The Morava Offensive Operation (), () was undertaken by the Bulgarian First Army between 14 October 1915 and 9 November 1915, as part of the strategic offensive operation of Army Group Mackensen against

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

in 1915. Under the command of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Kliment Boyadzhiev, the

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

seized the fortified areas of

Pirot Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

and the valley of the river Morava. As a result, the Serbian forces were compelled to retreat towards Kosovo and Metohija. Due to the harsh weather, the defenders' strong resistance and the rough terrain, early

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n advance was slow. But because the defenders were severely outnumbered, the Bulgarians broke through near

in 10 days, and the

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

retreated to the Timok. The battle continued for 27 days, and the Bulgarians penetrated up to deep into Serbia's territory. The

lost 6,000 men, 60 guns, and a large amount of military equipment.

Footnotes

Sources

* *Атанас Пейчев и колектив, 1300 години на стража, Военно издателство, София 1984. Morava Morava Morava Conflicts in 1915 1915 in Bulgaria 1915 in Serbia October 1915 in Europe November 1915 in Europe {{World-War-I-stub