The Story of the Great War, Volume 6: History of the European War from Official Sources
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume 6: History of the European War from Official Sources
World War, 1914-1918
It was during these six days' hard fighting that the Greek volunteers
underwent their baptism of fire and the first of them shed their blood
for the cause of the Allies. These constituted the First Regiment of
Greek volunteers commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Gravanis. He was
under the command of the French general at Fiorina, and he and his men
took a prominent part in the capture of the town. During the next few
days the fighting calmed down, except farther eastward above Ostrovo,
where the Serbians had succeeded in driving the Bulgarians from their
important positions along the Kaimakcalan ridges. Here the Bulgarians
counterattacked bitterly and continuously, but apparently with no
success. These assaults were repeated at intervals of several days
during the rest of the month, and though Sofia reported the recapture
of Kaimakcalan Heights and a general triumph along this whole section
of the front, the reports from both sides later indicated that these
dispatches were wholly false, probably issued to satisfy a restless
general public. On the other hand, the Allies made no further advance:
by the first day of the following month they held about the same
ground they had gained during the intensive fighting shortly after the
middle of September, 1916. As is usual after extreme military
activity, there followed a period of calm, during which both sides
were preparing for the next outburst of effort. But the end of
September, 1916, showed plainly that the Bulgarians and Teutons were
entirely on the defensive in Macedonia and were content to hold their
own.
During the month of October, 1916, little of a sensational aspect
occurred on the Macedonian front; the latter half of this period was,
however, one of hard fighting and steady hammering along the Serbian
sector. On the 2d the Serbians reported that they had not only
consolidated the positions they had taken on the important heights of
Kaimakcalan but they had advanced beyond this point three kilometers
and taken Kotchovie. At the end of the week Jermani, a village at the
base of a high ridge on the lower shore of Little Prespa Lake, was
taken by the French. Some days after came a rather detailed dispatch
from Rome, significant in the light of later events. The Italians from
Avlona were obviously making steady progress over a very difficult
territory--difficult on account of the poor communications. On the
10th it was reported that they had taken Klisura, about thirty-five
miles from Avlona, in the direction of Monastir. This was barely a
fourth of the distance; nevertheless they were advancing toward Lake
Ochrida, west of the Prespa Lakes, against which the Bulgarians rested
their right wing. It was evident that they had driven back the
Austrians who were supposed to hold this section.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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