Kosovo Offensive (1915)

For the other Battles of Kosovo, see Battle of Kosovo (disambiguation)

Kosovo Offensive
Part of Serbian Campaign (World War I)
Date 10 November 1915 - 4 December 1915 Location Kosovo,  Serbia Result Decisive Central Powers victory Serbian army retreats to Albania and Greece
Belligerents
Bulgaria  German Empire  Austria-Hungary	Serbia
Commanders and leaders
Nikola Zhekov Konstantin Zhostov Kliment Boyadzhiev Georgi Todorov August von Mackensen Max von Gallwitz Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza	Radomir Putnik Živojin Mišić Stepa Stepanovic Pavle Jurišić Šturm
Strength
First Army; Northern Operations Group of Second Army Eleventh Army Third Army :156,000 men (79,000 combatants, 372 guns and 220 machine guns)[1]	150,000 combatants[2]
Casualties and losses
Light	30,000 killed and wounded, 199 guns lost

The Kosovo Offensive Operation (Bulgarian: Косовска настъпателна операция; Serbian: Косовска битка), the third major battle in history to have been fought there, occurred between 10 November 1915 and 4 December 1915. Serbian defeat in this battle led to the costly Serbian retreat through Albania.

Battle and Serbian defeat

The battle began with the forcing of the South Morava by the Bulgarian 1st Army and ended with the total defeat of the Serbian army. The main blow was made by the 1st Army at the direction Niš-Pristina. For 2 days, the Serbian army seized Prokuplje, where they mounted a short-lived resistance.

The greatly outnumbered Serbian army retreated, then made a futile stand near the city of Gjilan. The Serbs then tried a desperate counter-attack towards Vranje and Kumanovo to join the Anglo-French troops but were again defeated. The 6th and 9th Infantry Divisions of 1st Army easily took Pristina on 24 November. Then the whole of the Bulgarian army advanced, supported from the north by parts of 11th German Army and the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army. The battle ended on 4 December when Debar was captured. The Serbs lost 30,000 soldiers, 199 guns, 150 cars and vast quantity of other military equipment. The Serbian army subsequently retreated into Albania, eventually being transported to the Greek island of Corfu.

Footnotes

References

• Атанас Пейчев и колектив, 1300 години на стража, Военно издателство, София 1984.
• Министерство на войната, Щаб на войската (1946). Българската армия в Световната война 1915 - 1918, Vol. V. Косовската операция. Печатница на щаба навойската, София. 

Bulgaria during World War I
Prelude	South-western front Serbian Campaign, Macedonian Front	Romanian front • Outcome • Others	Important persons
Balkan Wars 1912–1913 First Balkan War 1913 Treaty of London Second Balkan War Treaty of Bucharest Treaty of Constantinople Neutrality 1914 Ottoman–Bulgarian alliance 1915 Negotiations of Bulgaria with the Central Powers and the Entente Bulgarian–German treaty Secret Bulgarian–German agreement Military convention between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria Bulgarian–Ottoman convention Mobilization	Commanders  Bulgaria Nikola Zhekov • Kliment Boyadzhiev • Dimitar Geshov • Georgi Todorov • Ivan Lukov • Stefan Nerezov • Vladimir Vazov Entente:  Serbia: Radomir Putnik • Živojin Mišić • Stepa Stepanović • Petar Bojović • Pavle Jurišić Šturm;  France: Maurice Sarrail • Adolphe Guillaumat • Louis Franchet d'Espèrey;  United Kingdom: Bryan Mahon • George Milne;  Kingdom of Greece: Panagiotis Danglis Field Armies + Eleventh Army First Army Second Army Fourth Army Battles 1915 Morava Offensive • Ovče Pole Offensive • Kosovo Offensive (1915) • Battle of Krivolak 1916 First battle of Doiran • Battle of Florina (Lerin) • Struma operation • Monastir Offensive 1917 Second battle of Doiran • 2nd Crna Bend • Second battle of Monastir 1918 Battle of Skra-di-Legen • Battle of Dobro Pole • Third battle of Doiran	Commanders  Bulgaria Nikola Zhekov • Panteley Kiselov • Stefan Toshev • Todor Kantardzhiev • Ivan Kolev Entente:  Romania: Constantin Prezan • Alexandru Averescu;  Russia: Andrei Zayonchkovski • Vladimir Sakharov Field Armies Third Army Battles 1916 Battle of Turtucaia • Battle of Dobrich • First Cobadin • Flămânda Offensive • Second Cobadin • Battle of Bucharest Outcome 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk • Armistice of Focșani • Treaty of Bucharest • Protocol of Berlin Outcome Armistice of Salonica Vladaya revolt Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine Others Bulgarian administration in Kosovo Anti-military propaganda	Ferdinand Vasil Radoslavov Aleksandar Malinov Aleksandar Stamboliyski Aleksandar Protogerov August von Mackensen Boris Drangov Vladimir Vazov Georgi Todorov (general) Ivan Kolev Kliment Boyadzhiev Dimitar Geshov Ivan Lukov Konstantin Zhostov Krastyu Zlatarev Nikola Zhekov Panteley Kiselov Stefan Toshev Stefan Nerezov Todor Kantardzhiev