Lake Doiran - Thessaloniki

Salonika - French and British forces landed in Thessaloniki in Oct 1915 to support the Serbs who had been invaded by the Central Powers but in fact they arrived too late and after a short incursion into Serbia near Lake Doiran concentrated on the fortification of Salonika. Beacuse of the huge amount of wire used it became known as the Birdcage and by the summer of 1916 the force was well entrenched as it was joined by Serbian, Russian and Italian units with the front extending from the Aegean to the Adriatic roughly along the Greek border and then through Macedonia. In 1917 the fighting was mainly centred around Lake Doiran but it was not until July of 1918 that a major offensive was undertaken to end the Balkan war. In September the British launched a disatrous attack on heavily defended positions to the west of Lake Doiran and sustained enormous losses. However the prerssure told on the Bulgarians who agreed to an armistice on 30th Sept 1918. Bulgarians appear to have suffered just over 100, 000 KIA and 264, 000 wounded and 20, 000 captured. British and Dominion losses were 9, 700 killed, 16, 300 wounded amd 2, 600 captured. In addition medical records show 481, 000 treated for disease with 162, 000 being malaria cases. Disease was a major problem with malaria and dysentery being two of the worst causes of illness and death

100000 20000 2600 Addition Adriatic Aegean Agreed Amount Appear Armistice Balkan Battlefields Birdcage Bulgarians Cases Causes Centred Concentrated Defended Doiran Dominion Dysentery Enormous Entrenched Extending Fact Heavily However Incursion Invaded Joined Landed Launched Losses Macedonia Mainly Malaria Positions Roughly Salonica Salonika Serbia Serbian Serbs Suffered Sustained Thessaloniki Told Treated Undertaken Worst

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