Meanwhile 1916-17 in the east

One hundred years ago, on the Western Front, both the Allies and the Germans reached stalemate on the Somme. Both sides had learned something. The Germans, under their new commander-in-chief von Hindenburg were going to take the initiative, and surprise the Allies in a most surprising way, but that is a story to come. The British were, among other things, learning the usefulness of tactical light railways, but still had to learn how to use them. The original inspiration for these 60cm gauge railways had been the work of Prosper Péchot.

These fine 1:19 scale models, one of a WD Baldwin 4-6-0T built by Wrightscale, and one of a WD Hunslet 4-6-0T built by Henry Holdsworth, appear in a photograph by Jim Hawkesworth. The locomotives appeared on the newly formed War Department Light Railways, in 1916 for the Hunslet, in 1917 for the Baldwin

This story is about the Balkan Front.

Everyone knows that the First World War started with the assassination of Arch-duke Franz Ferdinand. Austria declared war on Serbia, and a whole line of dominoes fell, one causing the collapse of the next. In no time at all, the whole of Europe and beyond were at war. But what became of the Serbs?

In 1915, they were still holding out, just, against the Austrians. The Serbians had mobilised instantly – they were fighting annihilation! The Austrians took longer and of course they had to make sure that the Slavs within their empire were not involved in this particular fight. Then Bulgaria joined the Central Powers and mobilised in September 1915. The Germans quickly sent them military advisers, who were hugely influential. That meant that Serbia was facing three Fronts – 300,000 Germans under von Gallwitz at the Danube; the same number of Austrians at the Drina and Sava rivers and now an army of 330,000 Bulgarians under General Yekov. The four Serbian armies had been reduced to 25,000 fighting troops. Things did not look good.

This photograph (taken in 1918) of captured Bulgarian equipment shows how thorough the German influence had been. In the centre can be seen portable railway track. The Germans had shared with them their 60cm technology, also based on Péchot's original ideas.  From 'Illustration' Courtesy MD Wright

In September, General Sarrail was sent to Greece with a relief force. Whoops! This army landed in Salonika (Thessaloniki) on the eastern side of Greece while Serbia is to the west. To be honest, they had a secondary aim which somehow became a primary one. They were keen to discourage the Greeks from throwing their lot in with the Central Powers; throughout the War, Greece was to be ‘an ambivalent Ally’ (Henniker's history of the Balkan Front). By October 1915. three French divisions and one British were on shore. This was not enough to crush the huge forces of the Central Powers but the Allies struck out westwards in the right sort of general direction. Soon they were entrenched along the lower Vardar river and by the end of October 1915, were into the mountains.

Western Serbia was now held by the Austrians, and in the south, the Bulgarians, facing the French. To the south-west, troops of the Central Powers were chasing the Serbs through rough country. In October, the Serbian remnant was in retreat. Most of the infra-structure had been destroyed in previous fighting. The Serbs had to clamber across semi-demolished bridges or ford swollen rivers. They set fire to what they could not carry and crossed into Albania. 

Smiling for the camera. Pictured soon after their harrowing retreat, these Serbs have been given food and new uniforms. Though young, they look like old men. 'Illustration'/courtesy MD Wright

Even their King Peter – Peter the 1^st Karageorgevitch – crossed into Albania not in a carriage but on a gun limber towed by oxen. In the mountains, he had to proceed on foot, like everyone else.

In the meantime, things were not going well for the forces who were supposed to relieve the Serbs. By December 1915, the Bulgarians had crossed the frontier as far as Monastir (modern Bitola). The Allies decided to retreat eastwards back to their base – Salonika. There were, it seems, plenty of locals who wanted them out altogether; the Turkish consulate was a target of suspicion.

French troops digging defensive trenches outside Salonika January 1916. General Sarrail is in the group looking on. 'Illustration'/Courtesy MD Wright

The Serbian survivors who reached the sea were rescued by French ships. They were landed, with a sizable French escort, at Corfu. Once again, this was without much reference to the Greeks who once again were told ‘Better us than the Germans’. Even the French had to admit that they had treated the Greeks as an enemy rather than neutral. ‘In the morning (of 11^th January) the stupefied Corfiots saw that they (French marines) had occupied the port’. (‘Illustration magazine). On the same day, French troops occupied the Achilleion on the island, a villa which was the personal property of Kaiser Wilhelm 11.

The French have advanced from Salonika. This supply column was photographed between Isthvor and Kastanjani south of Monastir. It idicates the problems of supply in the rough terrain.

So far, this has been a sorry story. The Serbs, greatly reduced in number, have come out of this best though Allied attempts to help have been so unsuccessful. The Greeks had been badly treated – even losing some of their territory. The Allies stayed on because, of course, the Greeks mustn’t lose any more territory to hostile action! Yet, this story ends well for the Allies, though not until 1918. The family of Péchot argue, quite cogently, that when finally the French had their 60cm railways in place, conditions for the battle of Monastir was possible. This in turn made a Serbian breakthrough possible, the Armistice with Bulgaria and finally the Armistice with Germany.  There is more in 'Colonel Péchot: Tracks to the trenches'