First Balkan War (1912-1913)

Above: Map during the First Balkan War

The Balkan League consisted of Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro. The members of the aforesaid league broke into conflict with the Ottoman Empire. This came to be termed as the First Balkan War.

Above: Trench in the battlefield used by Turkish troops as defense against enemy fires during the war at Macedonia

Russia in the spring of 1912 took the initiative in forming the league. Russia’s objective was to take away Macedonia from Turkey, which was involved in a war with Italy. The league set up a joint front of 750,000 soldiers. On 8th October 1912 Montenegro declared war against Turkey and within ten days the others followed suit.

Above: Pile of corpses in Kumanovo Battlefield, Macedonia

A succession of swift victories marked the progress of the League. Bulgaria defeated the main Turkish forces in Thrace and Adrianople. The Serbs won in Macedonia, captured Bitola and joined up with Montenegro to ender Skopje. Salonika fell to the Greeks. In Albania Montenegro took Shkoder while the Serbs entered Durres.

Above: Map of Balkan before 1914 (click map to enlage)

Turkey was so completely routed that without any opposition all parties agreed to an armistice by the end of 1912. Peace talks in London, however, were disrupted when the Young Turks staged a coup in January 1913 in Constantinople. Thus war again broke out.

Above: King Constantine - He led the forces of Greece during the success of First Balkan Wars of 1912-1913

This time too the League came out victorious. The Greeks took Ioannina and the Bulgarians Adrianople. Peace talks were resumed and by a treaty signed in London on 30th May 1913 Turkey forfeited all that was left of its European regions - including all of Albania and Macedonia. The European powers were loud in their insistence that Albania should be given independence. Macedonia was divided among the Balkan allies.

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