Monastir offensive

World War I offensive in the Macedonian front

Not to be confused with Battle of Monastir.

Monastir offensive

Part of the Macedonian front of World War I

The Macedonian Front in 1916
| Date| 12 September 1916 – 11 December 1916

|

Location|

Monastir, Kingdom of Serbia (present-day North Macedonia)

Result|

Minor Entente victory

* Capture of Monastir
* Limited Allied gains
* Stabilization of the front line

Belligerents

* Central Powers:
* Bulgaria
* Germany
* Ottoman Empire

* Allied Powers:
* France
* Serbia
* United Kingdom
* Italy
* Russia

Commanders and leaders

* Nikola Zhekov
* Dimitar Geshov
* Georgi Todorov
* Otto von Below
Arnold von Winkler
* Abdul Kerim Pasha

* Maurice Sarrail
* Petar Bojović
* Živojin Mišić
* George Milne
* Carlo P. di Roreto
* Mikhail Diterikhs

Strength

* Unknown
* Unknown
* 28,186

* * *

* Total: unknown total men (240,000 – 260,000 combatants)

* 122,596
* 119,176
* 115,396
* c.30,000
* c.10,000

* * *

* Total: c.397,168 men (250,000 – 313,000 combatants)

Casualties and losses

* 53,000
* 8,000

* * *

* Total: 61,000

* 27,337
* 13,786
* 4,580
* 1,116
* <1,000

* * *

* Total: c. 48,000

* * *

80,000 died or evacuated due to sickness

* v
* t
* e

Macedonian front

* Krivolak
* Kosturino
* 1st Doiran
* Florina
* Struma
* Monastir
* Malka Nidzhe
* Kaymakchalan
* 1st Crna Bend
* 2nd Monastir
* 2nd Doiran
* 2nd Crna Bend
* Skra-di-Legen
* Vardar
* Dobro Pole
* 3rd Doiran
* Liberation of Serbia
* Vladai Uprising  [bg]

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 (from the end of September German Eleventh Army) gave battle on six occasions, being forced to retreat five times.[1]

## Background[edit]

In August 1916, Romania chose to join the war effort on the side of the Entente and concentrated most of its forces for an invasion of Transylvania, leaving its 3rd army to guard the border with Bulgaria. The Russian and French proposals for a joint attack of the Romanian Army and the Allied Salonika Army against Bulgaria were no longer realistic. The Allies, however, still planned a large offensive in the Macedonian front for the middle of August to support Romania's entry into the war and pin down as many Bulgarian forces as possible.

The Bulgarian High Command suspected an impending offensive, and the fighting around Doiran that erupted on 9 August only confirmed these suspicions. On their part, the Bulgarians had urged for an offensive in Macedonia since the beginning of the year, now planning to strike with the First Army and Second Army on both Allied flanks. The Germans also gave their sanction for the plan as the former army was part of Army Group Mackensen.

On 17 August, the Chegan and Struma offensives began. On the left flank, the Bulgarian Second Army, meeting little resistance on its way, seized all the Greek territory up to the Struma river. On the right flank, the Bulgarian First Army captured Lerin and continued advancing in the face of stiffening Allied resistance. The advance soon bogged down, the offensive was called off on 27 August, and the Bulgarian forces were ordered to dig in. This pre-emptive strike, however, thwarted general Sarrail's plans and forced him to postpone his offensive.

The need for an Allied attack against Bulgaria became even more urgent in early September 1916, as the Bulgarian Third Army under general Stefan Toshev and field marshal Mackensen achieved decisive victories against the Romanian and Russians in the battles of Tutrakan and Dobrich.

## Opposing forces[edit]

By September 1916, the Allies had gathered a substantial force of 6 Serbian, 5 British, 4 French, 1 Italian infantry division and 1 Russian infantry brigade for operations on the Macedonian front. The ratio strength of this army reached between 369,000[2] and 400,000 men. The battle strength was deployed in 201 infantry battalions with 1,025 artillery pieces[3] and 1,300 machine guns.[4]

The Central Powers could initially oppose these forces with the Bulgarian First Army, German Eleventh Army and Bulgarian Second Army in total 172 infantry battalions, c. 900 artillery pieces.[3] In addition, there was also the 10th Bulgarian Infantry Division and the forces protecting the Aegean coast from the river Struma to the border with the Ottoman Empire – 25 infantry battalions, 31 artillery batteries and 24 machine guns.

General Sarrail planned to strike at the right wing and center of the overextended First Army with his Serbian, French, Russian and Italian forces and content himself with only demonstrative attacks against the Vardar valley and the Struma, that were to be conducted by the British to pin down as many Bulgarian and German troops as possible.

## The offensive[edit]

### Opening phase[edit]

Main articles: Battle of Malka Nidzhe and Battle of Kajmakcalan

On 12 September, the Allies opened their offensive with a powerful two-day artillery barrage and an attack by the Serbian Third Army and the French Army of the Orient against the Bulgarian 8th Tundzha Infantry Division and colonel Tasev's reinforced brigade. The situation soon deteriorated for the Bulgarians, and on 14 September, they were forced to retreat towards Lerin, leaving behind some of their artillery guns and abandoning Gornichevo to the Serbians. On 12 September, the Serbians also began their first attack on the 2,300-meter-high (7,500 ft) Kaimakchalan ridge. The British also became active on the Struma front and tried to expand their footholds on its right bank.

The Bulgarian First Army's western flank now managed to hold the Allies on the Lerin – Kajmakcalan line. The Allies, however, continued their attacks, and on 23 September, after heavy fighting, the French entered Lerin. The Bulgarians were still holding on Kajmakcalan, where the 1st Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Balkan Infantry Division was attacked by a superior number of Serbian troops supported by heavy French artillery. The fighting was very costly for the attackers and the defenders, as the bare, rocky ridge provided almost no cover from the Bulgarian machine gun fire or the Allied artillery.

The Bulgarian setbacks attracted greater attention from both the Bulgarian and German high commands, and soon, several vital changes in the command structure were made. On 27 September, General Kliment Boyadzhiev was replaced as commander of the First Army by General Dimitar Geshov. The army itself exchanged headquarters with the Eleventh Army of General Arnold von Winkler. This was followed by the arrival on the front of General Otto von Below and the establishment of Army Group Below on 16 October, which included both the Eleventh and First Armies.

On 30 September, after 18 days of heavy fighting, the Serbian Drina Division finally captured Kajmakcalan from the exhausted 1st infantry brigade of the 3rd Balkan Infantry Division, achieving a breakthrough in the Bulgarian defensive line. The German and Bulgarian commands regarded the loss of the position and seven artillery guns as irreversible due to the lack of a capable artillery reserve. General Winkler ordered the 8th Tundzha Divisions, the 1st and 3rd brigades of the 6th Bdin Division and the 2nd Brigade of the 9 Pleven Division to withdraw to a new defensive position. The 1st Brigade of the 3rd Balkan Division was reorganized, and its depleted nine battalions were scaled down to five, with four mixed companies with seven mountain guns and a pioneer company. The new Kenali defensive line was occupied from Lake Prespa to Kenali by the three independent infantry brigades(9/2 IB, 2/6 IB and 1/6 IB), from Kenali to the heights east of the Cherna river by the 8th division and from there to the Mala Rupa peak by the 1/3 Infantry Brigade. Further to the east were the remaining forces of the Eleventh Army – the rest of the 3rd Balkan Infantry Division, whose positions remained unchanged since they were occupied on 25 July 1916.

### Secondary operations[edit]

Around that time, when it became clear that the Allies were pulling troops from the eastern flank and were concentrating them against Monastir, the commander of the Bulgarian Second Army General Todorov ordered the 7th Rila Division to take positions for an attack over the Struma river, to assist the hard pressed Bulgarians and Germans west of the Vardar. The Bulgarian high command, however, refused to permit the attack. This hesitation allowed the British to consolidate their positions on the left bank of the Struma around the village of Karacaköy on 30 September. On 3 October, the 10th (Irish) Division attacked the Bulgarian positions in the village of Yenikoy that were defended by the 13th Rila Regiment of the 7th Division. The battle lasted for the entire day, and the Bulgarians, reinforced by the 14th Macedonian Regiment and 17th Artillery Regiment, retook the village twice after a fierce bayonet struggle. During the night after a third and final attack, the Irish division occupied it. Casualties on both sides were heavy due to the accurate artillery and machine gun fire. After the battle, the Bulgarian 13th Regiment was reorganized to a three-battalion strength instead of the usual four battalions. After 4 October, the Bulgarians set up positions on the nearby heights to the east while the right flank of the 7th Rila division remained in the valley to protect the Rupel Pass. From this point on, no large operations were conducted on the Struma front until the end of the offensive.

### Prelude to decisive battle[edit]

Bulgarian infantry attack in the Monastir area.

A prime problem for the Bulgarians was that their army and resources were stretched to the limits from Dobruja to Macedonia and Albania. The Bulgarian high command turned to its German allies. The Germans themselves had few reinforcements to offer as the Brusilov offensive had taken its toll, and the Battle of the Somme was still raging. They turned to the Ottoman Empire and convinced Enver Pasha to send the 11,979 men of the 50th Division to Macedonia. In October, these forces took up position on the Struma and, a month later, were joined by the 12,609 men of the 46th Ottoman Division. The two divisions formed the XX Corps and remained in the region until May 1917, when they were recalled to Mesopotamia.[5] This freed some Bulgarian forces that could now be directed to reinforce the Eleventh Army. In addition, the Ottoman Rumeli Detachment (177th Regiment) of 3,598 men was also attached to General Winkler's forces.

On 30 September, General Joffre informed General Sarrail of the impending great offensive of the Romanian and Russian forces under General Averescu against the Bulgarian Third Army in Dobrudja and their expected crossing of the Danube between Ruse and Tutrakan. The Allied Army of the East commander planned to now use this by coordinating it with a renewed push against the Eleventh Army's Kenali line and eventually knocking Bulgaria out of the war. On 4 October, the Allies attacked the French and Russians in the direction of Monastir – Kenali, the Serbian First and Third Army along the Kenali – Cherna Loop line, the Serbian Second Army against the Third Balkan Division – in the direction of Dobro Pole. The Allies had 103 battalions and 80 batteries against the 65 battalions and 57 batteries of the Central Powers in the area.

### Fall of Monastir and end of the offensive[edit]

Main article: Battle of the Cerna Bend (1916)

General Dieterichs' Russian brigade on the march in Macedonia

The Battle of the River Cherna opened with the Serbians trying to gain a foothold on its northern bank. Their progress was slow, and further west, the initial French and Russian attacks were repulsed. During the following weeks, the battle developed into a series of attacks and counter-attacks in which the Allies gradually gained ground, owing to their artillery superiority. The Bulgarian and German commands also tried to stabilize the situation by reinforcing the Eleventh Army with troops transferred from the First and even the Second Army. For the duration of the battle at the Cherna Loop, some 14 Bulgarian and 4 German infantry regiments participated actively in the fighting. The French and Russians achieved a breakthrough around Kenali by the end of October but were soon halted by the Bulgarians and Germans. The Italian division was also brought to the front and supported the attacks around Monastir.

French troops in Monastir, 22 November.

By this time, however, General Below had decided to abandon Monastir, and on 18 November, while the heavy fighting was still going on, General der Infanterie Winckler ordered the Eleventh Army to retreat to new positions to the north of Monastir. The Bulgarian commander in chief, General Nikola Zhekov, protested this decision, but in the end, he couldn't stop its execution. On 19 November, French and Russian soldiers entered the town. The Bulgarians established a new position on the Chervena Stena – height 1248 – height 1050 – Makovo – Gradešnica defensive line. It came under attack almost immediately, but this time the new position held firm because the Allies were exhausted, having reached the limits of their logistical capacity. Thus all French and Serbian attempts to break through the line were defeated, and with the onset of winter, the front stabilized along its entire length. On 11 December, General Joffre called off the offensive.

## Aftermath[edit]

For the duration of the offensive, the Allies suffered around 50,000 battle casualties, the bulk of them Serbians. In addition, some 80,000 Allied troops died or had to be evacuated due to sickness and disease. This brought the total casualties to as high as 130,000 men, or a third of all Entente forces in the theatre.[6] The front was moved by only about 50km at a heavy price, and in the end, the offensive did not prevent the defeat of Romania or knock Bulgaria out of the war.

The Bulgarians and German casualties totalled around 61,000 men, and even though Monastir had to be abandoned, the new positions a few kilometres to the north provided excellent conditions for defence, assuring the dominance of the Bulgarian artillery over the town. The line here remained intact until the end of the war in Macedonia when the forces occupying it had to retreat due to the breakthrough at Dobro Pole.

However, the offensive also provided some satisfaction as the Serbian troops managed to return to their country's border. The Bulgarians and Germans alike were also satisfied with their resistance to the superior numbers of the Entente. General Nikola Zhekov went as far as to describe the Battle of the River Cherna as "legendary" in terms of the tenacity of the Bulgarian defence – "conducted without regard of casualties."[7]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Петър Дошкинов. Боятъ на Малка Нидже 12–14.09.1916.Артилерийски прегледъ, година 5, кн. 7 и 8, януарий 1932 p. 722.
2. ^ Корсун 1939, p. 71.
3. ^ a b Tucker 2005, p. 810
4. ^ Luigi 1922, p. 42. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLuigi1922 (help)
5. ^ Hall 2010, p. 74.
6. ^ Корсун 1939, p. 75.
7. ^ Hall 2010, p. 78.

## References[edit]

* Tucker, Spencer (2005). World War I: Encyclopedia, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-420-2.
* Корсун (1939). Балканский фронт. Воениздат НКО СССР.(In Russian)
* Hall, Richard (2010). Balkan Breakthrough: The Battle of Dobro Pole 1918. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-35452-5.
* Дошкинов, Петър (1948). Есенното сражение на Македонския боенъ театъръ - 1916 год. XI-а германо-българска армия въ борбата съ френско-руската и сръбскитъ армии (I, III и II) – Книга I. София.
* Villari, Luigi (1922). The Macedonian campaign. T.F. Unwin ltd.
* Doughty, Robert A. (2005), Pyrrhic victory: French strategy and operations in the Great War, Harvard University Press, ISBN 9780674018808

* v
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World War I

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Theatres|

| European|

* Balkans
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|

Middle Eastern|

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African|

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Naval warfare|

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Principal
participants

| Entente Powers|

* Leaders
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|

Central Powers|

* Leaders
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Timeline|

| Pre-War conflicts|

* Franco-Prussian War (1870–71)
* Scramble for Africa (1880–1914)
* Russo-Japanese War (1905)
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* Second Balkan War (1913)

|

Prelude|

* Origins
* Historiography
* Sarajevo assassination
* Anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo
* July Crisis

Autumn 1914|

* German invasion of Belgium
* Battle of the Frontiers
* Battle of Cer
* Battle of Galicia
* Russian invasion of East Prussia
* Battle of Tannenberg
* Siege of Tsingtao
* First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
* Battle of Grand Couronné
* First Battle of the Marne
* Siege of Przemyśl
* Race to the Sea
* First Battle of Ypres
* Black Sea raid
* Battle of Kolubara
* Battle of Sarikamish

Winter 1914|

* Christmas truce

1915|

* Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes
* Battle of Łomża
* Second Battle of Ypres
* Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
* Battle of Gallipoli
* Second Battle of Artois
* Battles of the Isonzo
* Gorlice–Tarnów offensive
* Great Retreat
* Bug-Narew Offensive
* Siege of Novogeorgievsk
* Vistula–Bug offensive
* Second Battle of Champagne
* Kosovo offensive
* Siege of Kut
* Battle of Loos

1916|

* Erzurum offensive
* Battle of Verdun
* Lake Naroch offensive
* Battle of Asiago
* Battle of Jutland
* Battle of the Somme
* first day
* Brusilov offensive
* Baranovichi offensive
* Battle of Romani
* Monastir offensive
* Battle of Transylvania

1917|

* Capture of Baghdad
* February Revolution
* Zimmermann Telegram
* Second Battle of Arras
* Second Battle of the Aisne
* Kerensky offensive
* Battle of Mărăști
* Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele)
* Battle of Mărășești
* Third Battle of Oituz
* Battle of Caporetto
* Southern Palestine offensive
* October Revolution
* Battle of La Malmaison
* Battle of Cambrai
* Armistice of Focșani
* Armistice between Russia and the Central Powers

1918|

* Operation Faustschlag
* Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
* German spring offensive
* Zeebrugge Raid
* Treaty of Bucharest of 1918
* Battle of Goychay
* Second Battle of the Piave River
* Second Battle of the Marne
* Hundred Days Offensive
* Vardar offensive
* Battle of Megiddo
* Third Transjordan attack
* Meuse–Argonne offensive
* Battle of Vittorio Veneto
* Armistice of Salonica
* Armistice of Mudros
* Armistice of Villa Giusti
* Second Romanian campaign
* Armistice with Germany
* Armistice of Belgrade

Co-belligerent conflicts|

* Somaliland campaign (1900–1920)
* Mexican Revolution (1910–1920)
* Maritz rebellion (1914–15)
* Muscat rebellion (1913–1920)
* Zaian War (1914–1921)
* Kurdish rebellions (1914–1917)
* Ovambo Uprising (1914-1917)
* Kelantan rebellion (1915)
* Senussi campaign (1915–1917)
* Volta-Bani War (1915–1917)
* National Protection War
* Arab Revolt (1916-1918)
* Central Asian Revolt (1916–17)
* Invasion of Darfur (1916)
* Easter Rising (1916)
* Kaocen revolt (1916–17)
* Russian Revolution (1917)
* Finnish Civil War (1918)

Post-War conflicts|

* Russian Civil War (1917–1921)
* Ukrainian–Soviet War (1917–1921)
* Armenian–Azerbaijani War (1918–1920)
* Armeno-Georgian War (1918)
* German Revolution (1918–19)
* Revolutions and interventions in Hungary (1918–1920)
* Hungarian–Romanian War (1918–19)
* Greater Poland Uprising (1918–19)
* Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920)
* Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920)
* Lithuanian Wars of Independence (1918–1920)
* Polish–Ukrainian War (1918–19)
* Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919)
* Egyptian Revolution (1919)
* Polish–Lithuanian War (1919–1920)
* Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921)
* Irish War of Independence (1919–1921)
* Turkish War of Independence
* Franco-Turkish War (1918–1921)
* Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)
* Turkish–Armenian War (1920)
* Iraqi Revolt (1920)
* Vlora War (1920)
* Franco-Syrian War (1920)
* Soviet–Georgian War (1921)

Aspects|

| Warfare|

* Aviation
* Strategic bombing
* Chemical weapons
* Cryptography
* Horses
* Logistics
* Naval warfare
* Convoy system
* Trench warfare

| Conscription|

* Australia
* Canada
* Ottoman Empire
* United Kingdom
* Ireland
* United States

|

Casualties /
Civilian impact

* British casualties
* Parliamentarians
* Ottoman casualties
* Sports
* Rugby
* Olympians

| Disease|

* 1899–1923 cholera pandemic
* 1915 typhus epidemic in Serbia
* Spanish flu

|

Occupations|

* Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia
* Bulgarian occupations
* Albania
* Serbia
* German occupations
* Belgium
* Luxembourg
* Northeast France
* Ober Ost
* Occupied Enemy Territory Administration
* Russian occupations
* Eastern Galicia
* Western Armenia

POWs|

* Germans
* in the United States
* Italians
* POW locations
* Canada
* Germany / camps
* Switzerland

Refugees|

* Belgian refugees
* Netherlands
* United Kingdom

War crimes|

* Allied blockades
* Eastern Mediterranean
* Mount Lebanon famine
* Germany
* Deportations from East Prussia
* Destruction of Kalisz
* Sack of Dinant
* Late Ottoman genocides
* Armenian genocide
* Assyrian genocide (Sayfo)
* Pontic Greek genocide
* Rape of Belgium
* Urkun (Kyrgyzstan)
* Massacres of Albanians
* Ukrainian Canadian internment

Diplomacy

| Entry into the war|

* Austria-Hungary
* France
* Germany
* Italy
* Japan
* Ottoman Empire
* Russia
* United Kingdom
* United States

|

Declarations of war|

* Austria-Hungary against Serbia
* UK against Germany
* Ottomans against the Triple Entente
* USA against Germany
* USA against Austria-Hungary

Agreements|

* Constantinople Agreement
* Treaty of London
* Damascus Protocol
* Bulgaria–Germany treaty
* Treaty of Darin
* Sykes–Picot Agreement
* Sazonov–Paléologue Agreement
* Paris Economy Pact
* Treaty of Bucharest
* Agreement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne

Peace treaties

* modus vivendi of Acroma
* Treaties of Brest-Litovsk
* Russia–Central Powers
* Ukraine–Central Powers
* Treaty of Bucharest
* Paris Peace Conference
* Treaty of Versailles
* Treaty of St. Germain
* Treaty of Neuilly
* Treaty of Trianon
* Treaty of Sèvres
* Treaty of Lausanne

Other|

* Arrest of a Suspect in Sarajevo
* The Golden Virgin
* They shall not pass

* World portal
* Category

* v
* t
* e

Bulgaria during 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 Constantinople

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–Ottoman convention
* Mobilization

Commanders

Bulgaria

Nikola Zhekov • Kliment Boyadzhiev • Dimitar Geshov • Georgi Todorov • Ivan Lukov • Stefan Nerezov • Vladimir Vazov

Entente:

Serbia: Radomir Putnik • Živojin Mišić • Stepa Stepanović • Petar Bojović • Pavle Jurišić Šturm;
France: Maurice Sarrail • Adolphe Guillaumat • Louis Franchet d'Espèrey;
United Kingdom: Bryan Mahon • George Milne;
Kingdom of Greece: Panagiotis Danglis

Field Armies

* + Eleventh Army
* First Army
* Second Army
* Fourth Army

Battles

1915

Morava Offensive • Ovče Pole Offensive • Kosovo offensive (1915)  • Battle of Krivolak

1916

First battle of Doiran • Battle of Florina (Lerin) • Struma operation • Monastir offensive

1917

Second battle of Doiran • 2nd Crna 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 Zayonchkovski • Vladimir Sakharov

Field Armies

* Third Army

Battles

1916

Battle of Turtucaia • Battle of Bazargic • First Cobadin • Flămânda Offensive • Second Cobadin • Battle of Bucharest

Outcome

1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk • Armistice of Focșani • 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
* Aleksandar Malinov
* Aleksandar Stamboliyski
* Aleksandar Protogerov
* August von Mackensen
* Boris Drangov
* Vladimir Vazov
* Georgi Todorov (general)
* Ivan Kolev
* Kliment Boyadzhiev
* Dimitar Geshov
* Ivan Lukov
* Konstantin Zhostov
* Krastyu Zlatarev
* Nikola Zhekov
* Panteley Kiselov
* Stefan Toshev
* Stefan Nerezov
* Todor Kantardzhiev

* v
* t
* e

Wars and battles involving Serbs

Medieval|

| Serbian–Bulgarian|

* Bulgar–Serb War (839–842)
* Bulgar–Serb War (853)
* Bulgarian–Serbian wars of 917–924
* Bulgarian–Serbian border revolt
* Bulgarian-Serb War (998)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1202)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1203)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1290)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1291)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1330)
* Battle of Velbazhd

|

Serbian–Ottoman|

* Early skirmishes
* Battle of Gallipoli
* Battle of Stephaniana
* Battle of Demotika in 1352
* Battle of Sırp Sındığı in 1364
* Fall of the Serbian Empire
* Battle of Maritsa in 1371
* Battle of Dubravnica in 1381
* Battle of Savra in 1385
* Battle of Pločnik in 1386
* Battle of Kosovo in 1389
* Serbian Despotate
* Battle of Karanovasa
* Battle of Tripolje in 1402
* Siege of Novo Brdo in 1412
* Battle of Vitosha Pass in 1413
* Battle of Carmorlu
* First Scutari War
* Second Scutari War
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1425
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1427
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1437
* Battle of Trnava (1430)
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1438
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia (1439–1444)
* Crusade of Varna
* Battle of Nish (1443)
* Battle of Zlatitsa in 1443
* Battle of Kunovica in 1444
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia (1454–1455)
* Battle of Kruševac in 1454
* Battle of Leskovac in 1454
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1456
* Siege of Belgrade
* Siege of Smederevo
* Ottoman invasion and conquest of Serbia in 1459
* Battle of Breadfield in 1479
* Ottoman conquest of Zeta in 1499

Serbian–Byzantine|

* Serb Uprising of 1038–1042
* Battle of Bar
* Slav Uprising in Pomoravlje
* Battle of Zvečan (1094)
* Battle of Haram
* Siege of Ras (1127)
* Battle of Tara (1150)
* Byzantine–Hungarian War (1149–1155)
* Siege of Braničevo (1154)
* Battle of Pantina
* Byzantine–Hungarian War (1127–1129)
* Byzantine civil war of 1321–1328
* Serbian invasion of Macedonia led by Syrgiannes Palaiologos (1334)
* Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347

Other|

* Hungarian invasions of Europe
* Magyar–Serb conflict
* Byzantine–Hungarian War (1127–1129)
* Battle of Sirmium
* Battle of Gacko
* Serbian conflict with the Nogai Horde
* Mongol invasion of Bulgaria and Serbia
* Mačva War
* Hungarian–Serbian War (1321-1324)
* War of Hum (1326–1329)
* Serbian civil war of 1331
* Serbian nobility conflict (1369)
* Battle of Rovine
* Battle of Nicopolis
* Battle of Ankara
* Battle of Kosmidion
* Battle of Çamurlu
* Battle of Despotovac
* Siege of Belgrade (1440)
* Battle of Kosovo (1448)
* Fall of Constantinople

Foreign rule|

| Habsburgs|

* Jovan Nenad's uprising
* Hungarian campaign of 1527–1528
* Battle of Szőlős
* Battle of Sződfalva
* Battle of Keresztes
* Great Turkish War
* Siege of Belgrade (1688)
* Battle of Batočina
* Battle of Niš (1689)
* Siege of Belgrade (1690)
* Battle of Lugos
* Rákóczi's War of Independence
* Battle of Saint Gotthard (1705)
* Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718)
* Siege of Belgrade (1717)
* Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739)
* Battle of Zsibó
* Battle of Trenčín
* Battle of Petrovaradin
* Battle of Banja Luka
* Austro-Turkish War (1788–1791)

|

Ottomans|

* Long War (Ottoman wars) (1593–1606)
* Banat Uprising (1594)
* Serb Uprising of 1596–1597
* Battle of Mohács (1687)
* Uprising in Vučitrn
* Serb uprising of 1737–1739
* Kočina Krajina Serb rebellion
* Battle of Martinići (1796)
* Battle of Krusi
* Battle of Lopate

Venice|

* Morean War
* Cretan War (1645–1669)
* Great Turkish War
* Battle on Vrtijeljka
* Battle of Slankamen
* Battle of Senta

Russia|

* Serbian Hussar Regiment
* Pruth River Campaign
* War of the Polish Succession
* Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743)
* Seven Years' War

19th century|

| Serbian Revolution|

* First Serbian Uprising
* Vračar
* Rudnik
* Svileuva
* Batočina and Jagodina
* Kragujevac
* Drlupa
* Čokešina
* Šabac
* Požarevac
* Karanovac
* Adakale
* Ivankovac
* Rudnik
* Vrbica
* Mišar
* Deligrad
* Belgrade (1806)
* Liberation of Belgrade
* Loznica
* Malajnica and Štubik
* Čegar
* Jasika
* Prahovo
* Suvodol
* Drina
* Varvarin
* Loznica
* Mačva
* Ravnje
* Hadži Prodan's Revolt
* Second Serbian Uprising
* Ljubić
* Čačak
* Palež
* Požarevac
* Rudnik
* Družetić
* Kragujevac
* Jagodina
* Karanovac
* Batočina
* Užice
* Valjevo
* Batočina

|

Ottoman|

* Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–1853)
* Battle of Grahovac
* Battle of Kolašin
* Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–1862)
* Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–1878)
* Battle of Vučji Do
* Battle of Fundina
* Battles for Plav and Gusinje
* Velika attacks
* Battle of Novšiće
* Battle of Murino

Other|

* Kumanovo uprising
* Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814
* Jančić's rebellion
* Priest Jovica's Rebellion
* Several battles of Hungarian Revolution of 1848
* Battle of Vršac (1849)
* Serbian-Turkish Wars (1876–1878)
* Battle of Vranje
* Siege of Cattaro
* Herzegovina uprising (1852–1862)
* Krivošije uprising (1869)
* Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)
* AU-BiH War
* Battle of Jajce (1878)
* Battle of Vitez (1878)
* Battle of Sarajevo (1878)
* Serbo-Bulgarian War
* Battle of Pirot
* Battle of Slivnitsa

20th century|

| Macedonian Struggle|

* Fight on Šuplji Kamen
* Fight on Čelopek
* Fight in Tabanovce
* Fight in Velika Hoča
* Fight on Čelopek (1906)
* Battle of Pirot (1913)

|

Balkan Wars|

* First Balkan War
* Battle of Kumanovo
* Battle of Prilep
* Battle of Monastir
* Siege of Scutari
* Siege of Adrianople
* Siege of Odrin (1912–1913)
* Second Balkan War
* Battle of Bregalnica
* Battle of Kalimanci
* Battle of Knjaževac
* Siege of Vidin (1913)
* Ohrid–Debar uprising

World War I|

* Montenegrin campaign
* Battle of Mojkovac
* Serbian campaign
* Battle of Cer
* Battle of the Crna Bend (1916)
* Battle of Bazargic
* Battle of Dobro Pole
* Battle of the Drina
* Battle of Florina
* Battle of Kaymakchalan
* Battle of Kolubara
* Kosovo offensive (1915)
* Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro (1918)
* Battle of Malka Nidzhe
* Macedonian front
* Monastir offensive
* Morava Offensive
* Ovče Pole Offensive
* Vardar offensive
* Srem Offensive
* Toplica Uprising

Interwar|

* Carinthia War
* Uprising in Drenica
* Christmas Uprising
* Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
* Albanian-Yugoslav Border War (1921)
* Drenica-Junik Uprising

World War II|

* Invasion of Yugoslavia
* Uprising in Serbia (1941)
* Uprising in Montenegro (1941)
* June 1941 uprising in eastern Herzegovina
* Battle of Novi Pazar
* Battle of Pljevlja
* Battle of Kozara
* Battle of Loznica (1941)
* Battle of Livno
* Battle of Neretva
* Battle of the Sutjeska
* Raid on Drvar
* Battle of Knin
* Battle of Mostar
* Battle of Lijevče Field
* 1942 Montenegro offensive
* Bihać Operation
* Battle of Batina
* Belgrade Offensive
* Capture of Banja Koviljača
* Case Black
* Case White
* Operation Draufgänger
* Kozara Offensive
* Battle of Kupres (1942)
* Battle of Višegrad
* Mostar operation
* Nagykanizsa–Körmend Offensive
* Niš operation
* Battle of Odžak
* Capture of Olovo (1941)
* Operation Alfa
* Operation Delphin
* Operation Kopaonik
* Operation Kugelblitz
* Operation Mihailovic
* Operation Southeast Croatia
* Operation Trio
* Operation Uzice
* Battle of Poljana
* Operation Prijedor
* Siege of Rogatica (1941)
* Operation Rösselsprung (1944)
* Kosovo Operation (1944)
* Operation Spring Awakening
* Srb uprising
* Stratsin-Kumanovo operation
* Syrmian Front
* Battle of Zvornik
* Battle of Sarajevo (1945)
* Battle of Zelengora

Croatian War|

* Pakrac clash
* Plitvice Lakes incident
* Battle of Borovo Selo
* Operation Stinger
* 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia
* Battle of Osijek
* Battle of Vukovar
* Battle of Gospić
* Battle of Šibenik
* Battle of Zadar
* Battle of Kusonje
* Battle of the Barracks
* Siege of Varaždin Barracks
* Siege of Bjelovar Barracks
* Battle of the Dalmatian Channels
* Siege of Dubrovnik
* Operation Otkos 10
* Operation Orkan 91
* Operation Whirlwind
* Operation Baranja
* Operation Jackal
* Battle of the Miljevci Plateau
* Operation Tiger
* Operation Maslenica
* Operation Medak Pocket
* Operation Winter '94
* Operation Flash
* Operation Summer '95
* Operation Storm

Bosnian War|

* Battle of Bosanski Brod
* Battle of Kupres
* Siege of Sarajevo
* Siege of Srebrenica
* Siege of Goražde
* Siege of Doboj
* Operation Jackal
* Siege of Bihać (1992–95)
* Operation Vrbas '92
* Operation Corridor 92
* Operation Bura
* Kravica attack
* Siege of Mostar
* Operation Irma
* Operation Bøllebank
* Operation Tiger
* Battle of Kupres
* Operation Amanda
* Operation Spider
* Operation Winter '94
* Battle of Vlašić
* Operation Leap 1
* Battle of Orašje
* Operation Leap 2
* Operation Summer '95
* Battle of Vrbanja Bridge
* Battle of Vozuća
* Operation Miracle
* Operation Mistral 2
* Operation Sana
* Operation Una
* Operation Southern Move
* NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina
* 1995 Pale air strikes
* Operation Deny Flight
* Operation Deliberate Force
* Operation Maritime Monitor

Kosovo War|

* Insurgency in Kosovo
* Albanian–Yugoslav border incident (December 1998)
* Albania–Yugoslav border incident (April 1999)
* April 23, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border ambush
* Attack on Orahovac
* Attack on Prekaz
* Battle of Lođa
* Battle of Oraovica
* Battle of Belaćevac Mine
* Battle of Podujevo
* December 14, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border ambush
* Battle of Glođane
* July 18, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes
* Battle of Junik
* Battle of Košare
* Insurgency in the Preševo Valley
* Prizren incident (1999)
* NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
* Dubrava Prison bombings and executions
* 1999 F-117A shootdown

21st century|

| Peacekeeping|

* Central African Republic
* Cyprus
* DR Congo
* Ivory Coast
* Lebanon
* Liberia
* Mali
* Somalia

|

41°01′55″N 21°25′00″E﻿ / ﻿41.0319°N 21.4167°E﻿ / 41.0319; 21.4167
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