Tuesday September 17^th, 1918

Ditto

Offensive in Salonika

Whilst everything seems quiet with the 9th Battalion and Frank today, things have been hotting up in Salonika.

During the first half of 1918, despite being in and out of the front lines – Frank and the (13th) Battalion were really only involved in skirmishes on the Macedonian Front.  However, for those who remained part of the British Salonika Force, this is about to change.

The Generals

Since the Macedonian Front had been established in 1915, the French had had overarching control of its multi-national Allied force.  The first French commander of this  ‘Allied Armies of the East‘ was General Maurice Sarrail. The photograph shows him with General Sir George Milne, commander of the British Salonika Force.

Ultimately Sarrail got caught up in the military disappointments and political fallout of late 1917 and was dismissed in December that year.  His replacement was General Adolphe Guillaumat.

During his tenure, Guillaumat improved relationships with other allied forces and started to plan a course of offensive action for the Front.  However, when Paris was threatened in June 1918, Guillaumat was called home to become the Military Governor of the city. His successor in Salonika was General Franchet d’Espèrey.¹

By the time Guillaumat got home though, the threat to Paris had receded.  According to AJP Taylor, ‘He therefore peddled the claims of his old front at Salonika.  He persuaded both Clemenceau and Lloyd George. Franchet d’Espèrey was given permission to attack.’²

The Offensive

By mid-1918, the Allied Armies of the East, always a very multi-national force, comprised ~ 300 battalions of mainly Greek, French, Serbian, British and Italian troops. This was roughly equivalent in size to the mainly Bulgarian Army that they faced.

Two days ago, on September 15th, the Allied attack began with an assault on the Moglena Mountains. ³ It is reported in the British newspapers today.

‘The following official report has been received in London from the Serbian Headquarters at Salonika:-

After artillery preparation carried out on the 14th inst. Serbian and French troops, on the morning of the 15th, attacked the enemy in a very powerful position which had been organized and fortified by the Bulgarians for two and a half years. The whole of this position is now in our hands.

The most important part of the Macedonian front has been carried by our troops, …’†

The same article also reported a comment by Arthur Balfour. ‘This was only going to be the prelude, added the Foreign Secretary, of greater success and greater triumphs in which British and Greek troops would take an equal and glorious part.’†

He is somewhat correct.  Tomorrow the British and Greek forces will join the battle.

9^th Battalion War Diary – 17^th September 1918 – Haudricourt

Training as per programme. 

References & Further Reading

¹ Louis Franchet d’Espèrey on Wikipedia

² ‘The First World War: An Illustrated History’ by AJP Taylor, Penguin Books, kindle locn 2423

³ ‘Under the Devil’s Eye: The British Military Experience in Macedonia 1915-18’ by Alan Wakefield & Simon Moody, Pen & Sword, 2011, kindle locn 4975

† Articles in The Guardian, September 17th, 1918, page 5

* HU 81081, copyright Imperial War Museums