Macedonian Struggle for Independence
Part 33 – The First Balkan War
By Risto Stefov
[email protected]
Ater the various alliances between Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro were made the Balkan countries began preparations for war. Then on September 20th, 1912 the allies sent an ultimatum to the Ottoman authorities asking them to reform the administration and establish local assemblies, local police, free schools, etc. The Ottoman response came on September 23rd, 1912 with the mobilization of part of the Ottoman military forces in the European part of the Ottoman Empire. The allied response to that was a general mobilization which took place on September 30th, 1912. A day later the Ottomans also ordered a general mobilization prompting Serbia to do the same on October 17th and Greece on October 19th, 1912 and thus initiating the First Balkan War.
The Ottoman mobilization, which lasted almost a month, did not go as well as expected because the Macedonians and other Christians refused to join the Ottoman army thus allowing it to recruit only half of the planned forces.
The very low turnout on the Christian part was mainly due to the escalation of anti-Ottoman propaganda conducted by the Allies leading the populations to believe that liberation was imminent. Many Macedonian emigrants in Bulgaria anticipated this war with great hope. During its preparations for war, Bulgaria used propaganda to fool the Macedonians that because of the Bulgarian-Serbian Treaty, Bulgaria was committing to giving up the San Stefano Treaty and to recognizing Macedonian autonomy. Knowing nothing about the “secret agreements” to “partition” Macedonia, the people in Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria considered Macedonia to be just another ally. Only Yane Sandanski was suspicious of the Serbian-Bulgarian Treaty and believed it to be an agreement to divide Macedonia. As soon as Sandanski found out about the Serbian-Bulgarian Treaty he was sure and made his opinion clear to his followers, that no such agreement was possible if it would not result in the division of Macedonia. Sandanski was a believer of Gotse Delchev’s philosophy that it was better for Macedonia to remain under Ottoman rule than to be partitioned and annexed by its neighbours. Sandanski was against the Balkan Wars unless of course they led to the creation of a Balkan Federation where Macedonia was to be an autonomous country. Sandanski always believed that “those who will come to liberate us will occupy us”. Sandanski and others supported regional autonomy for Macedonia within a democratic Ottoman Federation, or, a liberated and independent Macedonia within a democratic community of Balkan nations.
On August 15th, 1912, just before the First Balkan War started, a number of Macedonians in Bitola sent a letter to Russia warning the Russian leadership that the Balkan Alliance was not created to liberate Macedonia but to divide it among Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. “Those nations do not recognize a Macedonian national identity and all this time have tried to turn Macedonians into Serbians, Bulgarians and Greeks, so why would they now want to liberate Macedonia if not to divide it among themselves. Only Russia could save Macedonia by giving it its support and forcing Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria to cease their propaganda activities in Macedonia. Russia can help Macedonia by supporting the Macedonian people to restore their church independence and self rule and allow the natural course of the Macedonian national consciousness to take its place in a single undivided Macedonia. Russia can help by assisting the Macedonian people to open Macedonian schools and teach in the Macedonian language.”
The letter was concluded with the words “Macedonia reeks of death! We place our hopes on Russian interference to give us our independence not as a ‘Slavic alliance’ against the Ottoman Empire, but as moral support and some pressure on the Ottomans to grant us these rights. If Russia continues to support the Balkan alliance, there will be a Balkan War and Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria will divide Macedonia.”
On March 23rd, 1913 the Bulgarians attacked Odrin. By the early morning hours of March 25th Odrin was occupied by the 4th Bulgarian Army and by Macedonian units which were inducted into the Bulgarian army. After that the Macedonians were sent to the Gallipoli front where a severe battle against newly arrived Ottoman force from Anatolia was taking place during which the Macedonians showed great courage and combat readiness. They pursued the Ottoman forces all the way to the Marmora Sea.
When the First Balkan War was finished the Macedonian units fighting in the Bulgarian army were sent to Kratovo, Macedonia to fight against Serbian forces. Serbia, having also recruited Macedonians in its army, such as the Osogovo Detachment, also had Macedonians fighting on the Serbian side. So here we have Macedonians fighting Macedonians for Serbian and Bulgarian interests.
Outside of the Macedonian Partisan Chetas that fought under Bulgarian command, there were also 34 other Macedonian Chetas and village militia units organized by the Macedonian population which also fought against the Ottomans and liberated their own cities and villages. But after the war was over these independent Macedonian Chetas were disarmed and disbanded by the Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian armies. Some surrendered but many fled to the mountains. According to estimates, more than 13,000 Macedonians in total were engaged in the Balkan Wars.
Besides the help the Macedonians offered the Allies towards the liberation of Macedonia there were also independent actions taking place. The Strumeshnitsa River valley population, for example, formed their own village Cheta numbering 700 fighters who on October 19th, 1912 fought the Ottomans and liberated the villages Ilovitsa and Sushitsa.
The following day Lefterov and Smolarski arrived with their Chetas and, together with the Strumeshnitsa River valley Cheta, subdued a local Ottoman detachment. In Prilep Region, meanwhile, Krsto Germov with his “Prilep Flying Detachment” joined forces with Vojvoda Milan Gjurlukov’s Cheta giving incentive for others to join the fight. Vojvodas Mirche and Argir mobilized more than 1,000 fighters and fought and won a battle against an Ottoman cavalry detachment.
Macedonian independent Chetas from Prilep also coordinated their activities with the Serbian armed forces. They, for example, helped the Serbian army breach Ottoman positions near Prisad, gaining Prince Alexander’s personal gratitude for their assistance. But despite the Princely gratitude received, it did not take the Serbian authorities too long before they labeled the very Macedonian Chetas who assisted them, Bulgarian, and arrested Vojvoda Gjurlukov for allegedly working against Serbian interests.
Even before the First Balkan War began, a number of “all Macedonian” volunteer village and Macedonian Revolutionary Organization Chetas had assembled at Plachkovitsa Mountain. Among the Vojvodas leading these Chetas were Gorgi Pop Hristov, Marko Ivanov, Pavel Hristov, Vasil Chakalarov, Ivan Popov and Hristo Siljanov. During the war they too took independent actions in Tikvesh, Gevgelija and Kostur Regions where they were joined by the local population and liberated many villages.
On October 20th, 1912 Macedonian Chetas liberated the City Voden and gave the local population their support in establishing local authority. Vojvodas Vasil Chakalarov, Ivan Popov and Hristo Siljanov, who were known from the Ilinden Uprising and carried some authority, attracted the population and encouraged many to join the fight. As a result they succeeded in liberating large territories in Kostur, Lerin and Voden Regions in a relatively short time.
In November 1912 the Ottoman army carried out a counter-offensive against the Macedonian liberated territory but the Macedonians, in a joint operation with the allied Serbian and Greek forces, repulsed the Ottomans. Unfortunately when the First Balkan War was over, on December 12, 1912, the local Macedonian Chetas were disbanded and their leaders arrested by the Greek and Serbian authorities who at the time were negotiating Macedonia’s division.
Kumanovo was another Region of significance during the First Balkan War where almost every village had its own Cheta. Numbering several thousand fighters in total, the Kumanovo Region militias were on the move, constantly attacking Ottoman positions. On October 10th and 11th, 1912 they attacked an Ottoman military installation near the village Orashets and captured a number of heavy artillery pieces and other weapons.
In Skopje Region Chetas cooperated with the village militias and coordinated their activities with the Serbian army.
There were also independent Chetas operating in Shtip and Kochani Regions led by Vojvodas Efrem Chuchkov, Simeon Gjorgjiev, Orovchanov and others. The largest independent Cheta was that of Solun Region led by Vojvoda Ichko Dimitrov.
The best actions however, to illustrate events during the First Balkan War in Macedonia, were those that took place in Krushevo. Led by Vojvodas Vancho Delev-Dzhoneto, Vancho Beluvcheto and Metodi Stojchev, the Krushevo Chetas, along with the Serbian army, fought in the battles of Obednik, Oblakovo, Snegovo and Bitola. Then on October 24th, 1912, the village militia occupied Krushevo and immediately established authority by applying the principles of the Ilinden Krushevo Republic. Prominent citizens such as Todor Spasev, Velko Kjurchijata and others were appointed to administer the local government, which lasted twenty days before it was disbanded by the Serbians.
Upon establishing authority, the people of Krushevo were the first to provide the Serbian army with food and other supplies and to welcome the Serbians as liberators and heroes. But as more and more Serbian units arrived in the city, Serbian authority was established and the Macedonian Chetas were ordered to surrender their weapons. As for the fighters themselves, they were told that they could stay in Krushevo or leave for Bulgaria. Given the situation, Vancho Dzhoneto and his Cheta delivered their weapons while Stavre Dimitrovski, Vancho Beluvcheto and their Chetas refused and fled to the mountains. The Serbian army went after them and after several days of pursuit Beluvcheto was killed. The Serbians then cut off his head and paraded it in the city streets to frighten the people, which showed their real intent towards the Macedonian population. This act, in the eyes of the Macedonian people, certainly unmasked the role of the so-called Serbian liberators.
After this the Krushevo Revolutionary Organization met and decided that everything that could be done had been done and there was nothing more to do. “We established a Republic and have gone from one slavery to another. Now there is nothing to do except wait for the war to end and hope that peace will bring something better”. Borjar, the cherry tree gun craftsman, went on to say “So we now had the first and the last meeting under our new occupation and have walked away with our heads down, as if we were about to face death”. After this the Krushevo Revolutionary Organization, even though it had led the Macedonian people in the fight for their liberation for more than a decade, ceased to exist.
In Bitola Region meanwhile, local Chetas, believing the Serbians were there to liberate Macedonia, combined forces with the Serbian Chetas in the region and carried out joint missions to oust the Ottoman army. The Macedonians interacted superbly with the Serbians in the liberation battles of Gopesh and Gjavato. Local Chetas also supported the battles in Pribiltsi, Smilevo and especially in Bitola. But after the Serbian army gained control of Bitola all local Chetas were disbanded and Serbian authority established.
In Ohrid Region, Petar Chaulev’s Cheta joined forces with Dejan Dimitrov and Stefan Atanasov’s Cheti and together fought the Ottomans in Debartsa, Kichevo, Malesija and Demir Hisar Regions. On October 14th, 1912 Macedonian local Chetas captured 300 Ottoman soldiers near the village Slivovo and on October 15th, 1912 Atanasov's Cheta ambushed and captured 250 Ottoman soldiers.
Then on October 23rd, 1912 Chaulev discovered from the Serbians that there was a “disputed zone in Macedonia” and a “secret treaty” between the Serbian and Bulgarian governments which was of enormous significance for the Macedonian people. But, despite his disappointment, Chaulev continued to fight the Ottomans.
On November 4th and 5th, 1912 Chaulev attacked Pribiltsi and Brezhani and captured 600 Ottoman soldiers. The following day his Chetas fought Xhavit Pasha near Bukovik and captured another 300 Ottomans.
On November 10th, 1912 Chaulev captured Ohrid and established a short lived local authority, which three days later was abolished by the Serbian army.
Of all the Ilinden Revolutionary Districts that fought in the 1903 Macedonian National Uprising however, the Seres group, with Yane Sandanski as the top leader, remained active.
Given the current situation, the Seres group held a meeting in Solun in June 1912 and decided to participate in the war. If having no other choice Sandanski believed that Macedonians should help Bulgaria annex all of Macedonia in order to prevent it from being dismembered.
By end of September 1912 all preparations and logistics were in place and a second consultation meeting took place in Melnik where rules of engagement and other military matters were discussed. It was decided that Melnik would be the Military District’s new headquarters and Sandanski would lead the group with Gjorgi Kazepov as his assistant.
A number of people in the villages were mobilized and assigned to acquire weapons, equipment, food and other supplies. Armed units were trained to carry out intelligence and reconnaissance activities, conduct ambushes, cut telephone and telegraph poles, destroy bridges and railroads and attack the enemy, causing as much damage as possible.
Sandanski was well respected by the Macedonian people because he was a principled man and because he refused to cooperate with those who had interests outside of the Macedonian cause. He and his Chetas were considered to be the protectors of the Macedonian people. But as war was inevitable, Sandanski had no choice but to cooperate even with those he considered his enemies. Before the Balkan War began, Sandanski had managed to mobilize about 2,000 Macedonian fighters and on October 5th, 1912, 13 days before the allies had declared war on Ottomans, he began a campaign to oust the occupier. Sandanski’s forces fought in Pirin Region near Nevrokop (today’s Gotse Delchev), in Drama Region, in Melnik Region and in St. Vrach (today’s Sandanski).
Sandanski’s forces, consisting of about 2,700 fighters in total, were organized in a number of Chetas that included his own detachment as well as a number of village militias and other independently created Chetas. Even though these forces were independently led by Macedonians, they were all subordinated to Bulgarian Command because the Bulgarians had agreed to support the Macedonians and contribute to the future of the Macedonian cause.
Sandanski’s units initially were responsible for providing the Bulgarians with logistics support on Ottoman positions and strength. There were reports that Sandanski’s people also provided the Bulgarian army with 5,000 loaves of bread, food and medical care for wounded Bulgarian soldiers. Later Sandanski’s armed units carried out diversionary missions against the Ottoman army’s rear and on October 14th, 1912 liberated the city Melnik and established local authority.
During its retreat the Ottoman army killed 26 Macedonians, prompting the Macedonian civilian population to rebel and forcing Sandanski to deploy his forces to protect the Ottoman civilian population.
With the situation in Melnik calmed down, Sandanski’s forces went on to liberate surrounding villages including Tsrvishte, where the Ottoman garrison that guarded the Rupel Gorge was stationed. With the Ottoman garrison destroyed the entire Struma Valley from Melnik to the Rupel Gorge was also liberated.
After establishing local control in the region Sandanski took 300 of his best Macedonian fighters and began his trek towards Solun, acting as the advance guard for the Bulgarian army. On his way there other Macedonian units joined in, including those led by Vojvodas Stoju Hadzhiev, Dimitar Arnaudov, Gjorgi Kazepov, Krsto Chaprashikov, Ivan Chontev and A. Bujnov.
Sandanski’s 300 Macedonians, along with a Bulgarian Cavalry group, were the first to enter Solun on October 28th, 1912. Following immediately after them was a Greek column led by Constantine, the Greek King.
Bulgarian princes Boris and Cyril arrived with the main Bulgarian force for whom the Macedonians provided security.
Sandanski, because of his reputation acquired during the Young Turk Uprising for his struggle for liberty and equality, was well known in Solun and was greeted with honours when he arrived. He was also respected by the Bulgarian army because of the assistance he provided to the Bulgarian troops.
All that being said, however, when General Georgi Todorov, Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian 7th Rila Division, proposed a toast on the occasion of “liberating” Macedonia and annexing it to Bulgaria, Sandanski stood up and said “I will drink to a free and autonomous Macedonia, for which the united Balkan nations fought and suffered so much”. Sandanski’s toast infuriated and shocked the Bulgarian officers who stormed him, cursing and threatening, ready to cut him into small pieces with their swords.
Aandanski remained calm during the brawl as he walked away fully convinced now that he had been right all along that ousting the Ottomans out of Macedonian did not mean the liberation of Macedonia but quite the contrary, it meant that the Macedonian people were deceived and an occupation and partition of Macedonia would follow. Therefore he concluded that the Macedonian peoples’ struggle for liberation and independence had to continue.
At the conclusion of the First Balkan War a Russian journalist, V. Vodovozov, came to Macedonia to investigate the situation and learn more about the Macedonian Question. Late in July 1913 he attended a meeting in Sofia where Macedonia was the main subject of discussion. In attendance also were Macedonians including Nejchev, Ljapchev, Todorov, Kiril Popov and others who voiced their opinions. But only Petko Todorov spoke of autonomy for Macedonia and called the Treaty of March 13th, 1912, offensive. The others also spoke of autonomy but as a last resort and even asked the foreign journalist to prepare the ground work for it. Sandanski too was in attendance and when Vodovozov asked him why he did not speak in favour of an independent Macedonia, Sandanski said “You can see how these gentlemen treat the issue of autonomy; it would be distasteful to speak of independence for Macedonia in their presence in such circumstances. When the 'liberators' declared war on the Ottomans, not many Macedonians had realized that the destiny of their fatherland had already been decided without their knowledge or consent. Macedonians assumed the war would be fought to liberate and create an independent Macedonian state. It was forbidden to speak and write about Macedonia in Bulgaria, especially about its independence and today's situation is a result of such politics. When Albania became independent and began to establish its statehood, Macedonia was condemned to be divided and destroyed which of course is beginning to happen.”
Sandanski’s idea to continue the Macedonian peoples’ struggle for liberation and independence was too late for at least a couple of reasons. For one, the neighbouring countries had already invaded and occupied Macedonia and had driven out the Ottomans so they were not about to leave Macedonia and give up what they had gained. Also the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO), which managed the preparations and led the Macedonian National Uprising in 1903, was now in shambles and there was not a single political body to lead a renewed Macedonian struggle.
To be continued.
Part 33 – The First Balkan War
By Risto Stefov
[email protected]
Ater the various alliances between Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro were made the Balkan countries began preparations for war. Then on September 20th, 1912 the allies sent an ultimatum to the Ottoman authorities asking them to reform the administration and establish local assemblies, local police, free schools, etc. The Ottoman response came on September 23rd, 1912 with the mobilization of part of the Ottoman military forces in the European part of the Ottoman Empire. The allied response to that was a general mobilization which took place on September 30th, 1912. A day later the Ottomans also ordered a general mobilization prompting Serbia to do the same on October 17th and Greece on October 19th, 1912 and thus initiating the First Balkan War.
The Ottoman mobilization, which lasted almost a month, did not go as well as expected because the Macedonians and other Christians refused to join the Ottoman army thus allowing it to recruit only half of the planned forces.
The very low turnout on the Christian part was mainly due to the escalation of anti-Ottoman propaganda conducted by the Allies leading the populations to believe that liberation was imminent. Many Macedonian emigrants in Bulgaria anticipated this war with great hope. During its preparations for war, Bulgaria used propaganda to fool the Macedonians that because of the Bulgarian-Serbian Treaty, Bulgaria was committing to giving up the San Stefano Treaty and to recognizing Macedonian autonomy. Knowing nothing about the “secret agreements” to “partition” Macedonia, the people in Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria considered Macedonia to be just another ally. Only Yane Sandanski was suspicious of the Serbian-Bulgarian Treaty and believed it to be an agreement to divide Macedonia. As soon as Sandanski found out about the Serbian-Bulgarian Treaty he was sure and made his opinion clear to his followers, that no such agreement was possible if it would not result in the division of Macedonia. Sandanski was a believer of Gotse Delchev’s philosophy that it was better for Macedonia to remain under Ottoman rule than to be partitioned and annexed by its neighbours. Sandanski was against the Balkan Wars unless of course they led to the creation of a Balkan Federation where Macedonia was to be an autonomous country. Sandanski always believed that “those who will come to liberate us will occupy us”. Sandanski and others supported regional autonomy for Macedonia within a democratic Ottoman Federation, or, a liberated and independent Macedonia within a democratic community of Balkan nations.
On August 15th, 1912, just before the First Balkan War started, a number of Macedonians in Bitola sent a letter to Russia warning the Russian leadership that the Balkan Alliance was not created to liberate Macedonia but to divide it among Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. “Those nations do not recognize a Macedonian national identity and all this time have tried to turn Macedonians into Serbians, Bulgarians and Greeks, so why would they now want to liberate Macedonia if not to divide it among themselves. Only Russia could save Macedonia by giving it its support and forcing Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria to cease their propaganda activities in Macedonia. Russia can help Macedonia by supporting the Macedonian people to restore their church independence and self rule and allow the natural course of the Macedonian national consciousness to take its place in a single undivided Macedonia. Russia can help by assisting the Macedonian people to open Macedonian schools and teach in the Macedonian language.”
The letter was concluded with the words “Macedonia reeks of death! We place our hopes on Russian interference to give us our independence not as a ‘Slavic alliance’ against the Ottoman Empire, but as moral support and some pressure on the Ottomans to grant us these rights. If Russia continues to support the Balkan alliance, there will be a Balkan War and Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria will divide Macedonia.”
On March 23rd, 1913 the Bulgarians attacked Odrin. By the early morning hours of March 25th Odrin was occupied by the 4th Bulgarian Army and by Macedonian units which were inducted into the Bulgarian army. After that the Macedonians were sent to the Gallipoli front where a severe battle against newly arrived Ottoman force from Anatolia was taking place during which the Macedonians showed great courage and combat readiness. They pursued the Ottoman forces all the way to the Marmora Sea.
When the First Balkan War was finished the Macedonian units fighting in the Bulgarian army were sent to Kratovo, Macedonia to fight against Serbian forces. Serbia, having also recruited Macedonians in its army, such as the Osogovo Detachment, also had Macedonians fighting on the Serbian side. So here we have Macedonians fighting Macedonians for Serbian and Bulgarian interests.
Outside of the Macedonian Partisan Chetas that fought under Bulgarian command, there were also 34 other Macedonian Chetas and village militia units organized by the Macedonian population which also fought against the Ottomans and liberated their own cities and villages. But after the war was over these independent Macedonian Chetas were disarmed and disbanded by the Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian armies. Some surrendered but many fled to the mountains. According to estimates, more than 13,000 Macedonians in total were engaged in the Balkan Wars.
Besides the help the Macedonians offered the Allies towards the liberation of Macedonia there were also independent actions taking place. The Strumeshnitsa River valley population, for example, formed their own village Cheta numbering 700 fighters who on October 19th, 1912 fought the Ottomans and liberated the villages Ilovitsa and Sushitsa.
The following day Lefterov and Smolarski arrived with their Chetas and, together with the Strumeshnitsa River valley Cheta, subdued a local Ottoman detachment. In Prilep Region, meanwhile, Krsto Germov with his “Prilep Flying Detachment” joined forces with Vojvoda Milan Gjurlukov’s Cheta giving incentive for others to join the fight. Vojvodas Mirche and Argir mobilized more than 1,000 fighters and fought and won a battle against an Ottoman cavalry detachment.
Macedonian independent Chetas from Prilep also coordinated their activities with the Serbian armed forces. They, for example, helped the Serbian army breach Ottoman positions near Prisad, gaining Prince Alexander’s personal gratitude for their assistance. But despite the Princely gratitude received, it did not take the Serbian authorities too long before they labeled the very Macedonian Chetas who assisted them, Bulgarian, and arrested Vojvoda Gjurlukov for allegedly working against Serbian interests.
Even before the First Balkan War began, a number of “all Macedonian” volunteer village and Macedonian Revolutionary Organization Chetas had assembled at Plachkovitsa Mountain. Among the Vojvodas leading these Chetas were Gorgi Pop Hristov, Marko Ivanov, Pavel Hristov, Vasil Chakalarov, Ivan Popov and Hristo Siljanov. During the war they too took independent actions in Tikvesh, Gevgelija and Kostur Regions where they were joined by the local population and liberated many villages.
On October 20th, 1912 Macedonian Chetas liberated the City Voden and gave the local population their support in establishing local authority. Vojvodas Vasil Chakalarov, Ivan Popov and Hristo Siljanov, who were known from the Ilinden Uprising and carried some authority, attracted the population and encouraged many to join the fight. As a result they succeeded in liberating large territories in Kostur, Lerin and Voden Regions in a relatively short time.
In November 1912 the Ottoman army carried out a counter-offensive against the Macedonian liberated territory but the Macedonians, in a joint operation with the allied Serbian and Greek forces, repulsed the Ottomans. Unfortunately when the First Balkan War was over, on December 12, 1912, the local Macedonian Chetas were disbanded and their leaders arrested by the Greek and Serbian authorities who at the time were negotiating Macedonia’s division.
Kumanovo was another Region of significance during the First Balkan War where almost every village had its own Cheta. Numbering several thousand fighters in total, the Kumanovo Region militias were on the move, constantly attacking Ottoman positions. On October 10th and 11th, 1912 they attacked an Ottoman military installation near the village Orashets and captured a number of heavy artillery pieces and other weapons.
In Skopje Region Chetas cooperated with the village militias and coordinated their activities with the Serbian army.
There were also independent Chetas operating in Shtip and Kochani Regions led by Vojvodas Efrem Chuchkov, Simeon Gjorgjiev, Orovchanov and others. The largest independent Cheta was that of Solun Region led by Vojvoda Ichko Dimitrov.
The best actions however, to illustrate events during the First Balkan War in Macedonia, were those that took place in Krushevo. Led by Vojvodas Vancho Delev-Dzhoneto, Vancho Beluvcheto and Metodi Stojchev, the Krushevo Chetas, along with the Serbian army, fought in the battles of Obednik, Oblakovo, Snegovo and Bitola. Then on October 24th, 1912, the village militia occupied Krushevo and immediately established authority by applying the principles of the Ilinden Krushevo Republic. Prominent citizens such as Todor Spasev, Velko Kjurchijata and others were appointed to administer the local government, which lasted twenty days before it was disbanded by the Serbians.
Upon establishing authority, the people of Krushevo were the first to provide the Serbian army with food and other supplies and to welcome the Serbians as liberators and heroes. But as more and more Serbian units arrived in the city, Serbian authority was established and the Macedonian Chetas were ordered to surrender their weapons. As for the fighters themselves, they were told that they could stay in Krushevo or leave for Bulgaria. Given the situation, Vancho Dzhoneto and his Cheta delivered their weapons while Stavre Dimitrovski, Vancho Beluvcheto and their Chetas refused and fled to the mountains. The Serbian army went after them and after several days of pursuit Beluvcheto was killed. The Serbians then cut off his head and paraded it in the city streets to frighten the people, which showed their real intent towards the Macedonian population. This act, in the eyes of the Macedonian people, certainly unmasked the role of the so-called Serbian liberators.
After this the Krushevo Revolutionary Organization met and decided that everything that could be done had been done and there was nothing more to do. “We established a Republic and have gone from one slavery to another. Now there is nothing to do except wait for the war to end and hope that peace will bring something better”. Borjar, the cherry tree gun craftsman, went on to say “So we now had the first and the last meeting under our new occupation and have walked away with our heads down, as if we were about to face death”. After this the Krushevo Revolutionary Organization, even though it had led the Macedonian people in the fight for their liberation for more than a decade, ceased to exist.
In Bitola Region meanwhile, local Chetas, believing the Serbians were there to liberate Macedonia, combined forces with the Serbian Chetas in the region and carried out joint missions to oust the Ottoman army. The Macedonians interacted superbly with the Serbians in the liberation battles of Gopesh and Gjavato. Local Chetas also supported the battles in Pribiltsi, Smilevo and especially in Bitola. But after the Serbian army gained control of Bitola all local Chetas were disbanded and Serbian authority established.
In Ohrid Region, Petar Chaulev’s Cheta joined forces with Dejan Dimitrov and Stefan Atanasov’s Cheti and together fought the Ottomans in Debartsa, Kichevo, Malesija and Demir Hisar Regions. On October 14th, 1912 Macedonian local Chetas captured 300 Ottoman soldiers near the village Slivovo and on October 15th, 1912 Atanasov's Cheta ambushed and captured 250 Ottoman soldiers.
Then on October 23rd, 1912 Chaulev discovered from the Serbians that there was a “disputed zone in Macedonia” and a “secret treaty” between the Serbian and Bulgarian governments which was of enormous significance for the Macedonian people. But, despite his disappointment, Chaulev continued to fight the Ottomans.
On November 4th and 5th, 1912 Chaulev attacked Pribiltsi and Brezhani and captured 600 Ottoman soldiers. The following day his Chetas fought Xhavit Pasha near Bukovik and captured another 300 Ottomans.
On November 10th, 1912 Chaulev captured Ohrid and established a short lived local authority, which three days later was abolished by the Serbian army.
Of all the Ilinden Revolutionary Districts that fought in the 1903 Macedonian National Uprising however, the Seres group, with Yane Sandanski as the top leader, remained active.
Given the current situation, the Seres group held a meeting in Solun in June 1912 and decided to participate in the war. If having no other choice Sandanski believed that Macedonians should help Bulgaria annex all of Macedonia in order to prevent it from being dismembered.
By end of September 1912 all preparations and logistics were in place and a second consultation meeting took place in Melnik where rules of engagement and other military matters were discussed. It was decided that Melnik would be the Military District’s new headquarters and Sandanski would lead the group with Gjorgi Kazepov as his assistant.
A number of people in the villages were mobilized and assigned to acquire weapons, equipment, food and other supplies. Armed units were trained to carry out intelligence and reconnaissance activities, conduct ambushes, cut telephone and telegraph poles, destroy bridges and railroads and attack the enemy, causing as much damage as possible.
Sandanski was well respected by the Macedonian people because he was a principled man and because he refused to cooperate with those who had interests outside of the Macedonian cause. He and his Chetas were considered to be the protectors of the Macedonian people. But as war was inevitable, Sandanski had no choice but to cooperate even with those he considered his enemies. Before the Balkan War began, Sandanski had managed to mobilize about 2,000 Macedonian fighters and on October 5th, 1912, 13 days before the allies had declared war on Ottomans, he began a campaign to oust the occupier. Sandanski’s forces fought in Pirin Region near Nevrokop (today’s Gotse Delchev), in Drama Region, in Melnik Region and in St. Vrach (today’s Sandanski).
Sandanski’s forces, consisting of about 2,700 fighters in total, were organized in a number of Chetas that included his own detachment as well as a number of village militias and other independently created Chetas. Even though these forces were independently led by Macedonians, they were all subordinated to Bulgarian Command because the Bulgarians had agreed to support the Macedonians and contribute to the future of the Macedonian cause.
Sandanski’s units initially were responsible for providing the Bulgarians with logistics support on Ottoman positions and strength. There were reports that Sandanski’s people also provided the Bulgarian army with 5,000 loaves of bread, food and medical care for wounded Bulgarian soldiers. Later Sandanski’s armed units carried out diversionary missions against the Ottoman army’s rear and on October 14th, 1912 liberated the city Melnik and established local authority.
During its retreat the Ottoman army killed 26 Macedonians, prompting the Macedonian civilian population to rebel and forcing Sandanski to deploy his forces to protect the Ottoman civilian population.
With the situation in Melnik calmed down, Sandanski’s forces went on to liberate surrounding villages including Tsrvishte, where the Ottoman garrison that guarded the Rupel Gorge was stationed. With the Ottoman garrison destroyed the entire Struma Valley from Melnik to the Rupel Gorge was also liberated.
After establishing local control in the region Sandanski took 300 of his best Macedonian fighters and began his trek towards Solun, acting as the advance guard for the Bulgarian army. On his way there other Macedonian units joined in, including those led by Vojvodas Stoju Hadzhiev, Dimitar Arnaudov, Gjorgi Kazepov, Krsto Chaprashikov, Ivan Chontev and A. Bujnov.
Sandanski’s 300 Macedonians, along with a Bulgarian Cavalry group, were the first to enter Solun on October 28th, 1912. Following immediately after them was a Greek column led by Constantine, the Greek King.
Bulgarian princes Boris and Cyril arrived with the main Bulgarian force for whom the Macedonians provided security.
Sandanski, because of his reputation acquired during the Young Turk Uprising for his struggle for liberty and equality, was well known in Solun and was greeted with honours when he arrived. He was also respected by the Bulgarian army because of the assistance he provided to the Bulgarian troops.
All that being said, however, when General Georgi Todorov, Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian 7th Rila Division, proposed a toast on the occasion of “liberating” Macedonia and annexing it to Bulgaria, Sandanski stood up and said “I will drink to a free and autonomous Macedonia, for which the united Balkan nations fought and suffered so much”. Sandanski’s toast infuriated and shocked the Bulgarian officers who stormed him, cursing and threatening, ready to cut him into small pieces with their swords.
Aandanski remained calm during the brawl as he walked away fully convinced now that he had been right all along that ousting the Ottomans out of Macedonian did not mean the liberation of Macedonia but quite the contrary, it meant that the Macedonian people were deceived and an occupation and partition of Macedonia would follow. Therefore he concluded that the Macedonian peoples’ struggle for liberation and independence had to continue.
At the conclusion of the First Balkan War a Russian journalist, V. Vodovozov, came to Macedonia to investigate the situation and learn more about the Macedonian Question. Late in July 1913 he attended a meeting in Sofia where Macedonia was the main subject of discussion. In attendance also were Macedonians including Nejchev, Ljapchev, Todorov, Kiril Popov and others who voiced their opinions. But only Petko Todorov spoke of autonomy for Macedonia and called the Treaty of March 13th, 1912, offensive. The others also spoke of autonomy but as a last resort and even asked the foreign journalist to prepare the ground work for it. Sandanski too was in attendance and when Vodovozov asked him why he did not speak in favour of an independent Macedonia, Sandanski said “You can see how these gentlemen treat the issue of autonomy; it would be distasteful to speak of independence for Macedonia in their presence in such circumstances. When the 'liberators' declared war on the Ottomans, not many Macedonians had realized that the destiny of their fatherland had already been decided without their knowledge or consent. Macedonians assumed the war would be fought to liberate and create an independent Macedonian state. It was forbidden to speak and write about Macedonia in Bulgaria, especially about its independence and today's situation is a result of such politics. When Albania became independent and began to establish its statehood, Macedonia was condemned to be divided and destroyed which of course is beginning to happen.”
Sandanski’s idea to continue the Macedonian peoples’ struggle for liberation and independence was too late for at least a couple of reasons. For one, the neighbouring countries had already invaded and occupied Macedonia and had driven out the Ottomans so they were not about to leave Macedonia and give up what they had gained. Also the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO), which managed the preparations and led the Macedonian National Uprising in 1903, was now in shambles and there was not a single political body to lead a renewed Macedonian struggle.
To be continued.
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