. The British attacked with the 77th Brigade, the weakened 65th Brigade, and later the 2nd French Zouaves. The 66th Brigades and 67th Brigades were fit only for defensive duties and did not participate. The 77th Brigade took some Bulgarian trenches, but it was in an exposed position, being hammered by artillery and eventually retreated before the Bulgarians counter-attacked. The brigade suffered about 50% casualties. The 65th Brigade's attack failed also, as did the French Zouvaves.
Meanwhile, also on September 18th, the British XVI Corps attacked with the Greek Cretan Division, and the British 84th Brigade in support. They faced the Bulgarian 1st Macedonian Brigade with 24 guns and 64 machine guns. The Greek division attacked with two of its regiments up front and a third in reserve, supported on its flank by the 84th. Firing in support were six batteries of British artillery. The British 85th Brigade in reserve. At 0500 the Greeks attacked, clearing out the Bulgarian outpost line. They then had to move across a long plain to attack the Bulgarian positions on a series of hills that overlooked the plain. The Greeks recklessly attacked across the plain, and penetrated the Bulgarian lines but were thrown back with heavy artillery, rifle, and machinegun fire. The British artillery deployed behind them to provide fire support. The Greeks rallied and made several more attacks on the Bulgarian lines with the same result as the first time. By the evening the Greeks withdrew followed a few hours later by the British artillery. The XVI Corps did not attack on the 19th of September due to casualties. The attack failed due to the lack of artillery support, problems with inter-unit communication and the reckless first attack by the Greeks.
The Allies' losses totalled between 6,559 and 7,819 British and Greek soldiers, against 2,726 for the Bulgarians. Most of the British and Greek loses were to the XII Corps and Seres Division, with less than 1,000 coming from the XVI Corps and Cretan Division.
The British paid great honor to General Vladimir Vazov when in 1936 he arrived in Victoria Station in London, by lowering the flags of all their regiments who participated in the battle. The chairman of the British legion Major Goldy said in his speech: “He is one of the few foreign officers whose name features in our history”.
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