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GREECE'S PARTICIPATION[br]IN WORLD WAR ONE

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Thousands of pages have been written

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about both the the National Schism [br]and the epic war in Asia Minor

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which ultimately was completed with the [br]destruction and uprooting of the Greeks in Ionia.

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Since those 2 events have monopolised discussions,

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the general public doesn't know much[br]about Greece's participation in WWI.

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For reasons that we don't need to mention now,

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Greece might have been late in entering

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the conflict between [br]the Central Powers and the Entente,

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however during the short period that it participated

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it achieved an important victory

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and played an active role in the conclusion of the war

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on the Macedonian Front.

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Some might say that Greece was participating [br]in this conflict indirectly before 1917

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since on the one hand Eleftherios Venizelos [br]with the National Defence Coup D'État

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and on the other hand the Anglo-French

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were trying to force Greece [br]to join the war in various ways.

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The Bulgarians had invaded Macedonia in 1916

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and remained there until 1918.

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During the Bulgarian occupation,

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they proceeded with thousands [br]of murders and destruction

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along with looting important archaeological [br]and religious treasures.

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Despite the Bulgarian occupation in Macedonia [br]starting in August 1916

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Greece eventually entered the war in June 1917

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when the French invaded Piraeus and bombed Athens

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forcing the government to resign

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and King Konstantinos abdicated the throne [br]and left the country.

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Venizelos then returned to Athens[br]as the prime minister

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and declared war on the Central Powers on 28 June.

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During its brief participation in the war,

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Greece had a minimal participation.

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The first battle was against the Bulgarians [br]on the massif of Skra di Legen

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on 30 May 1918.

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Four months later, in September, [br]Greek forces also participate

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in the final assault and dissolution of the enemy [br]on the Macedonian front in the Battle of Doirani.

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Doirani is a lake which today is split between [br]the borders of Greece and Skopje.

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The Greek Army had a small contribution [br]to the Entente's victory.

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However, it was enough for Greece [br]to sit at the table on the winning side

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and assert territorial gains.

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Now let's go back to the battles though.

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In May 1916,

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the Bulgarians took Fort Roupel without a fight,

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and went all the way to Skra

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where they occasionally skirmished [br]with the Anglo-French troops.

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The Entente wanted to stop the Bulgarians [br]from sending troops westward

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to reinforce the Germans on other fronts.

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Therefore it kept them confined there,

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blocking off the pass from the Skra massif.

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On the other hand, [br]now that Greece had entered the war,

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it wanted to occupy these areas,

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which the Bulgarians had previously occupied.

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French army general Guillaumat

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decided that the fortified area of Skra [br]had to be occupied.

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The Greek National Defence army corps [br]undertook carrying out this mission

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under lieutenant general Emmanouil Zymvrakakis.

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The task force was under the command [br]of major general Ioannou.

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Greek forces were made up of 14,500 infantrymen

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who were supported by 287 heavy and light artillery.

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The Bulgarians on the other hand

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had 5 infantry regiments

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supported by powerful artillery, both heavy and light.

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The Greek troops in the battle, [br]are shown on the map:

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the 5th and 6th regiment of the Archipelago division,

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the 7th and 8th regiment of the Cretan division,

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and the 1st regiment of the Serres division.

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The Greeks were also supported by a French division.

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The offensive began at 5 in the morning on 16 May.

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By the afternoon of the 17th,

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the Greeks occupied Skra.

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The Bulgarians resisted fiercely

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resulting in casualties being high [br]for the Greek troops as well.

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Casualties reached 434

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while the injured reached 1925.

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Not only did the Bulgarians suffer hundreds of casualties,

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but 2000 of them were also taken captive.

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"FALLEN IN BATTLE 1916-1918[br]CYPRIOT VOLUNTEERS[br]PVT APOSTOLOU K. APOS.[br]PVT KATSARIS CHR. GRIG.[br]PVT IKONOMIDIS LEON.[br]PVT IKONOMIDIS I. CHRYS.[br]PVT PAPACHRISTODOULOU A. D. "

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That was the first and last epic battle of the Greek Army in WWI.

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A second battle is fought a few months later,

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in September 1918.

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The Battle of Doirani is fought between [br]18-19 September.

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The British cooperated with the Greek Army

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and attacked the Bulgarian forces near Lake Doirani.

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On the one side were the Bulgarians with 45,000 troops.

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On the other side was the British 22nd division

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supported by the Greek Serres and Cretan divisions,

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amounting to a total of 75,000 soldiers.

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The battles lasted for 2 days,

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during which the upper hand was [br]constantly changing between both sides.

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Eventually the Bulgarians won a tactical victory

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which is evident from the number of casualties.

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The British and Greeks had 6,500-7,000 casualties

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while the Bulgarians had only suffered 2,700.

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Three days before the Battle of Doirani,

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on 15 September,

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the Serbs and French had defeated [br]the Bularians and Germans

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at the Battle of Dobro Pole,

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in modern day Skopje.

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The allied army constantly headed towards Bulgaria.

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After this defeat,

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a riot broke out in the Bulgarian camp

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and they signed a truce and surrendered.

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This caused the Bulgarians in Doirani to withdraw

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and the Greeks and British occupied