Second Balkan War 1913 - The Greek-Bulgarian

Campaign
Introduction
The First Balkan War ended with the Treaty of London signed on 30 May 1913. The
Balkan allies Serbia, Montenegro, ree!e and B"lgaria had e#e!ted the T"rks fro$
%"ro&e with the e'!e&tion of the (hatal#a and alli&oli &enins"las.
)owe*er, e*en before the treaty had been signed, ree!e and Serbia had signed a
$ilitary &a!t ai$ed against B"lgaria that di*ided the dis&"ted region of Ma!edonia
between the$. B"lgaria felt that their territorial rewards fro$ the war, &arti!"larly in
Ma!edonia, were ins"ffi!ient. + f"rther &roble$ for B"lgaria was the attit"de of
,o$ania. They !lai$ed the B"lgarian fortress of Silistria on the -an"be as the &ri!e for
their ne"trality in the First Balkan war. This was a &ri!e the B"lgarians were not &re&ared
to &ay.
,"ssian arbitration &ro*ided for in the 191. treaty was &rogressing slowly. The ,"ssians
didn/t wish to lose either of their allies in the Balkans 0Serbia and B"lgaria1. Whilst
negotiations were ongoing low le*el warfare !ontin"ed in Ma!edonia $ainly between
Serbian and B"lgarian troo&s. The B"lgarian $ilitary ordered li$ited atta!ks on 2"ne
.9330 against Serbian and reek &ositions, a&&arently to strengthen their go*ern$ent/s
bargaining &osition. This ga*e the Serbs and reeks the o&&ort"nity to &resent
the$sel*es as the *i!ti$s of aggression.
4n essen!e the $ilitaries of all the !o$batants were intent on war. The !i*ilian
go*ern$ents were not entirely in !ontrol and ,"ssia the one &ower able to inter*ene 5
dithered. For B"lgaria the war ga*e the$ the o&&ort"nity to a!6"ire all Ma!edonia and
do$inate the Balkans. For Serbia and ree!e war $eant the &ros&e!t of di*iding "&
Ma!edonia and &re*enting B"lgarian hege$ony.
The Greek Front
The B"lgarian .nd +r$y in so"thern Ma!edonia !o$$anded by eneral 4*ano* held a
line fro$ Lake -oiran 0a key battlefield for British troo&s three years later1 so"th east to
Lakes Langa7a and Beshik, then a!ross to the &ort of 8a*ala on the +egean. Whilst the
ar$y had been in &la!e sin!e May 0it fo"ght at the siege of +driano&le in the First Balkan
War1 its troo&s were o*ere'tended and &robably n"$bered no $ore than 90,000 $en in
two weak di*isions. The reeks !lai$ that they were o&&osed by at least :0,000 $en.
The reek ar$y, !o$$anded by 8ing (onstantine had nine di*isions and a !a*alry
di*ision 01.0,000 $en1, hea*ily o"tn"$bering the stret!hed B"lgarian for!es by two or
three to one.
The $ain B"lgarian atta!k was &lanned against the Serbs altho"gh .nd +r$y was tasked
with an atta!k towards e*geli and Salonika. This &lan was !learly "nrealisti! and the
low le*el fighting t"rned into !on!entrated reek atta!ks all along the line on 30 2"ne.
The B"lgarian for!es i$$ediately withdrew fro$ their &ositions north of Salonika
0e'!e&t the isolated Salonika garrison whi!h was o*err"n1 to defensi*e &ositions at
8ilkis.
Battle of Kilkis
+t 8ilkis the B"lgarians had !onstr"!ted strong defen!es, in!l"ding !a&t"red ;tto$an
g"ns whi!h do$inated the &lain below. ;n 3 2"ly the reek 9th, .nd and <th di*isions
atta!ked a!ross the &lain in r"shes s"&&orted by artillery. They s"ffered hea*y !as"alties
b"t by the following day had !arried the tren!hes. Meanwhile on the B"lgarian left the
reek =th -i*ision had !a&t"red >igrita and the 1st and ?th di*isions Lahana. ;n the
B"lgarian right %*7oni !a&t"red e*geli and the heights of Matsiko*o. +s a !onse6"en!e
the B"lgarian line of retreat thro"gh -oiran was threatened and 4*ano*/s ar$y began a
des&erate retreat whi!h at ti$es threatened to be!o$e a ro"t. ,einfor!e$ents in the for$
of the 19th -i*ision !a$e too late and #oined the retreat towards Str"$nit7a and the
B"lgarian border. The reeks !a&t"red -oiran on < 2"ly b"t were "nable to !"t off the
B"lgarian retreat thro"gh the Str"$a &ass. ;n 11 2"ly the reeks #oined "& with the
Serbs and then &"shed on "& the Str"$a ,i*er "ntil they rea!hed the 8resna orge on .9
2"ly. +t this &oint the e'ha"sted reeks had rea!hed the end of their logisti!al syste$s
and halted.
The B"lgarians ad$itted to so$e =,000 !as"alties at 8ilkis. + f"rther ?,000 were taken
&risoner together with 130 g"ns. The reeks also s"ffered hea*ily with :,=00 !as"alties.
4t was the de!isi*e battle on this front and the greatest reek s"!!ess in both wars.
Kresna Gorge
To the north of the reek front the B"lgarians after a being &"shed ba!k towards Sofia
had won a defensi*e *i!tory against the Serbs at 8ali$antsi on 1: 2"ly. This enabled the
B"lgarians to shift the 1st +r$y to s"&&ort the .nd +r$y fa!ing the reeks in the
e'!ellent defensi*e &osition of 8resna orge. (onstantine re#e!ted his go*ern$ent/s
&ro&osal for an ar$isti!e, seeking a de!isi*e *i!tory on the battlefield.
;n .9 2"ly the !onsolidated B"lgarian ar$y la"n!hed atta!ks on both flanks &"shing the
reeks down the Str"$a and Mesta ,i*er *alleys. (onstantine fa!ed a (annae ty&e
annihilation and &leaded for s"&&ort fro$ the Serbs. @nfort"nately they were in no
&osition to offer hel& after 8ali$antsi and therefore (onstantine asked his go*ern$ent to
seek an ar$isti!e. The reeks had lost aro"nd 10,000 !as"alties in the &ast ten days of
fighting. The B"lgarian go*ern$ent e6"ally wanted &ea!e and therefore (onstantine was
sa*ed fro$ destr"!tion.
End of the War
-es&ite stabilising the front in Ma!edonia the B"lgarian go*ern$ent/s desire for &ea!e
was dri*en by e*ents far fro$ Ma!edonia. The ,o$anians in*aded on 10 2"ly o!!"&ying
the dis&"ted -obr"d7ha and threatening Sofia fro$ the north. To $ake $atters worse the
;tto$ans took ad*antage of the sit"ation to re!o*er their for$er &ossessions in Thra!e
in!l"ding +driano&le, whi!h the B"lgarians abandoned on .3 2"ly witho"t firing a shot.
The ;tto$an and ,o$anian ar$ies didn/t lose any !o$bat !as"alties altho"gh both
ar$ies s"ffered hea*ily fro$ a renewed o"tbreak of !holera.
+ general ar$isti!e was agreed on 31 2"ly and the territorial s&oils agreed in the treaties
of B"!harest and (onstantino&le. B"lgaria lost $ost of the territories gained in the First
Balkan War in!l"ding the -obr"d7ha, $ost of Ma!edonia, Thra!e and its +egean
!oastline with the e'!e&tion of the &ort of -edeaga!h. Serbia be!a$e the do$inant &ower
in the Balkans and ree!e gained Salonika and its en*irons along with $ost of the
Western Thra!e !oast. 4t was only a te$&orary settle$ent. Ten $onths later the fighting
wo"ld begin again at the start of the First World War.
Wargaming the Campaign
For the re5fight 4 "sed reat War S&earhead 0WS1 r"les. These allow !or&s si7e battles
to be fo"ght on a nor$al warga$es table. For those who fa*o"r s$aller s!ale a!tions,
these took &la!e all along the line &rior to the for$al o"tbreak of war and the reeks
!a&t"red the &ort of 8a*ala and other +egean &ositions thro"gh na*al landings. The
organisation of the o&&osing di*isions "nder WS are set o"t belowA
reek 4nfantry -i*ision
-i* )B 1
%*7ones ,ifle Btn. 9
3 4nfantry ,egi$ents as belowA
4nfantry ,egt. 1
M 1
4nfantry Btn. 9
4nfantry Btn. 9
4nfantry Btn. 9
-i*isional +rt.
=<$$ Field "ns 3
=0$$ Mtn "ns 3
=<$$ Field "ns 3
%ngineers 1
B"lgarian 4nfantry -i*ision
-i* )B 1
9 4nfantry ,egi$ents as belowA
4nfantry ,egt. 1
M 1
4nfantry Btn. 9
4nfantry Btn. 9
4nfantry Btn. 9
4nfantry Btn. 9
-i*isional +rt.
=<$$ Field "ns 3
=<$$ Field "ns 3
=<$$ Field "ns 3
=<$$ Mtn "ns 3
=<$$ Mtn "ns 3
-i*. (a*alry .
%ngineers .
This is two thirds of the si7e of a f"lly $obilised B"lgarian di*ision. This refle!ts the
weakened state of the "nits assigned to the .nd +r$y after the !as"alties s"ffered in the
First Balkan War.
The only warga$e fig"res for this !onfli!t that 4 a$ aware of are $ade by S.8o"$o"ssis,
39 4thakis St, C.8okkinia 1:. 33, Cirae"s, ree!e. 4 "sed the 1<$$ range with the
S!hneider =<$$ g"ns "sed by both ar$ies fro$ the Minifigs Boer war range. S&iros also
&rod"!es .:$$ fig"res for this !onfli!t.
For "nifor$ details ;s&rey M++ 3<? +r$ies in the Balkans 191951: &ro*ides !olo"r
&lates for the reek and B"lgarian ar$ies. )owe*er, read the notes !aref"lly to
disting"ish the later "nifor$ additions.
Conclusion
The Se!ond Balkan War &ro*ides an interesting alternati*e to warga$ing the First World
War. There is greater $anoe"*re in $o"ntaino"s terrain and fortifi!ations &lay a $"!h
s$aller role.
-a*e Watson
2an"ary .003
Select Bibliography
,.)all The Balkan Wars 191.513 ,o"tledge .000
(asse*etti )ellas and the Balkan Wars Fisher @nwin 1919
-.-akin The reek Str"ggle in Ma!edonia 4nst. Balkan St"dies 19??
Tho$as D Baba! +r$ies in the Balkans ;s&rey .001
,.Le!howi!h Balkan Wars SDT 1?9 >o*. 1993
eneral Staff +r$ies of the Balkan States Battery Cress 199?
,et"rn to the Balkan Military )istory ho$e &age.