When is Stavros not Stavros?

[Rockdoc]

A little while ago I asked whether there might have been more than one place named Monastir and, indeed, between us we proved that the site which appeared in the AA War Diaries was an OP near the Vardar. I've now come across another one!

There are frequent reports of planes travelling from Stavros towards Salonika in the Diaries and, up to now, I've always assumed that it meant the Naval Base on the Gulf of Orfano. However, working on my transcriptions yesterday, I came across a group of entries that made me do a double-take and reach for various maps of the area. It concerned a flight of about 15 aircraft, presumably from KG-1, which left Hudova and were later described as flying towards Stavros. My initial thought was that they were flying east but a message received not many minutes later says they were flying east to west. Then, again a few minutes later, comes the clincher: "Vodena reports these aircraft now over Ostrovo."

With Ostrovo being more or less due west of Vodena, the planes simply cannot have been flying towards Skala Stavros. Is this another example of several places having the same name?

Keith

[apwright]

The best candidate I can find is on the Austrian map (40-41 Edesza section, 39°59 40°35) as Stavroš, Google Earth 40.589 22.308. Still called Stavros (Σταυρός, Greek for 'cross').

Alternative Ottoman names İstavroz, İstavronik. It's about 7 miles NE of Veroia/Verria/Karaferia and 20 miles SE of Edessa/Vodena, and is on what was the main Salonika-Veroia road.

There are 4 or 5 places in Greek Macedonia that are/were called Stavros, but I think this is the closest to your area.

How many minutes between your reports? Where was the OP that saw them heading "towards Stavros".

Adrian

[Rockdoc]

Thanks for your input, Adrian. The event took place on 1st April, 1917, and the planes do not appear to have flown east of the Vardar as they came south because neither 24th AAS (Gugunci & Causica), 32nd AAS (1km east of Hill 420 & Ravin de Moulin) not 90th AAS (Oreovica & Janes) saw them. The reference comes in 73rd's Diary because they record all signals they send and receive verbatim. The time column is time of receipt, not transmission, btw:

08:15 IZVOR report GROUPE LANGLOIS signal 12 enemy planes leaving their aerodrome

09:50 122 FRENCH DIVISION reports 7 enemy planes over LE CHAMPIONETE flying from East to West

09:20 15 enemy planes coming from MONASTER flying towards STAVROS

09:35 Greek Wireless report 15 enemy planes from MONASTIR to STAVROS at 09-15. VODENA report these planes over SORIVITCH

09:50 14 enemy planes flying over OSTROVO St at 09:35 in direction of SALONICA

We decided a while back that Monaster (sic) was an OP on the edge of the Vardar and I did find it on one of the SCS maps as Monastir OP.

Does this help?

Keith