Battle of Dobro Pole

Battle of Dobro Pole
Part of the Vardar Offensive in the Balkans Theatre of World War I

Ground Cover of the Serbian 21st Infantry Regiment at Dobro Pole (c. 1918)
Date15–18 September 1918
Location
Dobro Pole (present day Greece and North Macedonia)
41°02′06″N 21°53′06″E / 41.035°N 21.885°E / 41.035; 21.885
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Commanders and leaders
  • L. Franchet d'Espèrey
  • Živojin Mišić
  • Petar Bojović
  • Stepa Stepanović
  • Panagiotis Gargalidis
  • Georgi Todorov
  • Friedrich von Scholtz
Units involved
  • Allied Army of the Orient
  •  France
  • 11th Colonial Division
  • 17th Colonial Division
  • 122nd Infantry Division

 Serbia

 Greece

  • Archipelago Division
  • 3rd Infantry Division
  • 4th Infantry Division
  • 11th Army[Note 2]
    • 2nd Division
    • 3rd Division
  • Strength
    • 3 divisions
    • 2 corps
    • 3 divisions
    • 566 guns
    • 1 army
    • 158 artillery pieces
    Casualties and losses
    • : 1,850 dead
    • : 200 dead
    • : 158 dead
    :
    • 2,689 dead
    • 3,000 captured
    • 50 artillery pieces
    : Unknown

    The Battle of Dobro Pole (Serbian: Битка код Доброг Поља, romanized: Bitka kod Dobrog Polja; Greek: Μάχη του Ντόμπρο Πόλε, romanizedMáchi tou Dóbro Póle), also known as the Breakthrough at Dobro Pole (Bulgarian: Пробив при Добро Поле, romanizedProbiv pri Dobro Pole), was a World War I battle fought between 15 and 18 September 1918. The battle was fought in the initial stage of the Vardar Offensive, in the Balkans Theatre. On 15 September, a combined force of Serbian, French and Greek troops attacked the Bulgarian-held trenches in Dobro Pole ("Good Field"), at the time part of the Kingdom of Serbia (present-day Greece and North Macedonia). The offensive and the preceding artillery preparation had devastating effects on Bulgarian morale, eventually leading to mass desertions.

    Despite being outnumbered and poorly equipped, certain Bulgarian units offered fierce resistance, delaying the Entente advance in Zborsko. However, the collapse of the front line enabled the Allies to assault Bulgarian positions from multiple directions and eventually quell the last pockets of resistance. The Central Powers' defeat at the Dobro Pole played a role in the Bulgarian withdrawal from the war and opened the way for the subsequent capture of Vardar Macedonia.

    1. ^ Thomas & Babac 2001, pp. 12–13.
    2. ^ Korsun 1939, p. 95.


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