Vol 2 Chapter 54: Battle of Kalagachi

As soon as the decisive battle began, the Ottoman army was defeated! The 75mm field gun, with its superhuman rate of fire, instantly made the Ottomans unable to raise their heads!
Thousands of shells are scattered on the positions of the Ottoman army every minute, tearing Wolf Pasha's carefully prepared defense line to pieces!
Under the night, on a field on the south bank of the Karagach River, the headquarters of the Bulgarian Ninth Division was relocated here.
Major General Kirill, the ninth division commander, looked at the battle map and asked: "Are the troops in place? How is the artillery regiment prepared?"
The adjutant replied: "All units are in place, the artillery regiment has been deployed, and the final commissioning is in progress!"
Kirill thought for a while and said, "Send someone to investigate the enemy again!"
"Yes!" the adjutant answered affirmatively
The Chief of Staff asked suspiciously: "You are too worried! Haven't the coordinates of the enemy's position been clearly marked and sent by the intelligence department? The headquarters of the group army has also sent people to verify it. You still can't believe it?"
Kirill shook his head and said: "It's not that I can't believe them. The battlefield is ever-changing. It is impossible for the position of the Ottoman army to change significantly in a short time, but minor changes are still possible!
Even if the enemy moves the camp by one hundred and eighty meters, the accuracy of our artillery will be greatly reduced! There is a heavy artillery regiment in the headquarters, one hundred and eighty meters is not an error to them at all!
This is also a problem that all commanders tend to make. As long as the approximate location is determined, no matter whether the enemy can be hit or not, the shells must be shot out!
Powers and nations have a great cause. If a shell fails to hit, a hundred shells will pass. If it fails, a thousand shells will surely kill the enemy.
Moreover, post-war statistics never asked about the process of shelling and the shells consumed. They only cared about whether the mission was completed and whether the enemy was destroyed.
But we can't! Bulgaria has a weak foundation. For this war, our arsenal has been rushing for several years just to stock up on ammunition. It can't be wasted! "
The chief of staff thought for a while and said: "I understand a little bit, why the Grand Duke values ​​you so much! You can find these detailed questions, and you have to accept it!"
Kirill smiled and said: "I thought you would say, I am afraid of being poor?"
The chief of staff shook his head and joked and said: "How is it possible! We Bulgarian army, who has not had a hard time? That is to say, the conditions have been better in recent years. When I was the head of the regiment, I often didn't even get the same amount of military pay. For a long time, I didn't even know what the cannon looked like!"
After speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled!
After a while, the chief of staff said solemnly: "Dare Kirill take a big bet?"
"Are you talking about night attack?" Kirill asked after thinking about it.
The chief of staff shook his head and said: "It's not a night attack. I intend to launch a general attack tonight, and take advantage of the night to cover the crossing of the river and hit the enemy by surprise!"
Kirill was silent for a moment and said, "You are a lunatic!"
The chief of staff laughed and said, "Maybe a madman! I am a genius if I succeed, and I am a madman if I fail. A madman and a genius are often only on the front line!"
"I have heard that your staff is rich in lunatics. Today I am an eye-opener! Well, this time I bet!" Kirill said cautiously
"Got it? I didn't expect that I was not the only lunatic, when did you, the steady faction in the army, become so radical?" the chief of staff asked suspiciously
Kirill said coldly: "Hmph, I am not as conservative as you say! Besides, we will launch a raid tonight, and the risk is not as great as we imagined!
Don’t you know what the Ottoman army is? We are also training for overnight battles anyway, but they are ‘strong soldiers trained on ten days’, what's to be afraid of! "
The chief of staff laughed and said: "You are indeed the Kirill I know! Yes, now is the time when the Ottomans are the most lax in guarding. As long as normal people will not think, we will launch a general attack today!
And even if it fails, the big deal is to retreat and wait until the main force comes over to fight! If it is luck to cross the river successfully, the Ottoman army in front of us will be the meat on the chopping board! "
...
At this time, Major General Ettore Pasha, who was on duty in the Ottoman army, had been restless, and his right eyelid had been jumping non-stop. According to the tradition of the Eastern world, the right eye was jumping disaster, which is an ominous omen!
Major General Ettore Pasha has received a new-style education and does not approve of such a statement!
"Maybe it's too tired recently!" thought Ettor Pasha
"Did something unusual happen?" Ettore Pasha asked
The adjutant replied: "As of the previous day, everything is normal and there is no abnormality!"
"Where is the Bulgarian on the other side?" Etor Pasha continued to ask unwillingly
The adjutant replied: "The Bulgarian army stationed on the opposite side is the Ninth Division that came over only this afternoon. Now they are busy setting up camps. We even took advantage of their unstable foothold and launched several raids, but all failed!"
Ettor Pasha shook his head, thinking that he was thinking too much. The Ottoman Empire deployed four divisions with more than 50,000 troops along the Karagachi River. No matter how strong the Bulgarian army is, it doesn’t make sense. The reason for attacking with just one main force!
...
In the early hours of the morning, a Bulgarian army advance team, followed by night cover, quietly crossed the lower reaches of the Karagach River!
The location for crossing the river was very cleverly chosen, with a large reed marsh on both sides. It is May now, and the reeds are growing lush.
The breeze passed by the road of night, and the reeds drifted with the wind, just to cover the advance team's action!
The Karagach River is not wide, and the current cannot be said to be fast. The Bulgarian advance detachment took a raft and a small wooden boat hidden by the local residents and quietly crossed the river under the cover of night!
At 3:30 in the morning, this was the most sleepy time of the day, and the Bulgarian Ninth Division was already ready to launch the battle of crossing the river!
At this time, the advance detachment had reached its destination and attacked a ferry. The Bulgarian army was under the cover of artillery, and the main force began to cross the river!
The sudden attack of Bulgaria disrupted the deployment of the Ottomans. Due to the lack of training in night combat, the Ottoman barracks have been messed up!
The officers have been busy for half the night, and are now sleeping, and now those who can come out to preside over the situation are the elites of the Ottoman army!
After Bulgaria launched the offensive, Major General Ettore Pasha immediately organized a counterattack. It is a pity that under the cover of night, the terrible command system of the Ottoman army has now become a mess!
When Major General Etor figured out where the Bulgarian army was landing, everything was too late, more than two hours had passed!
In these two hours, four main groups of the Bulgarian army have crossed the river!
Unsurprisingly, the Ninth Division won a full victory in the battle of crossing the river! Although the Ottoman Empire still has more than 50,000 troops, three times the number of the Ninth Division, they can't help the Ninth Division in the short term!
History had a turning point again. After receiving the news that the Bulgarian Ninth Division crossed the river smoothly, General Popov did not hesitate at all, and immediately ordered the Twelfth and Thirteenth Divisions not far away to rush to the front line!
The next day, the Ottoman army launched a crazy counterattack against the Ninth Division. Kirill is not the one who only fights and does not fight back. He directly attacked, and the two sides broke out the cruelest fight since the war!
Although the strength of the Ottoman army is stronger, the Ninth Division often dominates after the short-term combat. Kirill's position has not shrunk, but expanded a lot!
The chief of staff said puzzledly: "It seems something is wrong with the performance of the Ottoman army! How come we have three times the strength of the troops, so we are crushing it?"
Kirill nodded and said: "Yes, the combat effectiveness of the Ottoman army can't be so bad! We have fought against each other before, and the Turks are still very brave!"
The chief of staff suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said: "Turks, yes! It seems that the army opposite us is not all Turks!"
Kirill shot the case and said: "This is right! The Ottoman army is not all Turks, there are other ethnic minorities. These people will definitely not give their lives to the Sudanese government!"
Well, Kirill is half right. There are indeed other ethnic groups in the Ottoman army, but most of them are enlisted!
It is the tradition of the Ottoman army to eat empty space. Now there is going to be a war, we must make up enough numbers! It's easy, and it's so easy!
There are also officers who have defeated the battle in front, so they must find a way to get rid of crime! Still catch the strong, as long as the number of troops is enough, and the top and bottom are arranged, the defeat will become a strategic retreat!
This is also the reason why the number of the Ottoman army has not decreased much after the war has been going on for so long, but the combat effectiveness has dropped sharply!
In the evening, the 12th Bulgarian Division arrived on the front line and completed the rendezvous with the 9th Division. At this time, the 13th Division was only 20 kilometers away from the front line of the Kalagachi River!
The military advantage that the Ottomans relied on no longer exists, and the war has begun to develop in Bulgaria's favor!
Ferdinand, far away in Sofia, is now surrounded by a succession of good news. The First Route Army went well, and the Second Route Army did not give too much. They defeated the enemy in eastern Macedonia; the Fourth Route Army had already reached the Aegean Sea; the Third Route Army looted the Kosovo region; oh, the Fifth Route Army was still on the way, but Killed a lot of Turkish troops.
In addition to the first army, it has only been a week since the war, and other Bulgarian troops have also conquered more than ten cities, such as Giumirtina, Serre, Prizren, and Veles!
"Your Excellency, the Greeks have asked us for help again. The army led by Cyril has collapsed. Now the Ottoman army is raiding the Greek peninsula. Both Moros and Delphi have fallen, and Athens is in danger!"
Ferdinand nodded and said heartlessly: "Tell the Greeks and let them hold on. We are fighting the main force of the Ottoman army. When we win, this war will be won!
By the way, remind the Greeks to mobilize the people to resist every day. The Ottoman Empire is just a paper tiger. As long as the Greek people work hard, they will be able to stop it! "
Prime Minister Constantine said hesitantly: "Duke, do we want the Second Route Army to accelerate? If the Greeks cannot resist and surrender to the Ottomans, then public opinion will be very detrimental to us!"
Ferdinand shook his head and said, "Don't worry, what can you say in public opinion? Say that we are not saved? Wouldn't you justify it?
This is obviously too trash the Greeks! I can't stand it in just over 20 days, a proper pig teammate!
What does it matter to us that they can't stand it? They started this war in the first place, and now we are still rubbing their ass, so what right do we have to blame?
surrender? If George I was willing to surrender, he would have surrendered to the Ottomans as early as the Cyrillic Legion was surrounded!
Now even if Athens falls, they will move their capital to the Peloponnese Peninsula and continue to insist! When we have settled the Ottomans, they will use the identity of the victor to regain lost ground! "
Chekov asked suspiciously: "Grand Duke, the performance of the Ottomans is a bit abnormal! It stands to reason that they are at a disadvantage on the battlefield now. Why don't they concentrate their forces on a decisive battle with us, but go to trouble the Greeks?"
Ferdinand smiled without saying a word. Starting from the military alone, it is indeed necessary to concentrate his forces to deal with the Bulgarian offensive. But politically, it is not necessarily true, especially for the commander Ed Hepasa. !
The internal struggle of the Ottoman Empire is much stronger and bloodier than other countries. If Ed Hepasa gives up his handy merits and takes risks to help his "enemies", even if he is willing, his officers will not. Promise!
Ferdinand can see all this clearly, and it is the intelligence department's credit.
In order to check and balance the generals under Sudan, the chief military officers in the Balkans are all from different factions. They usually fight to the death, but now it's not bad that they are not behind the scenes!
This is a precedent. Egypt was easily started by the British because of the internal fighting of the Ottoman government; the historical Bosnia and Herzegovina region was also thrown to the Austro-Hungarian Empire by internal fighting!
...
At this moment, the Karagach River battle is gradually coming to an end, and the Bulgarian army that has completed the meeting, after a short rest, launched a full-scale attack on the Ottoman army!
After two days of battle, the Ottoman army collapsed across the board, and then the Bulgarian Second Cavalry Regiment rushed to receive a challenging task-capture prisoners!
Now, unlike the first Balkan war in history, the Bulgarian army has an absolute advantage. If the Ottoman army is allowed to run away, then the Constantinople offensive and defensive battle will be fought again!
As of May 13th, in the Battle of the Kalagachi River, the Bulgarian army had annihilated 13,000 enemy troops and captured 34,000 enemy troops, and their own casualties were less than 4,000. The casualties ratio of the two sides was 1:3.25!
The fly in the ointment is that the main generals of the Ottoman army have run away! This is not only the case of the Karagach River Battle. From the beginning of the war to the present, apart from the two Turkish major generals who were killed by artillery shells, the Bulgarian army has not captured a senior Turkish general!