Battle of Monastir (1917)

Battle of Monastir (1917)
	Part of Macedonian front (World War I)
	; French troops before the attack at Cerna Makovo on 9th May 1917
Date	12 March 1917 – 26 May 1917
Location	West and North of Monastir, Kingdom of Serbia (present-day North Macedonia)
Result	Central Powers victory
Belligerents
Bulgaria ; Germany ;	France
Commanders and leaders
Otto von Below	Maurice Sarrail
Strength
First Army ; 11th Army	5 French divisions
Casualties and losses
Unknown	14,000 killed, wounded or sick

Last updated January 23, 2025

The Battle of Monastir (1917) was a failed French attack against German-Bulgarian fortifications North and West of Monastir, between 12 March and 26 May 1917, during the Salonika Campaign in World War I.

The battle consisted of a series of operations and is known by several names. In French, it is known as Bataille de la cote 1248 (Battle of Hill 1248) and Bataille de Pelister (or Péristéri) after the Pelister mountain. In Bulgarian, it is named after the Chervena Stena or Crvena Stena ridge in the Pelister mountain range. This could be translated as the Battle of the Red Wall, but that name was not used in French or English. Another name for the engagement is the Battle of Lake Prespa.^[1]

Background

In November 1916, though the Entente had managed to capture Monastir, they couldn't use the city because it was within the range of the Bulgarian artillery in the Pelister mountain range to the West and Hill 1248 to the north of the city. The Allied commander-in-chief, Maurice Sarrail, made plans for a large spring offensive in 1917, besides attacking the Crna Bend and Doiran, he also planned an attack north and west of Monastir to give the city, which was always under fire, a more expansive breathing space.

For this attack, Sarrail disposed of five infantry divisions: the French 57th, 11th Colonial, 16th Colonial, 76th and 156th Infantry Divisions.

Battle

Monastir (today known as Bitola) seen from Pelister Bitolj.jpg — Monastir (today known as Bitola) seen from Pelister

Sarrail planned to attack the German and Bulgarian line between the Lakes Ohrid and Prespa and to launch a frontal attack North from Monastir against Hill 1248. On 11 March, the operations between the two lakes began with an intense bombardment and an attack by the 76th French Division against the Crvena Stena west of Monastir, where they captured some strong entrenchments around the villages of Dihovo, Tirnova (Tirnovo) and Snegovo. But resistance from Central Powers forces proved more vigorous than expected, which, combined with the terrible weather, caused the attack to fail.

The French attack on Hill 1248, which was to be delivered simultaneously, did not commence until the 14th. On the 18th, after four days of intense engagements, the French captured the whole of Hill 1248 as well as the fortified village of Krklino (also named Krklina, Kir-Klina, Kerklino, Kerklina, etc.), taking 1,200 prisoners. But the Central Powers succeeded, by a counter-attack, in recapturing part of Hill 1248, whose summit remained abandoned by both sides. Monastir was somewhat relieved, but the town remained under fire until the Armistice, when more than half of it had been destroyed by the 20,700 shells dropped on it. Some 500 inhabitants were killed and 650 injured.^[2]

The Bulgarians also retook the Chervena Stena on 18 May.

Consequences

This French defeat meant that the whole spring offensive of 1917 left the allies with no results at all.^[3]

For the Bulgarians, this victory was a significant boost in morale, and there were even comparisons made with the historic victory in the Battle of Shipka Pass against the Turks in 1877.

Related Research Articles

The 53rd Infantry Division was a French Army formation during World War I and World War II.

Maurice Paul Emmanuel Sarrail was a French general of the First World War. Sarrail's openly socialist political connections made him a rarity amongst the Catholics, conservatives and monarchists who dominated the French Army officer corps under the Third Republic before the war, and were the main reason why he was appointed to command at Salonika.

The Tenth Army was a Field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II.

The Armée d'Orient (AO) was a field army of the French Army during World War I who fought on the Macedonian front.

The Battle of the Cerna bend was a two-month-long battle between the Bulgarian and the Entente armies. The battle took place in the Macedonian front during the First World War Allied Monastir Offensive in October and November 1916. After extremely heavy fighting and severe casualties on both sides, the Bulgarians retreated from Bitola on 19 November, taking positions at 5 km to the north by defeating all later attacks from there. However, the Entente entry in Bitola had no strategic value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monastir offensive</span> World War I offensive in the Macedonian front

The Monastir offensive was an Allied military operation against the forces of the Central Powers during World War I, intended to break the deadlock on the Macedonian front by forcing the capitulation of Bulgaria and relieving the pressure on Romania. The offensive took the shape of a large battle and lasted for three months and ended with the capture of the town of Monastir. On an average depth of 50km, the Bulgarian First Army gave battle on six occasions, being forced to retreat five times.

The Autonomous Province of Korçë, sometimes referred to as Republic of Korçë, was an autonomous legal entity established in 27/10 December 1916, by the local French forces after the city of Korçë fell under their control during World War I, and which lasted until 1920.

The Battle of the Crna Bend was a significant military engagement fought between the forces of the Central Powers and the Entente in May 1917. It was part of the Allied Spring Offensive of the same year that was designed to break the stalemate on the Macedonian Front. Despite the considerable numerical and material advantage of the attackers over the defenders, the Bulgarian and German defence of the positions in the loop of the river Crna remained a formidable obstacle, which the Allies were unable to defeat not only in 1917 but until the end of the war.

37th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army active during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georges de Bazelaire</span>

Georges de Bazelaire was a Major General in the French Army. During World War I, Bazelaire commanded the 135th Infantry Regiment, the 27th and 38th Infantry Divisions and the 7th Army Corps.

The Battle of Lerin or Battle of Florina or Chegan offensive was an offensive operation of the Bulgarian army fought between 17–28 August 1916, during the First World War, in which they conquered the city of Florina but failed to take Chegan.

The 302nd Division was an infantry division of the German Army. It was formed during World War I, as part of the 11th German-Bulgarian Army, combining members of both nationalities and saw service on the Macedonian front. During this time it fought major battles at Crna Bend and the Vardar Offensive. It was dissolved on 30 September 1918, in the aftermath of the capitulation of the 11th German-Bulgarian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th Infantry Division (France)</span> Military unit

12th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army which took part in the Napoleonic Wars, World War I and World War II. It fought at the Battle of the Nations in 1813. It was converted to a motorised infantry role at Mourmelon-le-Grand in 1939 a few days before the French declaration of war on Germany and renamed 12th Motorised Infantry Division

The 31st Army Corps was a corps of the French army, created at the start of the First World War. From the date of its creation until June 1916, the army corps occupied front sectors in Lorraine. In June, the 31st Army Corps fought on the left bank of the Meuse during the Battle of Verdun. Subsequently, it occupied a front line sector in the Argonne, before being transported to the Italian Front as a reinforcement after the Italian defeat at the Battle of Caporetto with the 10th Army. In March 1918, the army corps was redeployed to France, to face the German offensives, it was situated on the Somme front until the end of the war.

156th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army during the First World War. It was deployed overseas, seeing action during the Gallipoli campaign, and thereafter on the Salonika front, fighting alongside British troops in both theatres of war. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the Army of the Danube.

122nd Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army during the First World War. It was deployed overseas, seeing action on the Salonika front, fighting alongside British troops. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the Army of the Danube.

57th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army during the First World War. It was deployed overseas, seeing action on the Salonika front, fighting alongside British troops. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the Army of the Danube.

17th Colonial Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army during the First World War. It was deployed overseas, seeing action during the Gallipoli campaign, and thereafter on the Salonika front, fighting alongside British troops in both theatres of war. It was sent to the Crimea in December 1918 as part of the Army of the Danube.

The 45th Infantry Division, also known as the 45th Algerian Division, was an infantry division of the French Army that served in World War I. The 45th Division was formed on 19 August 1914 from personnel from Algeria, Morocco, and North Africa in general, within the 19th Military Region; The division consisted primarily of tirailleurs and Zouaves. The alleged first gas attack of the Western Front was launched against its positions north of Ypres on 22 April 1915. Chemical weapons had already been used on the Eastern Front and there are some claims that use on the Western Front occurred prior to 22 April 1915.

38th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the French Army active during the First World War.

References

1 2 Tucker, Spencer; Roberts, Priscilla Mary (2005). The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History. Abc-Clio. p. 667. ISBN 9781851094202.
↑ Villari, Luigi (1922). The Macedonian Campaign. p. 126.
↑ "PREMIERE GUERRE MONDIALE : LA GUERRE DES BALKANS (1915-1918)". Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2014-03-15. Monastir est bombardée quotidiennement. En mars, les 57ème, 76ème et 156ème Divisions d'infanterie attaquent le massif du Péristéri et la cote 1248 afin d'établir une liaison avec les troupes présentes dans la région des lacs de Prespa et d'Okrida. Ces offensives se soldent par un échec : les Alliés ne parviennent pas à dégager Monastir. Printemps 1917 : les offensives ont peu de succès malgré les lourdes pertes, et les Alliés ne gardent pas les positions conquises.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Tucker-1] 1 2 Tucker, Spencer; Roberts, Priscilla Mary (2005). The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History. Abc-Clio. p. 667. ISBN 9781851094202.

[2] Villari, Luigi (1922). The Macedonian Campaign. p. 126.

[3] "PREMIERE GUERRE MONDIALE : LA GUERRE DES BALKANS (1915-1918)". Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2014-03-15. Monastir est bombardée quotidiennement. En mars, les 57ème, 76ème et 156ème Divisions d'infanterie attaquent le massif du Péristéri et la cote 1248 afin d'établir une liaison avec les troupes présentes dans la région des lacs de Prespa et d'Okrida. Ces offensives se soldent par un échec : les Alliés ne parviennent pas à dégager Monastir. Printemps 1917 : les offensives ont peu de succès malgré les lourdes pertes, et les Alliés ne gardent pas les positions conquises.

[1]

[2]

[3]