Siege of Vidin (1913)

Battle during the Second Balkan War

Siege of Vidin

Part of the Second Balkan War
| Date| 12–18 July 1913

|

Location|

Vidin, Bulgaria

Result|

Peace Treaty

* Initial Serb offensive repulsed
* Treaty signed before further attacks could continue

Belligerents
Kingdom of Bulgaria|  Kingdom of Serbia
Commanders and leaders
Krastyu Marinov|  Vukoman Aračić
Strength
4,200 men
52 cannons|  8,500
Casualties and losses
84 killed and wounded[1]|  Unknown

* v
* t
* e

Second Balkan War

* Kilkis–Lachanas
* Doiran
* Bregalnica
* Knjaževac
* Pirot
* Dobruja
* Vidin
* Danube
* Kalimanci
* Adrianople
* Kresna Gorge

The siege of Vidin was an attempt by the Serbian Army to seize the Bulgarian city of Vidin during the Second Balkan War. The siege took place between 12 and 18 July 1913.

## Background

[edit]

At the war's start, the Bulgarian First Army was situated in north-western Bulgaria. Its advance into Serbian territory was successful between 22 and 25 June, but Romania's unexpected intervention in the war and the Bulgarian Army's retreat from the front against Greece forced the Bulgarian chief of staff to transfer most of the country's troops into the region of Macedonia.[2] During the retreat via the city of Ferdinand (now Montana), a large part of the 9th infantry division mutinied and surrendered to the Romanians on 5 July.[3][4] Consequently, only a small, mostly militia force remained to face the Serbian counteroffensive in the areas of Belogradchik and Vidin.

On 8 July, the garrison of Belogradchik was overrun by the advancing Serbs of the Timok group and a small portion of Bulgarian soldiers who had survived the Serb onslaught retreated to Vidin. The next day, the Serbs entered Belogradchik while their cavalry blocked the land connection to Vidin from the rest of Bulgaria. Near the village of Bela Rada, a bloody battle was fought between the Serbian advanced guard and a Bulgarian reconnaissance squad, which then had to retreat.[5][6]

## Surrounding of Vidin by the Serbs

[edit]

By 12 July, the Serbian Timok Army (between 16 and 21 battalions with 54 cannons, including howitzer batteries) surrounded Vidin from all directions. The city was defended by about 1,200 regular troops and 3,000 militia, armed with a total of 52 cannons (most of which were obsolete.) In general, the Bulgarians were poorly equipped and had little ammunition. On 14 July, the Serbs started to bombard the ramparts and the city itself. The Bulgarian commander, General Krastyu Marinov, refused to surrender twice. The relentless bombardment continued for three straight days, causing insignificant military casualties for the Bulgarian side.[7]

## Assault on the fortress

[edit]

In the late afternoon of 17 July, after a lengthy artillery bombardment, a Serbian infantry division attacked the western sector of Vidin, located between the villages of Novoseltsi and Smardan. Two Serbian attacks had been repulsed by the Bulgarians by that evening. On 18 July, the Serbs notified General Marinov of the armistice that had been signed on the same day in Bucharest. Afterwards, the Serbians retreated from the region.[7][8]

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Darvingov (1925), p. 715.
2. ^ Hristov, pp. 180–185
3. ^ Hristov (1945), pp. 187–188.
4. ^ Darvingov (1925), p. 682.
5. ^ Hristov (1945), pp. 190–192.
6. ^ Darvingov (1925), pp. 692, 696.
7. ^ a b Hristov (1945), pp. 194–195.
8. ^ Darvingov (1925), pp. 704, 707, 712–713, 715.

## References

[edit]

* Darvingov, P. (1925). History of the Macedonian-Odrin Volunteer Corps. Nov Zhivot.
* Hristov, A. (1945). Historic overview of the war of Bulgaria against all Balkan countries in 1913. Pechatnitsa na armeyskiya voenno-izdatelski fond.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Hall, Richard, C. (2000). The Balkan Wars, 1912–1913: Prelude to the First World War. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-22946-4.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

* v
* t
* e

Balkan Wars

Background|

* Nationalism in the Ottoman Empire
* Albanian
* Aromanian
* Bulgarian
* Greek
* Romanian
* Serbian
* Congress of Berlin
* Annexation of Eastern Rumelia
* Serbo-Bulgarian War
* Greco-Turkish War of 1897
* Cretan State
* IMRO & Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising
* Macedonian Struggle
* Young Turk Revolution
* Bosnian Crisis
* Bulgarian Independence
* 31 March Incident
* Goudi coup
* Italo-Turkish War
* Albanian revolt of 1912
* Balkan League

First Balkan War

Battles|

* Sarantaporo
* Kardzhali
* Pente Pigadia
* Sorovich
* Kumanovo
* Kirk Kilisse
* Scutari
* Lule Burgas
* Yenidje
* Adrianople
* Prilep
* Himara
* Monastir
* First Çatalca
* Kaliakra
* Merhamli
* Driskos
* Elli
* Korytsa
* Lemnos
* Bulair
* Şarköy
* Bizani
* Second Çatalca

Diplomacy and politics|

* London Conference
* Albanian Independence
* 1913 Ottoman coup d'état
* Treaty of London

Second Balkan War

Battles|

* Kilkis–Lachanas
* Doiran
* Bregalnica
* Knjaževac
* Kalimanci
* Kresna Gorge
* Southern Dobruja
* Romanian landings in Bulgaria
* Vidin
* Pirot

Diplomacy and politics|

* Greek–Serbian Alliance
* Provisional Government of Western Thrace
* Treaty of Bucharest
* Treaty of Constantinople
* Treaty of Athens

Other|

* 1913 Romanian Army cholera outbreak

General

Aftermath|

* Autonomy of Northern Epirus
* Greco-Turkish crisis of 1914
* Sarajevo Assassination and World War I
* Ottoman–Bulgarian alliance
* Balkans campaign of WWI
* Serbian campaign
* Macedonian front

Atrocities|

* Carnegie Commission
* Massacres of Albanians
* Bulgarians deportation program
* Initial phase of the Greek genocide
* Places burned down

Participants|

* Bulgaria
* Ferdinand I
* Ivan Geshov
* Stoyan Danev
* Mihail Savov
* Ivan Fichev
* Vasil Kutinchev
* Nikola Ivanov
* Radko Dimitriev
* Stiliyan Kovachev
* Georgi Todorov
* Greece
* George I
* Constantine I
* Eleftherios Venizelos
* Panagiotis Danglis
* Pavlos Kountouriotis
* Konstantinos Sapountzakis
* Viktor Dousmanis
* Montenegro
* Nicholas I
* Crown Prince Danilo
* Janko Vukotić
* Ottoman Empire
* Mehmed V
* Nazim Pasha
* Zeki Pasha
* Esad Pasha
* Kölemen Abdullah Pasha
* Ali Rıza Pasha
* Hasan Tahsin Pasha
* Enver Bey
* Ahmed Izzet Pasha
* Romania
* Carol I
* Crown Prince Ferdinand
* Alexandru Averescu
* Serbia
* Peter I
* Crown Prince Alexander
* Radomir Putnik
* Petar Bojović
* Stepa Stepanović
* Božidar Janković
* Other Balkan states: Albania (Ismail Kemal)

* Category

* 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 Gorjani
* 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
* Battle of Lovćen
* 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

|

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