Page 299 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

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Vranja, Kjustendil-Skopje, and Tsarevo selo-Kochani. The infantry brigades and the
artillery regiments advanced in columns through rough mountainous terrain, with no
roads, in muddy, rainy and foggy weather. From October 1 to 3 Serbia’s forward strong-
holds were seized. About October 10 the Serbian Army was defeated in the border area,
and was pursued to Vranja-Kumanovo-Skopje. By the end of October Kumanovo-Vran-
nd
ja and Skopje were seized. 2 Army found itself driving between the Serbian and the
French troops. After the seizure of Skopje the Serbian troops retreated through Albania
and Montenegro to the Adriatic shore.
2 Army’s artillery was decentralized and acted under the combat orders of the in-
nd
fantry, supporting the brigades, the regiments, and the battalions. In some cases – such
as attacking fortified positions and strongpoints – attempts were made to concentrate the
fire of a whole division’s artillery. Usually the assault started after a short, but intense
artillery bombardment, and was supported by the artillery from the same positions. The
artillery was often stationed in the infantry’s immediate rear; in such cases it occupied
positions close to the roads, quickly prepared the necessary firing data, and after a short
registration and fire corrections, started the bombardment. During an advance through
the enemy’s positions in depth, the artillery moved and fired by batteries and platoons.
The infantry provided artillery forward observers, who supported liaison with the in-
fantry, not only selecting targets, but searching for and selecting new battery positions
and roads for the artillery. Combat experience forced the infantry commanders to seek
cooperation with artillery. Communications, especially telephone connections, used to
be the weak point.
The main body of the artillery advanced amidst the columns of the main forces, while
sending batteries in the advanced guards. Combining field with mountain batteries in the
columns gave positive results. In certain sectors mountain artillery was insufficiently
powerful. The main targets for the artillery were fortified positions, enemy personnel,
and enemy artillery. The artillery, although fighting and moving in a mountainous ter-
rain, without roads, in severe weather, succeeded in fulfilling the mission of supporting
the infantry.

The Campaign Against Rumania
The attack in the Northern front against Rumania started in the autumn of 1916. The
2
Bulgarian Supreme Command made seizing the Tutrakan fortress its first mission. This
was a modern field fortification, consisting of a main defense line backed by several
smaller positions, a second defense line, and artificial obstacles. On the eve of the bat-
tle the Rumanian garrison numbered about 40,000 men and 156 guns, supported by an
airplane, and a great many machine-guns. There was both mobile and fixed artillery in
the forces and forts. 3
rd
The assault was planned by the main forces of 3 Army. The main assault force
2 On the campaign, see Glenn Torrey “The Battle of Turtucaia (Tutrakan) (2-6 September 1916): Romania’s
Grief, Bulgaria’s Glory”, East European Quarterly 37:4 (2003), 379-402 and Glenn Torrey, The Romanian
Battlefront in World War I (Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Press, 2011).
3 Anguelov, A. Odrin – Tutrakan, artilerijski dejstvija, S., Armejski voennoizdatelski fund, 1926, p.51.