In 1895, the Austrian Macedonia region was caught in a wave of chaos. Demonstrations demanding autonomy took place in Ptolemy, Thessaloniki, Serre and other places one after another. As many as 50,000 local people participated in the demonstrations.
If you look carefully, you will find that the people participating in these demonstrations are basically Greeks. It is obvious who is behind this.
Sure enough, a week after the demonstrations, Greece sent a note to the Ottomans, asking them to respect the wishes of the people in Austrian Macedonia and grant them autonomy.
Faced with Greece's rude request, the Ottoman Empire refused on the spot. Greece naturally knew that it could not achieve its goal by relying on words, so it declared war on the Ottoman Empire on August 1, 1895.
Little Greece dared to face the Ottoman Empire. Who gave them the courage?
Greeks all over the world raised more than 1.6 million pounds in war funds for the Kingdom of Greece, especially Greeks in the United States, who contributed 40% of the total.
Britain and France also sold a sum of arms to it behind the scenes, especially the two 10,000-ton battleships Trafalgar and Nile, which gave Greece an absolute advantage at sea.
Well, to be fair, in addition to the Greeks themselves and Britain and France behind them, Italy and Bulgaria also gave some courage.
That's right, Italy and Bulgaria.
Due to the poor performance of the Ottoman army in the two countries' previous battles with the Ottomans, Greece has a feeling that it can do whatever it takes.
Of course, in addition to this feeling, there are also some actual situations that make the Greeks think they have a chance of winning.
The reason is that the Ottoman garrison in Macedonia is currently very awkward. Since they only have a narrow coastal strip in their hands, the Ottomans dare not place too many troops in Austrian Macedonia. They are afraid that Bulgaria will cut off Austrian Macedonia with a single charge like the last war.
The connection with the mainland. So there is currently only one Macedonian army with more than 50,000 people.
That's right, Osman believes that the number one threat in the Balkans is Bulgaria, which he defeated so badly last time. So in order to deal with the threat from Bulgaria, Osman stationed his most elite Thrace First Army in Adrianople.
The size of six divisions and the establishment of 100,000 people make it the most combat-effective fist force in the hands of the Ottomans. Moreover, this group army is also a priority training unit of the German advisory group, and its combat effectiveness is very guaranteed.
Moreover, the defense policy formulated by the Ottomans also targeted Bulgaria. After all, Bulgaria was already facing Adrianople, which was the last fortress city of Istanbul.
It was precisely based on the deployment of the Ottoman army that Greece believed it had a chance of winning.
After the war, concentrate forces to quickly defeat the Ottoman Macedonian Army. Then the Greek army can rely on the narrow coastal road to block the reinforcements of the Ottoman army, thereby actually occupying the entire Austrian Macedonian region. Except for Bulgaria, which allows the Ottoman army to transit, but
Given the relationship between Bulgaria and Osman, this is something that cannot even be considered. Even if Bulgaria really allowed it, Osman would not dare.
The Greeks, who were preparing for war, believed that they were 80% strong, so they couldn't wait to declare war on the Ottomans.
Greece's ambitions have naturally attracted the attention of all countries. As a party with interests in the Balkans, Italy will certainly not miss this war.
No, Carlo gathered with Prime Minister Antonio, Minister of War, Marshal Cadorna, and Chief of General Staff, General Simeone, to talk about the war between the Ottomans and the Greeks.
"Your Majesty, colleagues, after Greece declared war with the Ottomans, its troops deployed on the border crossed the border and invaded Austrian Macedonia. The Greek army is currently divided into two parts, including the first army commanded by Crown Prince Constantine.
, departing from Thessaly, has arrived at Caterini in Austrian Macedonia. Its target is directly at Theloniki, the core city of Austrian Macedonia. This is its main force, with 76,000 people and equipped with 263 artillery pieces.
Another Greek army with 19,000 people set out from Epirus, aiming directly at Ptolemy. It is believed that after capturing this place, it will join the Crown Prince's First Army. At sea, the Greek Navy's warships have already set out to sea.
, led by two 10,000-ton battleships Evlov and Lemnos, have blocked the Dardanelles Strait.
In addition, Greece is currently mobilizing to form a second army, but due to weapons and personnel factors, it will take at least twenty days to complete the formation."
The speaker was General Simeone, the Chief of General Staff. He was holding a baton on the map and explaining the dynamics of the Greek army to Carlo and his colleagues.
"What about the Ottomans? How did they respond?"
At this time, Antonio, as Prime Minister, couldn't help but ask.
In response to the Prime Minister's inquiry, General Simeone immediately said, "As for the response of the Ottoman army, according to the information we have received, its Macedonian Army has retreated to Seloniki."
"No more?"
Admiral Simonyi's words surprised everyone.
"Yes, this is the current information on Osman. Of course, secret actions cannot be ruled out. However, given Osman's confidentiality, I think it is unlikely."
Well, knowing what they were thinking, Simeone said more. Obviously, it is not advisable to question the military's battlefield intelligence collection capabilities.
"The Ottomans have been slow to take action in the face of the Greek offensive. Is it because they are worried about Bulgaria?"
Suddenly this sentence made everyone's eyes light up.
"It is indeed possible that if the Ottomans could not determine Bulgaria's true thoughts, the troops they placed in Adrianople would not dare to be used. Moreover, not only could they not be used, they would also need to be strengthened. If this is the case, then it makes sense.
"
Chief of General Staff Simeone looked at the map and murmured to himself.
"Then why does Bulgaria want to help Greece? Did they make some secret agreement? It shouldn't be. Given the relationship between our country and Bulgaria, even if there is a secret agreement, there should be some hints."
Foreign Minister Bacona asked his own question.
Don’t doubt Italy’s influence in Bulgaria. Currently, Italy is a priority in Bulgaria’s diplomacy. Because Italy is Bulgaria’s most needed and important ally at the moment, Bulgaria generally does not hide anything from Italy. Moreover, Greece and Bulgaria
The relationship is not good, and it is hard for people to believe that the two will get close, because they have an irreconcilable conflict, and that is Seloniki. This is Macedonia's largest port, and neither side is willing to see it fall into the hands of the other.
"Perhaps Bulgaria does not have any contact with Greece, but simply wants to continue the fight between the two parties?"
The Prime Minister's point of view made everyone's eyes brighten.
This is really possible. Both warring parties are our enemies, so why not let them continue to fight. If this makes sense, we can give the much weaker Greece an advantage in the early stage, and then let the two sides continue to fight to increase losses. What do you think?
It's more cost-effective than watching from the sidelines.
The prime minister was indeed the prime minister, and the ensuing war situation was exactly as expected. Bulgaria's changes on the border really made the Ottomans dare not relax, so the Thrace First Army in Adrianople did not dare to move at all, and had to send reinforcements from Istanbul
.
Istanbul sent three divisions of reinforcements and rushed all the way to Theloniki.
On the Greek army's side, the fierce siege of Theloniki was raging.
The Greek army, which had superior strength and firepower, continuously launched attacks on the Ottoman defenders.
However, the Greek army failed to succeed due to the resistance of the defenders.
The excellent command of the Turkish army commander Kara Mustafa caused the Greek army to lose its troops. After twelve days of siege, Greece lost 18,000 people and still failed to capture the city.
Being dragged in Theloniki for a long time put the Greek army in danger. Sure enough, after the arrival of three divisions of reinforcements, the Greek commander Crown Prince Constantine could only announce his withdrawal from Theloniki and retreat to the border. Originally
According to the words of the crown prince, considering that the soldiers were physically and mentally exhausted from the long attack, they first retreated slowly and relied on fortifications for defense.
However, this order turned out to be a major mistake.
The Turkish army commander Kara Mustafa took advantage of the favorable opportunity when the Greek army retreated in chaos and gave it a try. The retreating Greek army was held back by the menacing Ottoman army and fell into panic and chaos. The Ottoman army pressed forward with the whole army.
, morale was greatly shaken, and a great victory took place outside the city of Theloniki.
The Greek army withdrew to the country with only 57,000 soldiers. All the manned weapons were lost, and more importantly, most of the artillery they carried were lost.
Such a tragic sight destroyed all Greece's ambitions. The troops who retreated had no morale, and it was not easy to rectify them.
Moreover, the victorious Ottoman army was approaching the border. The Greek army, which had lost heavy firepower, could only try to use the terrain advantages to resist.
However, the resistance was in vain. After losing heavy firepower, the Greek army suffered successive defeats. The Greek army suffered successive defeats near the cities of Fasalu, Velisthenon, Pigadia, Arta and Prefozza.
, Greece could only ask for an armistice.
Not to mention that Greece lost many soldiers and generals in this battle, and many years of hard work were in vain. It was such a tragedy.
After the mediation of various countries, Greece compensated the Ottomans 2 million pounds in compensation and ceded several key points in Thessaly, and the war came to an end.
In this war, the poor performance of the Greeks made all countries look at the Ottomans with a high regard. It also made the Balkan countries, which were about to be in trouble, much calmer. I don't know if this is a good thing or not.
But whether it's a good thing or not, it doesn't matter to the Italian Navy, because they have more important things to do.
