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Remembered Today:

100 Years ago this week in the Balkans


Gardenerbill

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The Serbian advance to the third line met little opposition and on the right flank the French Army D’Orient overcame a small rear-guard force before taking the villages of STRAVINA and ZOVIC. The commanding officer of the Bulgarian 2nd Division, without orders or informing high command and without being seriously pressed, withdrew behind the CRNA river leaving a 4-mile gap between POLCISTE and the CRNA. The vanguard of the Serbian Danube Division pressed on to SELO MONASTIR but when darkness fell they were not aware of the gap in front of them.

 

Between POLCISTE and ALSAR the Saxon Jaeger battalion clung on stubbornly holding up the Serbian Morava and Yugoslav Divisions but had to withdraw on the night of the 17th as the Bulgarian battalions either side fell back.In the east the Serb TIMOK Division attacked the heights of BLATEC forcing the Bulgarians to retreat in confusion and near mutiny and in the far east the Groupement Rondel occupied ZBORSKA and advanced on PRISLEP.

 

During the night of 17th the Bulgarians fell back to the BELASNICA stream and it’s junction with the CRNA and then further back to the DZENA mountains. The battle of DOBRAPOLCE was effectively over the allied advance had turned into a pursuit.

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On the 18th September 1918 the British now with the Greeks found themselves attacking over the same familiar ground at the 2nd battle of Doiran. The Greek Seres division attacked on the right near to Lake Doiran and made good progress, taking 1st and 2nd line trenches including P. Couronne and quickly took the town but then get bogged down. The British 22nd Division had more success than in April 1917; 67th Brigade achieve initial objectives under heavy fire but failed to take second line objectives, the exception being the 7th South Wales Borderers who got close to the Grande Couronne but eventually had to fall back, 66th Brigade lost the barrage and were cut to pieces on Pip ridge. The British and the Greeks joined up to consolidate a new line, once again the attack had failed to make a break through.

 

On the same day the XVI Corps attacked on the Blaga Planina to the north east of lake Doiran. The Greek Crete Division supported by the 28th Division, had to cross 4½ Miles of open plain to reach the Bulgarian lines so there was no element of surprise. The attack was a shambles due to poor communication between the British and the Greeks, particularly with regard to artillery support.

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19th September 1918

The second attack at Doiran on the 19th was to be carried out by 77th Brigade, 65th Brigade, the French 2nd Bis Zouaves and the Greek Seres Division. Once again the Greeks performed well with unsubstantiated reports that some had reached the Grande Couronne before falling back under counter attack. The 77th Brigade fought valiantly on ‘The Tongue’ but the Zouaves failed to get forward leaving their left flank exposed and they too fell back having taken heavy casualties. The 65th Brigade (9th Kings Own) due to miscommunication attacked through its own barrage that had not lifted as planned taking P4.5 and assaulting P4, when the barrage finally lifted they were driven off by increased machine gun and artillery fire. The attack had failed and a second attack on the Blaga Planina also failed. The objective of holding Bulgarian and German Forces in the Doiran sector was achieved but at great cost.

 

While General Nerezov commanding officer of the Bulgarian 1st Army was planning counter attacks at Doiran and in the Struma valley, General Todorov (the Bulgarian commander in Chief) met General Steuben and General Von Reuter at Prilep, owing to the precarious position in the Dzena mountains, it was agreed to pull back the Bulgarian 1st Army from East of the River Vardar. When the order came through the Bulgarian 1st Army were dismayed.

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20th September 1918

 

A Franko Greek force consisting of the 16th Colonial and Greek 4th Divisions completed the capture of the massif of the Dzena. The offensive in the west had inevitably slowed after initial success but by the 20th both the French and Serbs had established bridge heads across the CRNA river.

 

At a conference in PRILEP the Germans and Bulgarians agreed on a plan for gradual withdrawal to the southern Serbian mountains and the order to retreat was issued. General Nerezov’s Bulgarian 1st Army began to withdraw back towards the Kosturino Pass.

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21st September 1918

R.A.F. reconnaissance planes report signs of the Bulgarian retreat and British patrols at Doiran reported enemy trenches empty. The British and Greeks move forward on to Pip ridge and the Grande Couronne. The RAF began to bomb the retreating columns moving up the Vardar valley.

 

The Serbs looking down into the Vardar valley further west could see depots on fire and hear explosions as ammunition dumps were blown up, by the evening the Serbian Second Army had reached the Vardar river from its confluence with CRNA to DEMIR KAPIJA.

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22nd September 1918

General Franchet d’Esperay in his general order of Sep 22nd stated, ‘The hour of the cavalry has come’.

 

On the 22nd good progress beyond the CRNA was made; the Serbian 1st army captured the bridge at VOZARCI, the 11th Colonial division and Greek 3rd crossed the DRENSKA planina and the Italian cavalry reached KANATLARCI.

 

General Milne moved the XVI Corps to the left flank to assault the BLAGA planiina from the west and with orders to push on to the Kosturino pass. The XII Corps to push on into BELASSICA Planina along with the Crete Division. The 22nd and 26th Divisions captured villages behind the old front line meeting only sporadic rear-guard resistance. The RAF continued to bomb the retreating columns of the enemy unopposed, the German aircraft had disappeared. 

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23rd September 1918

The allies didn’t have it all their own way; the Serbian Timok and Yugoslav Divisions met stiff resistance from the Bulgarian 66th Regiment and the Serbian 1st Army were held up by German flank guards at the BABUNA pass, however the French Cavalry followed by the 11th Colonial Division marched into Prilep unopposed, the Bulgarians and Germans had fled.

 

At the Blaga Planina XII Corps struggled with fatigue in the heat but met only snipers as they advanced. On the XVI Corps front the Derbyshire Yeomanry pushed on through BOGDANCI reaching FURKA where they were joined by the Greek 14TH Division, and came under artillery fire.

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24th September 1918

XII Corps started to advance from the BLAGA Planinina onto the BELASICA Planina, the Surrey Yeomanry pushing out in front came under artillery fire and fell back.

 

On the XVI Corps front the Derbyshire Yeomanry, pushing on towards Kosturino, reached the abandoned village of RABROVO where they found a Hospital with about 50 British and 100 Bulgarian wounded.

 

Good progress was made by the French, Serbs and Italians, but the most significant event came on the Serbian Yugoslav division front where, with support from the French 17th Colonial Division GRADSKO, the main centre for supply of the Bulgarian and German armies in Macedonia was taken.

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25th September 1918

 

While XII Corps continued to struggle on the BELASICA PLanina, on the XVI Corps front the 79th Brigade and 36th Greek regiment advanced on Kosturino. At 8.20 am when the advanced guard, the Derbyshire Yeomanry rode into the town, they were the first troops to cross the frontier into Bulgaria.

 

During the night of the 24th the enemy abandoned STIP and the Serbian cavalry entered the town. While the 1st Serbian army established bridgeheads across the river Vardar, the 2nd Serbian army, Timok and Yugoslav divisions, forced the enemy from village to village on route to VELES.

 

The French 22nd Colonial Brigade, of the 11th Colonial Division, with mountain artillery in support pushed on towards Skopje. The remainder of the 11th Colonial Division along with the Greek 3rd Division moved north west up the BROD road towards TRESKA.  

 

King Ferdinand of Bulgaria dismissed the pro-German Government and left wing socialist groups formed Soviets amid growing political unrest.

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26th September 1918

On the XII Corps front the 85th Brigade took up the assault on the BELASICA Planina advancing on the Signal Allemande but stopped short of the summit at nightfall.

 

On the XVI Corps front a car approached the Derbyshire Yeomanry carrying 2 Bulgarian officers, King Ferdinand had sent them to request a 48-hour cessation of hostilities so that peace negotiations could begin. The request was rejected by General Franchet d’Esperay.

 

In the meantime, the first patrols of the Derbyshire Yeomanry were through the Kosturino pass and had entered the town of Strumica followed closely by 79th Brigade.

 

The town of STIP taken on the 25th by the 2nd Serbian army came under a heavy Bulgarian counter attack but the attack failed. After heavy fighting the Serbian Morava Division forced the Germans and Bulgarians out of VELES and drove the enemy out of KISINO. The Yugoslav Division passed through KARBINCI and the Cavalry division occupied KOCANA.

The Italian Division entered KRUSEVO and crossed the DRAGISEC heights, the 156th and 76th French Divisions reached DZVAN and a regiment of the 30th division reached RESAN. The war in the Balkans was turning into a full-scale rout.

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On 24/09/2018 at 21:07, Gardenerbill said:

Good progress was made by the French, Serbs and Italians, but the most significant event came on the Serbian Yugoslav division front where, with support from the French 17th Colonial Division GRADSKO, the main centre for supply of the Bulgarian and German armies in Macedonia was taken.

 

The German infantry of Gruppe Gradsko consisted almost entirely of elements from three Landsturm battalions - a Bavarian one from Bayreuth, a Schwarzburger one from Sondershausen and the Saxon 11. Landsturm-Infanterie-Bataillon Leipzig XIX.28. The unfortunate men who were still in such units in autumn 1918 were overwhelmingly in poor physical condition or well into middle age, and were only intended to be employed on garrison duty - not to march long distances in the harsh Macedonian sun, let alone fight in the front line against brutal Balkan troops. With the Bulgarians critically demoralised they became the backbone of the defence, and did a highly creditable job under appalling circumstances. The lucky ones were evacuated on a German armoured train (Panzerzug Nr. 4).

 

LdstXIX28_AtelierCa1917.jpg.57e328d90977d9f93a79c596c3fa7694.jpgLdstXIX28_Tropenkleidung.jpg.36de513ef80bfe022f76b907fb831fbe.jpg

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Hi Bierast,

Are the pictures above of a relative who was at Gradsko?

 

This is how the British 'Official History of the Great War - Macedonia Volume II' records the action at Gradsko:

 

‘At the confluence of the Vardar and the Crna the left wing of the Yugoslav division had on the previous evening encountered very stout resistance from the Gradsko Group of General Dieterich's force, and had actually been counter attacked with bayonet and bomb. The Voivode Stepanovic therefore called on the 17th Colonial division, which had been in support ever since the breakthrough. Two strong columns moved up to the support of the Serbians, but, faced by a barrage from the hostile batteries west of Gradsko, General Pruneau decided to manoeuvre the enemy by the west. By the morning of the 24th two battalions captured the Monastery of Cicevo, or Archangel, the scene of a long struggle in 1915. The enemy, thus outflanked - for he had no touch with the 4th division retreating up the Babuna Pass road to Veles - gave way to the pressure of the Serbians and fell back up the Veles road. Nineteen guns and some 40 locomotives, and great quantities of transport were captured at Gradsko Station.’

 

I think it is fair to say whatever the rights and wrongs, the Germans were let down by the Bulgarians whose morale had collapsed.

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3 hours ago, Gardenerbill said:

Are the pictures above of a relative who was at Gradsko

 

 

No, I'm just an obsessive collector of photos from any and all units of the Royal Saxon Army. I also have pictures of e.g. the Saxon Jäger battalions in Macedonia (which show that they were kitted out with mountain boots, leather-reinforced trousers and air-cooled LMGs on this front).

 

Quote

 

This is how the British 'Official History of the Great War - Macedonia Volume II' records the action at Gradsko:

 

‘At the confluence of the Vardar and the Crna the left wing of the Yugoslav division had on the previous evening encountered very stout resistance from the Gradsko Group of General Dieterich's force, and had actually been counter attacked with bayonet and bomb. The Voivode Stepanovic therefore called on the 17th Colonial division, which had been in support ever since the breakthrough. Two strong columns moved up to the support of the Serbians, but, faced by a barrage from the hostile batteries west of Gradsko, General Pruneau decided to manoeuvre the enemy by the west. By the morning of the 24th two battalions captured the Monastery of Cicevo, or Archangel, the scene of a long struggle in 1915. The enemy, thus outflanked - for he had no touch with the 4th division retreating up the Babuna Pass road to Veles - gave way to the pressure of the Serbians and fell back up the Veles road. Nineteen guns and some 40 locomotives, and great quantities of transport were captured at Gradsko Station.’

 

I think it is fair to say whatever the rights and wrongs, the Germans were let down by the Bulgarians whose morale had collapsed.

 

 

I'll take a look at the Reichsarchiv volume on this campaign (and a few other sources) when I get back from my reenactment weekend in Flanders and see what I can add to this. It includes very detailed orders of battle for the Central Powers forces, with a few unfortunate omissions (the Landsturm battalions are just identified by geographical name, which isn't hugely helpful - e.g. there were umpteen Leipzig battalions, several of which never even left Saxony).

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27th September 1918

In the early hours of the morning the 2nd Zouaves passed through the 85th Brigade and reachd the summit of the Signale Allemande and were later relieved by the Crete Division. The 85th and 83rd Brigades pushed on over the Belasica Planina with the 83rd Brigade reaching the Strumica valley later in the day.

 

On the XVI Corps front 26th Division, due to difficulties of supply, were ordered to stand fast.  The 78th Brigade with the Derbyshire Yeomanry in the vanguard and the 14th Greek Division pushed on eastwards down the Strumica valley.

 

The Serbian 2nd Army advanced north eastwards astride the Bregalnica and the Serbian 1st Army crossed the Veles Stip road. French forces forced the Bulgarians back along the Barbarec pass and the Italian Division reached Mount Cesma. One brigade of the French Colonial division and the “Spahis” (French Colonial cavalry) were now just 7m south of Skopje.

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28th September 1918

 

The XII Corps made no real progress on the 28th, however the XVI Corps continue to push on; the Greek Archipelago division reaching the upper Strumica and the 14th Greek division and Derbyshire Yeomanry reaching Yenikoi  on route to Petric, the intention being to cut off the Bulgarian 2nd Army in the Struma valley.

 

Serbian and French progress to the west had slowed; the only significant successes being the taking of the town of BROD by the 11th Colonial Division and  OHRID by the 57th Division.

 

The French troops under the command of General Jouinot-Gambetta preparing for the assault on Skopje would have no easy task. The Garrison at Skopje was defended by 7 Bulgarian battalions and an armoured train under the command of the German Colonel von Carlowitz.

 

During the day three Bulgarian staff cars under a white flag, were intercepted by the Derbyshire Yeomanry; 1 car with a British driver was allowed through and sent on its way to Salonika to negotiate peace terms.

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29th September 1918

 

XII Corps continued to take no further part in the pursuit, the Crete Division was handed over to the Greek Corps of National defence and continued its easterly sweep of the Balasica. The Greek 14th Division met stiff opposition a Yenikoi where the Bulgarians were making a Determined stand.

 

At Skopje all went well for the French cavalry, entering the town and securing the northern exits, however a lack of mountain guns meant some of the Bulgarians and Germans escaped on the armoured train.The Serbain 1st Army progressed north, the Drina division reaching MALINO.

 

General Franchet d’Esperey presented his terms to the 2nd Bulgarian peace delegation. After some prevarication Franchet d’Esperey’s terms were accepted and the armistice was signed, hostilities to cease at noon September 30th, 16 days after the guns of the autumn offensive had opened up.

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30th September 1918 Hostilities with Bulgaria Cease.

 

On the morning of the 30th September 1918 the Greek 14th Division finally occupied Yenikoi, this would be the last action against the Bulgarians, hostilities ceased at midday.

The armistice included the following demands; the immediate evacuation of all Greek and Serbian territory and all German and Austro-Hungarian forces were to leave Bulgaria.

The German General von Stueben sent a message that the Germans did not recognise the armistice.

An army with strength of approximately half a million had been eliminated from the central powers.

 

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At the beginning of October General Franchet d’Esperey already planned to advance north to the Danube and on through eastern Europe to Dresden. General Milne and the war cabinet wanted the British to advance on Constantinople.  Clemenceau ordered General Franchet d’Esperey to allow part of Milne’s forces to advance on Turkey and a compromise was reached, the British forces would be split, One Division to advance north into Roumania the rest to advance on Constantinople.

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With the Bulgarians out of the war, the Germans were forced to divert 3 divisions, on-route from Russian to the western front, to the Balkans, the Austrians started to move 2 divisions from Russia and 1 from Italy.

 

General Franchet D’Esperay planned to advance on the Danube with 3 Armies; the British on the right, French Greeks and Italians in the centre and the Serbians on the left, however General Milne and the war office wanted to advance east on Constantinople, not north to the Danube. With Bulgaria out of the war Turkey’s European border is effectively undefended leaving Constantinople exposed. In the end a compromise was reached; 1 British Division to go north to Roumania and 3 to move against Turkey.

 

The final act of aggression towards the British in the Balkans took place at Stavros when either a German or Turkish aeroplane bombed the airfield.

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33 Light Railway Operating Company R.E.   On the 9th October, 1918 the Janesh Light Railway closed due to cessation of traffic.  On the 11th of October Capt. C. Burt-Andrews, R.E. handed over command of the company to Lt. R.G. Beaufort, R.T.O. (General List) and proceeded to Dorian.  On 12th October Lt. Edwards R.E., (late O/i.c. Janesh Light Railway) and 15 O.R. proceeded to Jenikoy.  

117 Railway Construction Company, R.E.  They were working on the Junction Salonique-Constantinople Railway beyond Dorian. Work was proceeding on the bridges at Kilos 48 and 53 on 12th October and the track from Kilo 53 to Poroy repaired.  

267 Railway Construction Company R.E.  On 24th September they worked on Dorian Station Dump, putting in new sidings and Lt. Charters re-joined the Coy.  This continued until 12th October and included a new hospital siding.  Camp was struck on 13th October and the Company moved to Poroy.  They started by clearing the track and relaying the PW at Poroy Station.  

273 Railway Construction Company R.E. They were building and repairing the Decauville Railway up the Rupel Pass

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While General Milne’s army of 3 Divisions plus French, Greek, Italian and Serbian detachments attempted to secure passage through the Dardanelles, the Serbian 1st Army was advancing north at a rate of more than 10 miles a day.

 

The Germans set up a defensive line between PRISTINA and VRANJE using the newly arrived 9th Austrian division and the German LXI Corps. The Serbian 1st Army engaged with them on the 3rd October, the Austrians were no match for the Serbs and were soon forced back over the MESTARICA pass.

 

On the 7th a German rear guard put up a stiff defense at LESKOVAC but were eventually overcome.

 

On the 10th the battle for NIS began, a strategically important rail hub, by midday the Serbs had occupied the town, but were now exhausted and had no flank protection. They engaged with the enemy on the 15th but made no further offensive move for the next 4 days.

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20th October the Battle of PARACIN began, for the Germans and the Austrians this was a delaying action. The Serbian 1st Army took the town 3 days later. On the 25th the Germans began crossing the Danube.

 

Meanwhile the 26th Division entrained for Mustapha Pasha arriving on the 21st, but the 22nd Division had to march to Dadeagatch where with the Navy would transport them on to Mustapha Pasha.

 

The 22nd Division embarked for Mustapha Pasha on 17 navy vessels on the 25th.

 

The 27th Division were on the move north up the Struma valley.

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It’s beginning to bother me a bit now : this campaign just doesn’t get its fair share of interest, let alone acknowledgement.

 

Do the Serbian people regard this fighting in the autumn of 1918 as their “ Finest Hour “ ?  I note your allusion to their 1st Army retaking the town.

 

I googled the Battle of PARACIN in October 1918, and got diddly squat : although there was mention about the Central Powers taking it three years earlier.

 

I’m wondering whether the Serbs see this as a massive national counter offensive, very germinal to their sense of identity and national pride, which is so much a feature of current affairs in the Balkans.

 

Phil

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Hi Phil, I absolutely agree.

After the Serbian defeat in the autumn of 1915, the Balkans became a largely British and French affair. The British were never really committed but the French were and the French success at Monastir in the autumn of 1916 came at time when the French were struggling on the western front and was greeted with great enthusiasm back home. In the meantime, the Serbian army had rested, recuperated and been refitted by the French and British and showed their prowess in the mountains that autumn with successes at KAJMAKCALAN and Hill 1378. The only real success in spring 1917 came when the Serbs took hill 1824.

 

There was no autumn offensive in 1917, none of the armies were in any fit state to launch one. In January 1918 Croats and Slovenes joined the Serbian army with the aim of creating a “Yugoslavian” state, but once again to the frustration of the Serbs there was no offensive in the spring of 1918, the French and British were preoccupied with the German offensive on the western front.

 

By the autumn of 1918 the French and British had significantly reduced their presence in the Balkans but this was balanced by the arrival of the Greeks, the Serbs would bear the brunt of the offensive action which would be carried out by 2 French, 2 Greek, 2 British, but 6 Serbian divisions. What followed was truly extraordinary, but is largely forgotten:

On the 15th September the offensive was launched in the MOGLENA mountains with the battle of DOBRAPOLCE, which is a resounding success for the Serbians followed by:

 

20th Bridge heads established across the CRNA river.

22nd Capture VOZARKI

23rd Force their way through the BABUNA pass

24th Capture of GRADSKO

25th Capture of STIP and VELES

26th Capture of KISINO, KARBINCI and KOCANA

29TH Capture of MALINO

7TH October capture of LESKOVAC

10TH Capture of NIS

20th Battle of PARACIN

23rd PARACIN captured

25th Germans forced back across the Danube

1st November the victorious Serbian army enters Belgrade

 

In just a month and half the Serbians had liberated their homeland and yet this is largely forgotten.

 

I am not aware of any Serbians on the forum, which is a great pity as their views on the subject would be very interesting.

 

 

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The summary report in 117 Railway Construction Coy. R.E War Diary for October 1918 states that work on the repair of the J.S.C line had proceeded from Broken Bridge, Kilo 44.2 to near Hadji Bajlik Kilo 83.4.  Most of this had been tracklaying.  Bridges at Kilos 38, 42 and 44 had initially been temporarily repaired to open the line for traffic and the work of building permanent piers and abutments for bridges 38, 42 and 44 put in hand.  The bridges at Kilos 48, 50 and 53 were repaired.  It was noted that the bridge at Kilo 48 necessitated at 60’ girder which was fixed by the Workshops Party. 

267 Railway Construction Coy, R.E reported that Camp was struck on 13th October and the Company moved to Poroy.  They started by clearing the track and relaying the PW at Poroy Station.  The October War Diary frequently summarises a block of dates at this period.  Sometime between the 15th and 22nd Oct, probably the 22nd Lt. Neil and 12 O.R.s left Poroy for construction work on the J.S.C. line at Nihor. They were reported at Seres on 1st November.   On 24th October the Coy. left Poroy for Mandradzik.  They were lifting and packing track here until 1st November.  This is on the Doiran-Rupel Railway.  

273 Railway Construction Coy R.E were repairing the Decauville Railway through the Rupel Pass and extending the Stavros Decauville from Tasli to meet the Junction Salonique-Constantinople Railway near Chepelje

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