In the Footsteps of 10th (Irish) Division SCS Battlefield Tour (2 – 9 May 2015)

The first week of May 2015 witnessed the first Salonika Campaign Society ‘Centenary’ tour to the old First World War battlefields in Greece and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). It was fitting to begin these ‘themed’ tours by covering ground once marched and fought over by 10^th (Irish) Division, the first element of the British army to arrive in the Balkans during October 1915. With the tour party including representatives of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and Leinster Regiment Associations as well as individuals with family connections to men serving in the Royal Munster Fusiliers and Royal Irish Fusiliers, we had a number of regiments covered. Personal stories of men involved in the campaign flowed freely from members of the group, adding to the narrative and analysis of events I provided as tour guide. Extracts from letters and diaries read at key locations provided a powerful link to past events as did photographs taken by officers and men of the British Salonika Force (BSF). By the tour’s end the names Lt Col H Jourdain and Capt Noel Drury were, through their diaries and photographs, particularly well known to members of the group.

The tour began in Thessaloniki with visits to the large military cemeteries of Mikra and Lembet Road. Both stand on or near sites once occupied by Allied military hospitals but are now hemmed by suburbs of the city. As always the CWGC plots were immaculately maintained as were the French, Italian and Serbian sections at Lembet Road. Whilst in Thessaloniki we also visited landmarks such as the famous White Tower. The ‘Birdcage’ defences of Salonika constructed by British and French troops between December 1915 – May 1916 were also on the itinerary. With hills in the Rendina Gorge covered by dense scrub we were unable to visit the sector worked on by 10^th (Irish) Division. Instead the group gained an impression of the effort expended by the soldiers constructing the defences by looking at trenches, machine-gun posts and other remains built by 22^nd Division and adjacent French units. We then headed east to Stavros on the Gulf of Rendina. It was here that 29^th Brigade landed in late December 1915 to construct the final piece of the ‘Birdcage’. A near deserted beach and a beautiful blue sky welcomed us and the heat enticed some members of the group into the clear waters of the Aegean.

Monday 4 May saw us heading for the Struma Valley via Lahanas (Lahana) on the old Serres road. At Lahanas our Greek guide, Apostolos, gave an account of the battle between Greek and Bulgarian forces during the 2^nd Balkan War of 1913, a reminder of just why the British army ended up in the same location less than three years later. After a visit to the CWGC Struma Cemetery, we crossed the River Struma and headed for the villages of Monokklisia (Karajakoi Bala & Karajakoi Zir) and Provotas (Yenikoi). Between 30 September and 4 October 1916 these villages were attacked by elements of 10^th (Irish) and 27^th Divisions. Looking at this action ‘on the ground’ was even a first for me. Although wet ground prevented our following the line of advance from the Struma, a conveniently unlocked water tower on the edge of Monokklisia provided a welcome vantage point from which to view the flat, open ground across which the assault was made. Our coach then trundled us round the top of the Struma Valley toward Lake Doiran. Near the village of Doirani visits were made to the CWGC’s Doiran Cemetery, where restoration work continues, and the BSF Memorial to the Missing. From the latter is had a fantastic panorama of not only key features of the Doiran battlefield but also the Krusha Balkan Hills, the Beles Mountains and Lake Doiran. The day concluded with our leaving Greece behind and crossing into FYROM.

The following day we were back in the footsteps of 10^th (Irish) Division with a visit to the Kosturino battlefield. Driving north of Doiran and through the Dedeli Pass our coach just managed to crawl over the steep hills in front of Kosturino without our having to get out and push. Debussing in the village we ‘entractored and trailered’ for the journey to Rocky Peak. Over the past few years this piece of off-roading has become an integral part of the battlefield tour. Though rough and ready, most travellers agree the novelty value more than makes up for any temporary discomfort. On reaching Rocky Peak visitors are welcomed by a stunning view over the Kosturino battlefield. From this isolated vantage point one can follow the story of the intensive fighting of 7 – 8 December 1915 before going on to walk the actual ground.  On the drive back to Doiran we stopped at the 10^th (Irish) Division Memorial for an impromptu and moving commemoration. Here wreaths were laid on behalf of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and Leinster Regiment, songs were sung and toasts made as we remembered all those from the division who died during the Gallipoli and Salonika Campaigns.

Although not directly associated with 10^th (Irish) Division, no serious battlefield explorer can visit Doiran without walking the hills and ravines over which the BSF fought its two major actions in 1917 and 1918. Passing numerous Bulgarian bunkers the group climbed Grand Couronne to reach the ‘Devil’s Eye’ OP. Over two days the group covered much ground and gained an understanding of the difficult terrain over which the battles were fought. Beyond Doiran we visited the crash site of Lt Paul Denys Montague who served with No.47 Squadron (RFC) and learnt of this talented individual whose life was, like so many others, cut short by war. Finally, on the road to Skopje we called in at the partially excavated Roman city of Stobi. The remains are indeed impressive and members of the group expressed surprise that such a site existed in FYROM.

In all this was a great tour. The group was a good mix of veteran Salonika travellers and new recruits. Everyone got along splendidly and contributed to the tour. The weather was generally excellent, the landscape impressive and often beautiful, the walks packed full of military history and beer at the end of the trail was always cold! Our accommodation beside Lake Doiran was to a level not before experienced on an SCS tour and the local food in all cases was of excellent quality. It was of course great to see all my friends again in both Greece and FYROM. Without this dedicated team of enthusiasts it would be all but impossible to run such great tours. I for one am already looking forward to heading back out to the Balkans in September and maybe October too.

Alan Wakefield

 

Lahana Battlefield

 HISTORIC BACKGROUND OF                       THE BATTLE

Following the Peace Treaty concluded in London on May 17, 1913 between the Balkan States and Turkey, it was time they settled up their disputes concerning the partition of land in the Balkans previously occupied by Turkey.

At that time Bulgaria aimed at expanding to the whole area of Macedonia. Serbia and Bulgaria had signed an agreement for the partition of land; Serbia, however, did not admit the agreement any long since it considered 

that Albania would be included in its share, gaining thus an exit to the Adriatic Sea; the establishment of the Albanian state, though, set a limit to its expansion westwards. Bulgaria, on the other hand, insisted on taking the agreed territories. Serbia recognized the rights of Greece on these territories liberated by the Hellenic Army; however,Bulgaria aimed at expelling Greece from this area in order to establish the great Bulgaria that resulted from the Peace Treaty of Aghios Stefanos signed in 1878. 

On May 19, 1913 Greece and Serbia signed a defensive alliance. Bulgaria had already decided to surprisingly attack against the Hellenic and Serbian Armies.

Thus, the Bulgarians implementing their plan, started moving their troops towards Macedonia and the Serbian-Bulgarian border. By mid June the movements had been implemented. On June 16-17, 1913 the Bulgarian Army, without prior declaration of war, attacked against the Serbian and Hellenic positions and on June 17, it occupied the line from Vertiskos to Polikastro. At the same time, Bulgaria planed a general attack on June 19 to occupy Thessaloniki. The Hellenic Army, though, assaulted an attack in the morning of June 19 impeding the Bulgarian Army thus forcing it to defence.

The Hellenic forces deployed were the VI Division at LAGINA village, the I Division at PROFITIS village and the VII Division at 

ARETHOUSA. The Bulgarians had placed 20 battalions to defend LAHANA.

The Hellenic attack began on June 19, 1913. The Bulgarian advance guards are repelled and they are forced to withdraw to the main defensive position. During the first day the VI Division approached the heights GERMANIKO and DICHALO, the I Division OSSA village and the VII Division the area of SKEPASTO. 

The battle began in the morning of June 20. During the day the Hellenic Divisions were engaged in fierce fights in order to approach the main Bulgarian position to an assault distance. The Bulgarian fires were extremely lethal whereas the ground did not provide cover, and the Hellenic forces were tied down. In the meantime the VII Division continued its movement and at 1300 hrs it occupied NIGRITA. The fighters faced a horrible spectacle. The whole city was on fire and the streets covered with the dead bodies of the inhabitants the Bulgarians left behind. The Hellenic Army liberated a dead city.

On June 21, the battle reached its peak; a series of assaults took place with the use of bayonets. The Hellenic Army, advancing with the Commanders of the Regiments and all the Officers in the front line, reached in an assault distance and fearlesly rushed with the bayonets. The bayonet defeated

the fire and at 1400 hrs in the afternoon Lahanas surrendered. The greater part of the Bulgarian Army fled to Serres, and it would have suffered a complete crush, if the VII Division, on its own initiative, had occupied the bridge of Strimonas river and cut it off. 

Two thousand nine hundred (2900) greek bodies remained for ever in the soil of Lahanas and they are since then sleeples guards and defendors of a national rampart. The Bulgarian side had lots of deads and 2500 prisoners of war. 1300 weapons, 16 howitzers and large quantities of materiel were captured. The historic titanic struggle at LAHANAS resulted in opening the gate for the liberation of the rest of MACEDONIA and THRACE.

http://www.army.gr/structure/eng/istoria/mouseia/laxana/history_en.html

Warfare Along the Struma

By spring 1917 the British Salonika Force (BSF) was holding a 90 mile front, stretching from the River Vardar in the west to the mouth of the River Struma. Within this area the two main operational sectors were the tangle of hills and ravines west of Lake Doiran, where the nature of the terrain lent itself to the construction of strong defensive positions, and the Struma Valley, where a flat plain stretches between two ranges of hills standing between 5 and 12 miles apart. To the north of the valley lies the Rupel Pass, the entry / exit point to the valley through Beles Mountains.

In contrast to the formalized trench warfare practiced around Doiran, men of XVI Corps in the Struma Valley were employed on more mobile operations. Here there is little in the way of dead ground across a valley floor traversed by the Seres road, at that time, one of the few good roads in the region. When the British arrived in the valley during summer of 1916 the landscape consisted of a mixture of marshland, areas of thick scrub and patchworks of abandoned farmland surrounding small deserted villages. In addition the lower end of the valley was dominated by Lake Tahinos, now long since drained. Initially, the River Struma formed a natural barrier between the opposing forces.

British defences concentrated around crossing points on the river such as bridges, fords and ferries, with a number of outposts and bridgeheads on the eastern bank. To prevent enemy incursions towards these positions regular yeomanry and cyclist patrols were sent across the river. A major obstacle encountered during these patrols were fields of abandoned maize crops growing to heights of 6 – 10 feet, making it difficult to locate the enemy and keep contact with one’s own men. Indeed such crops proved excellent places in which to set an ambush.

In late September 1916, XVI Corps began a series of brigade-level operations in support of a major Allied offensive west of the River Vardar. British forces moved across the Struma in force, capturing a number of villages and establishing an outpost line where a more static form of warfare was put into practice. This is not to say that the offensive spirit was allowed to drop and patrols and raids were vigorously carried out. Even so, keeping troops active in the Struma valley was more difficult that at Doiran where the opposing trench lines were but a few hundred yards apart. The less aggressive nature of the Struma sector meant that, on average, troops remained in the line for up to 22 days. In contrast to Doiran, the rich dark soil, which had made the valley a fertile agricultural area before the ravages of the Balkan Wars (1912-13), lent itself perfectly to trench and dugout construction very much in the style practiced on the Western Front.

During the summer of 1916 it was quickly discovered that positions in the valley could not be held without unsustainable levels of sickness in the form of malaria affecting all units. This led British commanders to order an annual withdrawal to the foothills for the summer months. As the Bulgarians did likewise a huge expanse of no-man’s-land was created across the valley floor. Once again mobile troops came into their own, only this time yeomanry and cyclists were supported by ‘flying columns’ of infantry comprising one company per brigade area. These formations watched for enemy movements around villages and woods on their front and moved to eject such patrols from these locations.

With limited manpower, artillery and ammunition, Lieutenant General Sir George Milne (commanding BSF) could ill afford to conduct drawn out operations on a large scale. Needing to support the main Allied offensives west of the Vardar in 1917 and 1918 by attacking the Bulgarian stronghold of Doiran, operations in the Struma were inevitably destined to remain small scale. This was especially true as Milne was forced to strip much of the artillery from XVI Corps to provide anything approaching a sufficient bombardment force. Despite these limitations XVI Corps wrested the initiative from the Bulgarians and maintained it until handing over the Struma Valley to Greek forces during summer 1918.