Greece to roman road

After learning that the way back to Kavala had been cut off by a Greek division, Ivanov, as the commander of the Bulgarian army in the direction of Kavala, was speechless for a long time.

After the failure of the attack, the Bulgarian army led by Ivanov originally planned to retreat to Kavala and follow the example of the Greeks in holding on. This way, even if it failed to win the war, it could retain hundreds of thousands of active forces for the Bulgarian army.

In the same situation as him, the Southwestern Bulgarian Army that set out from Petrich suffered heavy setbacks in the initial attack. After learning that Romania and the Ottoman Empire had joined the group, they knew that there was no hope of victory and began to enter a large-scale offensive. Retreat phase.

It's just that the retreat of Petrich's Bulgarian army went relatively smoothly. Although there were Greek troops holding on to the rear, during the retreat, in order to delay the Greek pursuit, Petrich arranged for some troops to be responsible for breaking up the rear and sniping. .

During the retreat, after giving up more than 10,000 soldiers, the remaining more than 100,000 soldiers had retreated to the vicinity of Petrich.

In contrast, the Kavala army, which was focused on by the Greek military and political leaders, was not so lucky.

Since Kavala is the central city of Bulgaria in East Macedonia, it is also an important Aegean Sea port. After Bulgaria occupied it, this geographically important Aegean Sea port was very important.

Kavala is now valued by the Greek government for the same reason.

After receiving the order from the General Staff, Manujianaski immediately ordered the staff to prepare a combat plan in order to focus on wiping out part of the Bulgarian army near Kavala.

Under normal circumstances, if the enemy concentrates on escaping and does not engage in direct combat with the pursuers, it will be impossible to annihilate a large number of enemy troops.

Since the march basically relies on animal power and manpower, the speed is limited. In the case of one pursuit and one escape, for the pursued, it is just a rout, and most of the troops will still escape.

It was under this circumstance that the Second Division was given special orders to advance quickly with light equipment, throw away almost all heavy weapons, not to entangle with the enemy, and bypass the Ivanov Army from the side to the city of Kavala. After breaking through the enemy's limited troops responsible for guarding the rear, they waited for reinforcements, cooperated with the main force, and strived to completely annihilate Ivanov's army.

Naturally, the Kavala army led by Ivanov could not escape the Greek pursuit so easily.

The current Ivanov Army is in a dilemma. The retreat road is cut off by the second division of the Macedonian Army, and the main force of the Macedonian Army is chasing behind it.

If the second division, which was stuck like a nail in a vital place, could not be dealt with in time, the Bulgarian army would either be surrounded and annihilated, or they would surrender after running out of ammunition and food.

Ivanov, who had no way out, clearly understood his situation. Facing the sudden appearance of a Greek division from the rear, Ivanov's army must go all out.

For the 2nd Division of the Macedonian Army, this was also a tormenting moment.

"Oh! Damn it, the lieutenant got shot!"

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant! How are you?" The soldier hurriedly fired at the incoming Bulgarian soldiers while asking his commander in a panic.

Erhard was lying on the ground, his dilated pupils staring at the sky motionless. The moment the bullet hit his helmet, the huge noise made his ears buzz, and his mind went blank, and he was in a state of confusion. In a state of confusion, it wasn't until a face full of anxiety covered the sky that he suddenly came back to his senses.

My whole body felt like an electric shock. After twitching violently, I finally came to my senses. I pretended to be holding my hands and struggled to stand up from the ground. I cursed loudly and excitedly: "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

Roar loudly and subconsciously, venting the fear in your heart.

For just a moment, a brush with death was such a huge stimulus that even a low-level officer with rich war experience felt crazy.

"I'm fucking okay! Give me my helmet!"

After taking over his helmet, he could see a shocking silver scratch on the khaki ear on the left side, which was the mark of a bullet.

Erhard couldn't help but yelled again: "Shit!" Then he slammed the helmet that saved his life on his head.

Before Erhard could give the order again, a crisp sound of bone cracking reached his ears, followed by a miserable cry: "My hand! My hand!"

The hand that had just handed him the helmet was already covered in blood. The index finger and thumb that had been cut off by the bullet were hanging by the palm with a trace of skin connected.

"You're going to be fine! You're going to be fine! Climb to the back! After this damn blockade is over, we will heal your hand!" Erhard could only shout words that he didn't even believe.

People keep getting shot, but now no one can pay attention to the fallen comrades beside them. They don't even have time to drag the wounded off the line. There are densely packed Bulgarians in front of them. If they rush up, they will die!

Seeing this, Erhard felt a little lucky. Fortunately, these Bulgarian soldiers were deserters. In order to march faster, heavy weapons such as artillery had long been discarded. Otherwise, the second division would rely on the temporary and simple fortifications to dominate the defense. The superior Ivanov Army did not wait for reinforcements, but fell into the tiger's mouth.

"We need fire support. If the crazy mortars don't fire support, we are all going to die!" Erhard climbed to the battlefield phone and yelled at the forward observer.

Mortars are lightweight, especially small-caliber mortars, which only weigh a few tens of kilograms. After being disassembled, they can be easily hung on horses or mules. This is the only remaining artillery support of the Second Division.

"This is the frontline observation point! Artillery mission! Coordinates 378 to 456, spread out in bunches! Distance 200! Attacking enemy infantry! High-explosive bombs! Requesting fire support! Requesting fire support."

"Repeat! Artillery mission! Coordinates 378 to 456, spread in bunches! Distance 200! Attacking enemy infantry! High explosive bombs! Requesting fire support! Requesting fire support."

Shocked by the fierce exchange of fire on the battlefield, the observers were also shouting hysterically at this time.

Just when the Bulgarian soldiers were urged and scolded by their officers and rushed in front of the Greeks, the sound of falling mortar shells cutting through the air finally came from the air.

The rapid fire of four mortars without regard to ammunition consumption caused the not-so-wide battlefield in front of the Greeks to be shrouded in the flames and smoke of the explosion, the sudden violent shelling, and the death metal that bloomed after the explosion. The storm finally stopped the Bulgarians 80 meters in front of the bushes.

However, the obstruction of the frontal attack still did not make the Bulgarians give up. The Greeks were horrified to find that more Bulgarians on the right wing launched an attack!

"Back off! Back off! The Bulgarians want to outflank us!"

The Greek soldiers in the temporary front were at a loss when faced with the sudden appearance of local soldiers on their right flank.

Just when the Greeks were about to retreat in order to adjust their front, the sound of metal friction and the roar of engines appeared on the side and rear of the Greek front. It turned out to be a small number of modified armored vehicles in the Greek army.

"It's our armored vehicle"

More than thirty armored vehicles slowly moved their bulky bodies, actually using themselves as bunkers to provide cover for their own soldiers to make up for the fragile defensive capabilities of the temporary defense line.

The intensive bullets of the Bulgarian soldiers hit the armored vehicle, making a series of metal knocking sounds and sparks flying out.

In order to complete their mission of blocking the Bulgarian army, these armored vehicles did not consider their own safety at all.

Inspired by the bravery of the armored soldiers, the Greek soldiers quickly rushed to the armored vehicle, protected themselves with the body of the vehicle, formed a new line of defense, and blocked the loopholes on the right wing.

The Bulgarian machine gunner immediately turned his gun and pointed it at these new iron lumps, and pulled the trigger hard. The dense bullets made a clanging sound on the front armor plate of the armored vehicle, and flying sparks were scattered everywhere.

However, this does not prevent armored vehicles from continuing to play their role. Armored vehicles that have been damaged by continuous strikes stop on the spot and become fixed bunkers, while armored vehicles that can move continue to move to fill the weak defense lines.

As soon as the driver stepped on the brakes, the armored vehicle's body moved forward slightly, and then the Maxim machine gun mounted on the roof, taking advantage of its commanding position, made a huge roar that echoed over the green space.

The huge impact instantly broke the branches of the green grass, causing them to fly in all directions. The bullet trajectory drawn by the tracer bullet suppressed the Bulgarian soldiers to the ground and could not move.

"These armored car soldiers did a great job" while the German infantrymen looked at the scene with excitement and joy.

The sudden appearance of armored vehicles, regardless of losses, finally temporarily supported the Greek soldiers' defense line.

The addition of this group of spoilers instantly changed the situation on the battlefield. Facing the iron turtle-like steel monster, the Bulgarian soldiers who did not have many heavy weapons only felt helpless. Compared with the Greek infantry who stabilized the front, the inclined firepower advantage, The first wave of offensive by the Bulgarian soldiers was finally broken up.

"Hit me hard! Don't let them run away easily!" Captain Erhard, whose face was stained with dirt, no longer looked as embarrassed as when the front line was about to collapse just now, and excitedly clicked on the Bulgarians who started to escape. trigger.

"Run! Run! Run quickly!" Some people shouted for the Russians to run quickly while constantly pulling the triggers.

The Greek, who had been pinned to the ground just now, even got up and knelt down and fired at the Bulgarian's back, as if he wanted to completely vent the fear of death that had just enveloped his heart.

The Bulgarians broke away from contact, the gunfire finally stopped, and the Greek soldiers did not pursue them. Anyway, their task was only to block the Bulgarian soldiers, and time was on their side.

On the position, the Greek soldiers did not dare to relax. Almost all of them took shovels and dug trenches desperately. The soldiers consciously dug deep into the soil without being urged by the officers.

After more than a month of trench warfare, the soldiers understood deeply that the deeper the trench, the safer their lives would be.

Although there was not enough time and manpower for the soldiers to build a complete trench fortification, neither the Greek soldiers nor the fleeing Bulgarians they would face next would have too much heavy firepower.

This is good news for the Greeks who are wielding shovels.

There was no need to lay out multiple trenches or reinforce the breastworks of the trenches, which relieved the Greeks a lot of work.

However, even if there was not enough time and manpower to build a complete trench fortification, the Greeks built trenches with cut corners for their own lives, which can still be regarded as complete.

The trench, which has begun to take shape, was carefully dug into an irregular curve according to the requirements in the excavation tactical manual. The excavated soil was used to pile up the parapet and back wall at the front and rear of the trench, and gaps were left on the parapet at intervals. The gap serves as a preparatory fire point for the machine gun.

At the rear of the trench, the machine gun firepower point that has been constructed is slightly higher to have a better field of vision and shooting range. Sandbags are used to build parapets on both sides in front of the firepower point. Cut logs are placed on the two parapets as beams, and then Then use the excavated soil to pile up earth slopes at the front and rear of the parapet for reinforcement, and you can get a machine gun firing port with good shooting range and good defense.

Glancing at a water-cooled Maxim standing here, Katpolis thought for a while and then added: "I hope those Bulgarians are more sensible and don't come to cause trouble for us."

Ludvik laughed and joked: "At that time, we will wait until the main force of the legion comes to join us, and we will kill all the main troops on the Aegean coast of Bulgaria and weaken the strength of the Bulgarian Army as much as possible."

As a veteran machine gun shooter, Ludvik was given this brand new gift.

"It's just that the number of bullets is a little less." Vogt shook his head with regret.

In order to pursue mobility with light equipment and simplicity, the Second Division naturally did not have sufficient ammunition to supply Maxim heavy machine guns.

In positional defensive battles, the advantage of the water-cooled heavy machine gun's continuous firepower is self-evident.

Apart from mortars, this is the only thing the Greek soldiers of the Second Division can rely on.

In the next day and a half, the Second Division firmly held its position. The Bulgarian soldiers were almost crazy, charging towards the Second Division's simple defense line, hoping to deal with the Greek soldiers in front of them.

The soldiers of the 2nd Division did not sleep a wink for almost two days. They were always vigilant and carefully guarded against Bulgarian sneak attacks in the middle of the night, firmly blocking Ivanov's army.

On the afternoon of July 12, the main force of the Macedonian Army officially completed the encirclement of Ivanov's Army.

After several days of fleeing, the soldiers of Ivanov's legion were exhausted, their retreat was cut off, and their logistical supplies were cut off. In desperation, Ivanov led his troops to surrender dozens of kilometers outside Kavala. One hundred and sixty thousand soldiers were captured.