Bulgaria
Bulgaria in the First World War →Tag
(102)1913
1914
1915
January
February
April
August
September
- 21
- Bulgaria decides to mobiliseOn 21 September 1915 Radoslavov's government decided to mobilise the army. The British chronology speaks of partial mobilisation, but the decree was general.
- Venizelos asks for 150,000 Entente troopsOn 21 September 1915 Venizelos asked France and Britain for 150,000 troops. They were to replace the Serbs, who could not field them against Bulgaria.
- 22
- Dedeagatch agreementOn 22 September 1915 Sofia announced the terms of its pact with Turkey. Bulgaria got the Maritsa valley and the whole railway to the Aegean port of Dedeagatch.
- Bulgaria announces general mobilisationLate in the evening of 22 September 1915 Tsar Ferdinand signed the decree for general mobilisation. Radoslavov gave assurances of "armed neutrality".
October
- 13
- Britain breaks off relations with BulgariaIn mid-October 1915 Britain broke off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. The Bulgarian minister left London, and the Bulgarian army moved against Serbia.
- First clashes between the French and the BulgariansIn mid-October 1915 the French moved from Salonika up the Vardar into Serbia. They first fought the Bulgarians on 21 October near Strumica station.
- Théophile Delcassé resignsOn 13 October 1915 the French foreign minister Théophile Delcassé finally stepped down. He left ill, after the failure of Entente diplomacy in Bulgaria.
- 15
- Britain declares war on BulgariaOn 15 October 1915 the Foreign Office announced that from 10 p.m. Britain was at war with Bulgaria, an ally of the Central Powers fighting Serbia.
- Montenegro declares war on BulgariaOn 15 October 1915 Montenegro declared a state of war with Bulgaria. King Nicholas I's small monarchy stood by Serbia, now attacked from two sides.
- Romania refuses to help SerbiaAccording to the British chronology, on 15 October 1915 Romania refused to help Serbia. Brătianu would not fight without a large Entente army in the Balkans.
- Bulgarians take VranjeIn mid-October 1915 the Bulgarian Second Army reached Vranje on the South Morava and cut the Niš–Salonika railway, Serbia's main route to the Allies.
- 16
- France declares war on BulgariaOn 16 October 1915, a day after Britain, France declared a state of war with Bulgaria. Paris faced a cabinet crisis; the Army of the Orient was landing.
- Blockade of Bulgaria's Aegean coastAt 6 a.m. on 16 October 1915 the Entente fleet began a blockade of Bulgaria's Aegean coast. Neutral ships were given 48 hours to leave.
- 19
- Bulgarians take ŠtipAround 19 October 1915 the Bulgarians advancing down the Bregalnica valley took Štip, opening the Ovče Pole and the road to the Vardar and the Salonika railway.
- Key eventRussia and Italy declare war on BulgariaOn 19 October 1915 Nicholas II's manifesto on war with Bulgaria, "betrayer of the Slav cause", was published. Italy also declared war on Bulgaria that day.
- 21
- Bombardment of DedeagachOn 21 October 1915 British, French and Russian ships shelled the Bulgarian port of Dedeagach and the coast to Porto Lagos, wrecking barracks and rolling stock.
- Bulgarians take VelesAround 20 October 1915 Bulgarian cavalry took Veles on the Vardar. The Salonika–Skopje railway was cut and the Serbs were cut off from the French.
- 24
- Bulgarians take NegotinOn 24 October 1915 the Bulgarians took Negotin on the lower Timok. Two days later they met the Austrians on the Danube, opening the river route to Turkey.
- Fighting begins at KrivolakIn late October 1915 the French 57th Division reached Krivolak on the Vardar, 30 km from Veles. It met the Bulgarians there but never reached the Serbs.
November
- 05
- Bulgarians take NišOn 5 November 1915 the Bulgarian First Army entered Niš, Serbia's wartime capital. The Central Powers won the railway to Sofia and Constantinople.
- Battle of Kačanik beginsIn early November 1915 the Bulgarians advanced through the Kačanik gorge towards the Field of Kosovo to cut the Serbs' last road south. The Serbs resisted.
December
- 02
- Bulgarians take BitolaIn early December 1915 Bulgarian cavalry entered Bitola, the second city of Serbian Macedonia. Its defenders fell back not to Salonika but to Albania.
- French abandon KrivolakIn early December 1915 the French withdrew from Krivolak and the loop of the Vardar and Crna Reka before the Bulgarians could strike at them.
1916
February
May
July
August
September
October
November
- 23
- Key eventProvisional government declares war on Germany and BulgariaOn 23 November 1916 Venizelos's National Defence government in Salonika declared war on Germany and Bulgaria. Greece now had two governments, one at war.
- Mackensen crosses the DanubeOn 23 November 1916, in fog, German, Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian troops crossed the Danube from Svishtov to Zimnicea and set off for Bucharest.
December
1917
January
- 05
- Germans take BrăilaOn 5 January 1917 German cavalry and Bulgarian infantry entered Brăila, the great grain port on the Danube. The Russians withdrew behind the Siret.
- End of the fighting in DobrujaOn 5 January 1917 the last Russians from the bridgehead at Măcin crossed the Danube. All of Dobruja except the delta was now in the hands of the Central Powers.