The Lion's tale - Bulgaria in World War I

Sorry for the lack of updates. New year greeted me with a c-load of things to do in university, actually this is my first evening since New Year to check the Paradox Forums. The AAR is not dead and I promise to post the update during weekend at the latest.

Falconette -> We'll see. It won't be a big spoiler, but Austria's got a bit more to worry about than just Russia

Morrell8 & Baltasar -> I've tried invading Greece one and failed miserably. Those mountain forts are too powerful for me alone, especially with no resolution in Russia reached (and thus Romania still threatening to backstab me)...

MastahCheef -> Next update will tell

Even though the majority of his forces got defeated, the Serbian monarch did not choose to surrender to the victorious Central Powers. Instead, he and his trusted marshal Radomir Putnik mustered the remnants of their army, and, using French warships, evacuated them via Albania to France and Italy.


This, of course, was recieved as a casus belli in both Vienna and Sofia. Once the Albanian involvement in evacuation of king Petar and his soldiers was confirmed by military intelligence, a state of war between Albania and the Central Powers was declared.

Compared to the Serbian campaign, war with Albania was just a mop-up operation - the Bulgarians alone outnumbered the Albanian police force and border guards 10:1 and once they got reinforced by Austrians attacking from the north, the situation became even more clear. The Albanian capital of Tirana was secured by the 28th of August and the country itself was annexed to the Austro-Hungarian empire.


Not everywhere the war proceeded as smoothly, though; after initial loses in Poland, the Russians have managed to bring up reinforcements from the Caucasus and Far East, which gave the advancing Germans a very though fight. Between June and August 1915, Warsaw switched hands twice, and an offensive in the Eastern Prussia took Klaipeda, putting Koenigsberg itself in threat. A German counteroffensive in July managed to retake Warsaw, but came to an abrupt halt near Lublin, where the Russians managed to encircle and destroy four battered German divisions. Although not as static as on the Western Front, the war in the East slowly turned into a bloodbath as well.


In the south a new threat for the Central Powers emerged; Italy, initially a formal (and neutral) member of the Triple Alliance, decided to switch sides in February, following top-secret talks in Paris. In exchange for siding with the Entente, the government in Rome was promised Southern Tirol, as well as yet to be specified gains along the Adriatic Coast. Initial Italian push managed to capture Trento, while an Austro-Hungarian conteroffensive took Udine.


On the 30th of August the Austro-Hungarian foreign minister, Leopold Berchtold, authorised a special telegram to the Bulgarian government. The so-called "Berchtold Telegram", presented to Radoslavov by the Austrian ambassador, outlined the difficulties the Austrians faced on the Polish and Italian fronts and invited the Bulgarians to "discuss and coordinate further steps to be taken during the present conflict".


The reaction of the Bulgarian government was mixed, with two options clearly visible. Prime minister Radoslavov and general Zhekov were eager to accept the invitation, hoping that further involvement into the war will further Bulgarian cause in Berlin and Vienna, possible leading to revision of borderline in Serbia. General Tenev proposed a more careful approach, in which the Bulgarians and the Austrians were to launch a preemptive offensive into Romania, securing the northern flank before next step's direction is chosen.

Initially, the tsar seemed to favour Tenev's careful approach. The General Staff was even instructed to secretly gather information on Bucharest's defences, as well as prepare procedures for a rapid crossing of the Danube. Once again, however, the situation changes thank's to the tsar's change of mind.

On the 3rd of September general Zhekov issued a memorandum to Radoslavov and Ferdinand, outlining the idea of a direct intervention in the battles against the Entente. According to his proposal, five divisions (four infantry and one cavalry) were to be selected from the veterans of the Serbian campaign and sent to aid the Austrians. Not surprisingly, two options have taken into account; the Polish and the Italian Fronts.

Zhekov pointed out main difficulties the Bulgarians would have to face on each front; the numerical superiority of the Russian soldiers and the rugged terrain of northern Italy. Ultimately, he decided in favour of the Italian option. According to his argumentation, the Italian were far more streched, and, although small, the Bulgarian force would be strong enough to allow the Central Powers to achieve a breakthrough. Once this was done, the advance into Italy should quickly force the enemy to lay down his weapons, while in Russia even a successful breakthrough would not guarantee any significant progress in the war. The only chance to defeat Russia, according to Zhekov layed in allowing all Central Powers to concentrate their might in Poland. With half the Austrian army occupied in Italy, this was not possible. He dismissed fears of the threat posed by Romania and Greece; according to his assessment, the present defences were sufficient to hold even against a combined attack, and in case of emergency the railway system would allow to pull out the Italian Corps within a month.


On the 7th of September the Bulgarian ambassador in Vienna handed Berchtold an official reply. The tsar, crown prince Boris as well as generals Tenev, Boyadzhev and Zhekov were to arrive in Vienna the following week to negotiate the terms on which the Bulgarians would participate in the Italian campaign.

VIII
Under the Italian sun​

The Bulgarian delegation arrived in Vienna on the 8th of September. The Austrians, represented by Berchtold and Conrad von Hötzendorf, the Austrian chief of staff, as well as the venerable Franz Joseph himself, greeted their allies in the royal palace on the outskirts of Vienna. The German prince Leopold von Bayern, commander of the joint Austro-German forces in the Italian front, was present as well.

The negotiations, in fact, consisted of two largely separate meetings. Franz Joseph, Ferdinand, Radoslavov and Berchtold met in the palace itself, while prince Leopold, Hötzendorf, Zhekov, Boyadzhev and Tenev went out for a joint inspection of a newly formed reserve division, ready to be sent to the Russian front. The generals were accompanied by crown prince Boris, who later noted in his journal:





Both meetings turned out to be a complete success, resulting in the signing of the so-called Vienna Convention on the 11th of September. The Bulgarians would field an expeditionary corps (BEK in short), consisting of at least five divisions, in exchange for economical aid. The Bulgarians have forced a point regarding possible border revision in Serbia, but formed it in a rather vague and inspecific way, so as not to anger their stronger allies. The commander of the BEK was to be general Zhekov, who in turn would be subordinated to prince Leopold himself. Thus the Bulgarian force was given a status equal to a German army corps.

The plan was put in motion on the next day; four infantry divisions of Zhekov's 1st Army, as well as the 2nd Cavalry Division, under command of general Ivan Kolev, have been loaded onto trains and dispatched to Udine. Zhekov himself left Vienna with prince Leopold and went directly to the frontline, instead of returning to Bulgaria with the rest of the delegation.


The first troops arrived in Udine on the 21st of September. They had little time to accustom to the new land; eager to show his allies the value of the Bulgarian soldier, Zhekov ordered the freshly-deployed troops to support the Austro-German advance on Belluno. Luckily for the Bulgarians, the battle was already in its final stage; only a single skirmish with a marauder Italian company took place, where the Bulgarians managed to disarm the enemy with only two people lost.

As soon as the battle came to an end on the 25th, Zhekov met with prince Leopold in his headquarters on the outskirts of Udine to discuss further battle plans. It was decided that half of BEK's force is to be relocated north, where it will stage an attack on the city of Trient, taken in spring by the advancing Italians. The city used to be a pre-war fortress - but the Austrian command staff estimated that during the siege most installations have been damaged beyond repair. Nevertheless, Zhekov's second-in-command, general Vladimir Vazov was ordered to prepare several battle plan variants, taking into account a number of possible fort reconstruction schemes. Transports carrying Bulgarian troops started departing on the 1st of October and all units have been poised to strike within a week. Still, the strike had to be delayed due to weather conditions; strong rains and intense mountain fog prevented the Bulgarians from leaving their trenches for almost two weeks.


The long awaited attack finally begun on the 21st of October. With thundering artillery support, the Bulgarians left their trenches and started advancing towards mountain passes leading to Trient. The first line of forts fell quickly - surprisingly quickly. It was on the third day of the attack that the Bulgarians realised the Italian plan; the first line of defences was deliberately left weak to give the attackers a false feeling of advantage, luring them into a much better prepared second line of bunkers, trenches, machine gun emplacements and so on. The assault quickly lose momentum, casulties mounted alarmingly fast.


Zhekov and Vazov desperately threw their reserves into the fray, hoping that a breakthrough is still possible. Yet, all this has been made in vain - on the 28th of October prince Leopold ordered Zhekov to terminate the operation. Out of 75 thousands of Bulgarians attacking, over 10 thousands have been left dead in mountain passes - a quarter of all casulties taken in the whole Serbian campaign. What was to planned to be a glorious triumph turned out to be a bloody failrue. And it didn't take much time before news of Zhekov's blunder reached Sofia...

@ Viden -> Actually, since the UK is neutral, the Ottoman Empire didn't join the war as well

@ Leviathan07 -> The situation in Russia is tricky. Without the Caucasus front open, the Russians are throwing everything they have against Germany, easily matching my allies in numbers. My plan... Well, we'll see if my plan works. Stay tuned

IX
Letters & plans​

A socialist leaflet, colported in several Bulgarian towns in the last days of October 1915.

Brothers and sisters! Members of the peace-loving Bulgarian nation!​

Long enough have we endured the capitalist oppression. Warmongering royalists and their industrial masters have pushed the working class onto the path of war and destruction, giving us nothing but suffering, hunger and poverty. Instead of bread, we have guns. Instead of peace, we recieve countless coffins, filled with our sons who died on faraway battlefields. Died not for the cause of peace and justice, but for the greed and pride of the higher class!

We must end this NOW!
Arise!​

A letter by Pravoslav Tenev and other members of the General Staff, addressed to tsar Ferdinand and prime minister Radoslavov.

Your Majesty, mr Prime Minister

We, as members of the Generals Staff, feel obliged to express our deepest concern regarding the recent events.

We understand that, in order to be percieved as a creadible and potent ally, our country has to actively participate in the present war. Nevertheless, the General Staff, as well as the majority of the officers' corps, believes our present policy needs an urgent revision.

The result of the Triento push proves that our presence in Italy has been inadequately prepared. One man's ambition or energy, no matter how prodigious, must not overshadow the importance of careful preparations and considerations.

We enclose a plan of reorganisation of the Bulgarian Expeditionary Corps in Italy, as well as our proposals on the Corps' reformed command staff. We hope your Majesty's government will take our advice into consideration.

Signed:
gen. P. Tenev
gen. S. Nerezov
gen. K. Boyadzev
gen. K. Zhostov
gen. I. Fichev​

A fragment of crown prince Boris' diary.

Tenev's letter infuriated Father. I still have the picture of his face, twisted in a fit of rage, every time I bring myself to think about it. I am glad no one else witnessed Father slamming his fist onto his desk, swearing in a most unpleasant way. The press is already on a rampage and would surely use such splendid occasion to discredit the government.

I admit Tenev is a far nicer person than Zhekov, yet... I can't say I support his point of view. The war is far from conclusion, we must hold a unified front against our enemies without, not look for (or create) ones within.

I have spoken with Radoslavov this afternoon and gave him Zhekov's letter. He was very curious about my opinion on the matter. What could I have said? I do believe our involvment in Italy is neccessary and Zhekov's a right man for the job. On the other hand, I can't resist the feeling that Zhekov's request is anything less but a gamble...​

Letter from tsar Ferdinand to Nikola Zhekov.

General!

I and the Prime Minister would like to once again express our continous support towards you actions. Your request for reinforcements has been accepted, and units in question will soon depart to Italy, according to my orders as the Supreme Commander.

Still, I must inform you that this is as far as you go. I may be able to override Tenev's resistance, but I shall not risk stripping our borders any further - the defence force is already token sized. I demand results - and the sooner you manage to get ones, the better for us all.

Signed
His Majesty Tsar Ferdinand​

I was starting to wonder, whether the last update was so low in quality no-one even noticed its existance, or just too short to be commented

@ Leviathan07 -> I don't say I have no plans towards Turkey... But they are very low in priority now. Knocking at least one Entente member out of the war is of top priority.

Dunno if anyone believes my update promises - the next update is scheduled for release this weekend

X
Where all roads lead to​

The tsar's decision to grant Zhekov the requested reinforcements - two infantry and one cavalry division - once again overran the opinion of theGeneral Staff. The forces in question departed from Bulgaria in the last days of October, heading to the already traditional focus point near Udine.

The outrage in the General Staff becomes clearly understandable, given the token character of forces left to defend Bulgarian borders in case of an attack. Composed mostly of reserve divisions and border guards, those forces would hardly stand a chance against a Romanian or Greek invasion. In a private conversation with the crown prince, the tsar expressed his opinion on the matter; should Zhekov fail to achieve any significant success in Italy before the end of the year, most of his forces would be pulled back. It was clear that although the tsar and the prime minister officially supported Zhekov, they slowly became to realize the political usefulness of his expeditionary force may soon be outweighed by the mounting risk posed by the weakening of garrison forces.

Zhekov was no fool - he also realised that both his time and forces were limited. During a meeting with price Leopold, he proposed mounting a full scale assault on Venice and its immediate region. He pointed out that even if the Central Powers fail to capture the city itself, the proximity of the Austro-Hungarian naval base in Pola would allow an effective blockade of the city. The following siege would then be sure to starve Venice into surrender.


The attack was scheduled to become on the 18th of November, supported by all artillery the allied forces could muster. Eight Bulgarian divisions, consisting of almost 120 000 people, have started an offensive on a broad front, spanning from the seacoast to almost 100 kilometres inland. On the 20th, Austrain and German forces have launched their support attacks on the Bulgarians' right wing. Every spare weapon of the Italian front has been put into use, including some guns remembereing the Italo-Austrian war of 1866. Outnumbered and lacking mountains of the Triento region, the Italians folded on the 29th of November, starting a chaotic retreat towards Venice and across the Po river.

Bulgarian scouting parties, dispatched to the other side of Po reported that Italians' second line of defence was in complete disarray; field fortifications were mostly unmanned, with the majority of Italian forces either still retreating across the Po, or marching into defensive positions. On the 2nd of December, after intense shelling by Austrian battleships and a simultaneous descent by Bulgarian troops, the City of Canals fell into Central Powers' hands.

Seeing the scale of Italian retreat, Zhekov attempted the most risky decision he could have made; he ordered his cavalrymen to surge forward, regardless of distance, loses or fatigue. The city of Bologna fell on the 6th of December, unguarded by any creadible defence force. Trenches, some of them in very early stages of construction, were simply overrun by the advancing cavalrymen.

As soon as the Austrians secured the Brescia direction, the Bulgarian infantry started crossing the Po, while cavalry spearheads pushed forward towards Florence. The city was captured on the 14th, with the Bulgarians reaching the sea on the very next day. Italy has been effectively cut in half, with virtually no defenders left in the southern part of the country.


In an improvised headquarters in Bologna, Zhekov and Leopold decided to perform a last, single push. The allies were exhausted and their troops out of breath - but the Italians were in great chaos. When the attack on Parma began on the 17th, whole Italian battalions surrendered to the advancing Central Powers. However, the decisive blow, albeit much smaller, was to be made in the south...


Being given only three days of rest, general Ivan Kolev's cavalrymen were ordered to push along the coastline through Livorno, aiming towards Rome directly. Austro-Hungarian dreadnoughts, led by SMS Viribus Unitis, entered the Tyrrhenian Sea, denying any transport or supply ships access to souther Italy. All this effort was not in vain; on the 30th of December, after a brief fight with self-proclaimed militia, the Bulgarian cavalrymen entered the Eternal City. According to a popular soldier legend, commander of the triumphant division, general Ivan Kolev, personally led a charge down the streets, hoping to take the prime minister and the king as prisoners before they leave Rome. It is hard to verify the creadibility of this legend; even though it is likely Kolev had very little contact with his superiors in Bologna, not to mention the General Staff in Sofia, it is unlikely to think a responsible commader would risk his troops in such action. Nevertheless, one fact was indisputable; with Rome under occupation, war in Italy was likely to end soon.