After the Bulgarian army led by Lieutenant General Kudinchev retreated to Pleven, they prepared for defense. Lieutenant General Fereit, who was pursuing, also delayed his move after hearing that the Bulgarian army was entrenched in Pleven and would not leave.
Having stopped the march, he wanted to make final preparations for capturing Pleven.
The reason why Lieutenant General Freit was so cautious was that, in addition to the large number of Bulgarian troops gathered in Pleven, the quality of the local fortifications was also key.
Pleven has been a transportation artery linking Bulgaria and Romania since ancient times. Traces of various eras can still be vaguely seen inside and outside the city. Of course, as a transportation artery, defense against possible enemy attacks is also considered.
Among them, Pleven has experienced many wars in history and was destroyed three times. However, it was later rebuilt relying on prosperous trade.
Thanks to being located in the interior of Bulgaria, Plevin has not been exposed to war in recent years. The closest moment was the Romanian attack during the Second Balkan War. However, due to changes in the situation that time, Plevin
It was not attacked. However, after that, the Bulgarians also built many fortifications as a strategic point to defend against their increasingly powerful neighbors in the north, and now is the time to use them.
As the commander of the Romanian army's attack on Bulgaria, Lieutenant General Freit was of course very aware of this, so he was gathering his strength to crack open this hard nut. The most advantageous weapon in his hand to conquer this city was the weapon assigned to him.
Two of its own heavy artillery regiments (a 150-meter heavy artillery regiment and a 210-meter heavy artillery regiment).
Among them, the 210th Heavy Artillery Regiment was urgently allocated because after the Battle of Suceava, the Romanian military found that large-caliber heavy artillery was most effective when facing enemy fortifications. Therefore, facing the Bulgarian army gathered in Pleven for defense, Ferreira
Lieutenant General It was prepared to use his most powerful weapon.
While Lieutenant General Freit was waiting for his heavy artillery, Lieutenant General Kudinchev was also reinforcing the defenses inside and outside the city. At the same time, the two of them were making small moves, arranging troops to harass the supply lines and forcing the Romanian army to disperse its forces. It was Kudinchev who
It is the duty of a lieutenant general as a commander. And it is not surprising that Freit arranged for a small number of elite soldiers to bypass Pleven and harass the rear of the defenders.
So today I will sneak attack your transport convoy, and tomorrow I will raid your military supply point in the rear. This happens frequently before the battle breaks out. But both of them know that these are not effective means to defeat the opponent. Only a head-to-head offensive and defensive battle in Previn can
This is the main focus of both parties.
Time passed like this frequently and nervously. After a week of confrontation, the heavy artillery that Lieutenant General Freit was waiting for finally arrived. So on the second day of 1918, the Romanian army was finally ready to launch an attack.
Six kilometers outside the city of Pleven, a small village called Petrol is already filled with Romanian soldiers. The local Bulgarians have fled the village. In the open space outside the village, the muzzles of the guns are raised and lowered.
The heavy artillery with uncoated guns and the artillerymen making pre-war preparations make people know that this is a Romanian heavy artillery position.
Among them, large-caliber cannons with slender barrels and howitzers with short and thick barrels can be seen here. Lieutenant General Freit has prepared four heavy artillery positions like Petrol. They will target Previn, the turtle.
Shell hammer.
When the hour hand pointed to nine o'clock, the heavy artillery that had already set the firing parameters was ready to fire.
"Boom, boom, boom"
The rapidly falling artillery shells bombarded Bulgaria's carefully prepared positions. A large number of painstaking fortifications failed to withstand the bombardment of heavy artillery and turned into dust. The Bulgarian soldiers hiding in the fortifications shivered under the power of the god of war.
This made the Romanian soldiers who were waiting for the attack feel very happy. When the superior artillery fire swept across the enemy's position, everyone was so excited.
"Look, there's a big explosion over there. It should be that the position where the ammunition is stored was hit directly."
The explosion caused by a hit on a front-line ammunition warehouse caused the soldiers to discuss it excitedly.
"I saw some gun barrels were blown away."
"I also saw the machine gun being blown away."
Seeing the soldiers having a heated discussion, the junior officers responsible for leading the team did not step forward to stop them. Talking before the battle would help ease their tension.
Facing the Romanian heavy artillery bombardment, the defenders certainly would not remain indifferent, and they also used their own heavy artillery to counterattack.
"Howl"
A sharp sound came from far to near.
This voice made the experienced officers and soldiers' expressions change drastically. "Hurry and take cover, there is artillery fire."
"boom"
A shell landed more than ten meters in front of the launching position, leaving the soldiers who had been having a heated discussion disgraced.
"Damn it, it's not going to be easy for these Bulgarians."
"Where's our artillery? Let's kill these bastards who dare to fight back against the Bulgarians."
Seeing their embarrassed appearance, the soldiers began to denounce them, and at the same time hoped that their artillery would teach these enemies who had made them miserable.
As they were not disappointed, the artillery brothers, who had air supremacy and set up a hot air balloon artillery school, quickly fired artillery shells on the enemy artillery that dared to show their heads.
Facing the Romanian counter-artillery bombardment, the artillery pieces on the defensive side were scattered in various directions to avoid them. Those that could not be avoided were turned into parts under the bombardment of the heavy artillery regiment. This also relieved the Romanian soldiers on the position from being bombarded, and also allowed those who were bombarded to do so.
The damage suffered by the Bulgarian position has been reduced a lot, which has also become the purpose of the defensive side.
After two hours of heavy shelling, the Bulgarian position was in a shambles, with the fortifications almost flattened and looking like a dark lunar surface filled with craters.
Seeing this situation, the officer leading the team waved his arms and shouted loudly, "Attack."
The soldiers on the initial position were also highly motivated and immediately followed their commanders and rushed towards the enemy. Looking from the sky, it seemed as if the military green wave was about to drown the opponent.
On the position that had been tortured by Romanian heavy artillery, the Bulgarian soldiers who were shaking their heads and feeling a little dazed saw their expressions change greatly when they saw this situation.
"Get ready to counterattack."
The officers among them immediately issued orders eagerly to their soldiers.
"There aren't many enemies, so hurry up and seize the position."
The sparse gunfire on the position not only did not stop the soldiers from attacking, but instead boosted their morale.
This situation also made Major General Faucto, who was in charge of commanding this battle, very happy. He directly ordered the staff beside him. "Immediately ask the artillery to increase the interception firepower. We must not let the enemy reinforcements come up. I want to defeat the enemy in this battle."
Forward position."
Under the command of Major General Foktor, the already ferocious artillery fire became even more intense. This made it impossible for the Bulgarian soldiers who were reinforcing the frontline positions to pass by, and also made the Bulgarian commander responsible for the defense jump in anger.
Under the leadership of the officers, they rushed into the fragmented position with few casualties and engaged in close firefights with the enemy. Without reinforcements, the defenders on the position were driven out one by one, leaving the man responsible for commanding the battle.
Major General Faucto was very satisfied.
"Send a message to Lieutenant General Freit. Our army has captured the forward position in one battle. The enemy has been routed and retreated to the rear. Please ask for instructions on the next step."
Soon Lieutenant General Freit's reply came to him, with only one sentence: "I hope to continue our efforts and attack the enemy's defense line."
Lieutenant General Freit's words greatly satisfied Major General Foktor. He called the communications staff to continue issuing orders. "Let the artillery in the rear prepare. We will continue to attack the enemy's position in the afternoon without giving the enemy a chance to breathe."
In the ensuing battle, the Romanian army took advantage of its artillery and elite soldiers to gain an absolute advantage, and successively launched fierce attacks on the defending Bulgarian positions.
Heavy artillery bombardment of infantry occupation, this tactic made the Romanians themselves suffer heavy losses when facing the Germans in Suceava, and it worked equally well for the Bulgarians.
Although Romania does not have as many heavy artillery as the Germans and has larger calibers, the Bulgarian defenses are not as strong as those built by Romania. As a country whose national strength is not as strong as its rivals, it is unrealistic for Bulgaria to build Pleven into a solid fortress made of reinforced concrete.
Most of the fortifications outside the city rely on civil engineering, and only a few key defense points, hiding holes, and ammunition storage points are reinforced with steel and concrete. The fortifications inside the city can only be reinforced simply by using a large number of residential buildings, and only a few key points are reinforced.
Built according to standing fortification standards, most of these fortifications cannot withstand heavy artillery bombardment.
Faced with the non-stop onslaught of the Romanian army, Lieutenant General Kudinchev, who was in charge of the command, complained repeatedly. After a week of relentless onslaught, he finally couldn't help it and asked for help from the Bulgarian commander-in-chief, General Zekov.
In the request for reinforcements, Lieutenant General Kudinchev said, "If there are no reinforcements within ten days, it will be impossible for us to withstand the enemy's offensive."
Faced with Lieutenant General Kudinchev's request for help, General Zekov was greatly surprised, so he could only find a way to mobilize troops from the Salonika front line, which turned the Bulgarian campaign around.
