Battle of Kosturino

Battle of Kosturino
Part of Serbian Campaign (World War I)
Date 6 December 1915 – 12 December 1915 Location Kosturino, Kingdom of Serbia (now Macedonia) Result Bulgarian victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Bulgaria
Commanders and leaders
Bryan Mahon	Georgi Todorov
Strength
10th (Irish) Division	Bulgarian 2nd Army
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Battle of Kosturino was a battle between the forces of Bulgaria and Great Britain as part of the Serbian Campaign. The British were forced to retreat to Salonika.

Conquest of Serbia, 1915: the British defended the right flank before Strumitsa

Background

Following the intervention of Bulgaria in World War I, on October 1, 1915 the Austrian-German-Bulgarian offensive against Serbia started. The Serbian forces were forced to withdrawal after defeats in the Morava Offensive and Ovche Pole Offensive . Parts of the Franco-British force, that had landed in Salonika (Thessaloniki) in early October, was to advance to the North to support the retiring Serbian units in Kosovo.

French forces under the command of General Maurice Sarrail advanced deep into Serbian territory with the intent of reaching the Serbian Army at Niš. But on 19 October, they discovered that Bulgarian forces had already managed to cut the railway line to the north of Krivolak. Further French forces were sent into the area, but after the unsuccessful Battle of Krivolak between November 3 and November 23, and growing evidence that Serbian forces to the north had collapsed, the French Army was forced to retreat to Salonika.

The War Office in London had been more reluctant to sent troops into Serbia. Only on in the last week of October they had sent the 30th Brigade into Serbia, followed by the rest of the 10th (Irish) Division, which took over the French-held positions around Kosturino on November 21.

The Battle

The line held by the 10th Division, was in savage hill-top barren-rock country without vegetation. By the end of November, the weather conditions became worst. The exposed infantrymen suffered from cold rains and a raging blizzard. Furthermore, their health was already undermined by the unhealthy hot climate during the Gallipoli peninsula. By the end of November, already 1,656 men had been evacuated, many of them to be hospitalised with frostbite.

Very little fighting occurred until December 4, when it became clear that the Bulgarians had received reinforcements as their artillery fire became better directed and more concentrated. On December 6 and 7 they attacked and took Rocky Peak, taking 30 British prisoners. From here they had a good position to shell the British lines.

On December 8, the Bulgarian Army launched an all-out attack. General Mahon tried to coordinate his defensive operations with the retreating French Army to his left, but the enemy forces were too strong, about 4 times the size of the British. As newly arrived forces in Saloniki could not reach the front soon, because of bad roads, there was no alternative but to withdrawal. The Irish division withdrew in good order. Their casualties were about 1,500 men and eight guns.

By December 12, all allied forces had withdrawn into Greece. The Bulgarian Army was not allowed by the German High Command to enter Greek territory, as they still hoped that Greece would enter the war on their side.

Aftermath

With the Serbian forces cut off from outside help, they were forced to retreat westwards into Albania, where they were evacuated to the Greek island of Corfu by February 10, 1916.
The Macedonian Front would stabilize between 1916 and 1918.

Sources

• Dublin Fusiliers
• The Story of the Salonica Army by G. Ward Price. CHAPTER III, THE BULGAR ATTACK ON THE 10TH DIVISION

Bulgaria in World War I
Prelude	South-western front: Serbian Campaign, Macedonian front	Romanian front • Outcome • Others	Important persons
Balkan Wars 1912–1913 First Balkan War 1913 Treaty of London Second Balkan War Treaty of Bucharest Treaty of Istanbul Neutrality 1914 Ottoman–Bulgarian alliance 1915 Negotiations of Bulgaria with the Central Powers and the Entente Bulgarian-German treaty Secret Bulgarian-German agreement Military convention between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria Bulgarian-Turkish convention Mobilization	Commanders  Bulgaria Nikola Zhekov • Kliment Boyadzhiev • Georgi Todorov• Stefan Nerezov • Vladimir Vazov Entente:  Serbia: Radomir Putnik • Živojin Mišić • Stepa Stepanović • Petar Bojović;  France: Maurice Sarrail • Adolphe Guillaumat • Franchet d'Esperey;  United Kingdom: George Milne;  Greece: Panagiotis Danglis Field Armies + Eleventh Army First Army Second Army Fourth Army Battles 1915 Morava Offensive • Ovche Pole Offensive • Kosovo Offensive (1915) • Battle of Krivolak 1916 First battle of Doiran • Battle of Lerin • Battle of Struma • Monastir Offensive 1917 Second battle of Doiran • 2nd Cerna Bend • Second battle of Monastir 1918 Battle of Skra-di-Legen • Battle of Dobro Pole • Third battle of Doiran	Commanders  Bulgaria Nikola Zhekov • Panteley Kiselov • Stefan Toshev • Todor Kantardzhiev • Ivan Kolev Entente:  Romania: Constantin Prezan • Alexandru Averescu;  Russia: Andrei Zaionchkovsky • Vladimir Sakharov Field Armies Third Army Battles 1916 Battle of Turtucaia • Battle of Dobrich • First Cobadin • Flămânda Offensive • Second Cobadin • Battle of Bucharest Outcome 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk • Armistice of Focşani • Treaty of Bucharest • Protocol of Berlin Outcome Armistice of Salonica Vladaya revolt Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Others Bulgarian administration in Kosovo Anti-military propaganda	Ferdinand Vasil Radoslavov Alexander Malinov Aleksandar Stamboliyski Aleksandar Protogerov August von Mackensen Boris Drangov Vladimir Vazov Georgi Todorov (general) Ivan Kolev Kliment Boyadzhiev Konstantin Zhostov Krastyu Zlatarev Nikola Zhekov Panteley Kiselov Stefan Toshev Stefan Nerezov Todor Kantardzhiev