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Salonika 1916
Scenario Author:
RhinoBones
Map Author:
RhinoBones
Author's E-mail Address:
RhinoBones@aol.com
Last Scenario Revision Date:
January 27, 2000
VERSION 1.0
During the early months of 1916 the French pushed for a concentration of allied forces in the Salonika area (NE Greece) with the ultimate purpose of counter invading Serbia and punishing Bulgaria for their participation in the partitioning of Serbia. Although the British were not enthusiastic about the plan, they did manage to keep 90,000 troops in Salonika in order to preserve the coalition. Also at Salonika were a few Russian units, some Italian units and the Serbian troops who the French had evacuated out of Serbia via Albania and the Island of Corfu. While in Salonika the Serbs were able to rest and refit with modern European weapons. Their spirits and fighting quality were as keen as ever. Total allied troops was about 300,000.
In May of 1916, the allied high command gave the Salonika commander, French General Maurice Sarrail, the go ahead to switch from a defensive posture to a more aggressive stance. This was partly intended to divert German attention away from the western front, but also to show the two remaining neutral countries, Greece and Romania, the strength and commitment of the allies to the defeat of the Central Powers.
By the middle of June, the overall situation was even more in favor of the allies. By this time, the Brusilov offensive had started and the destruction of Austria-Hungary seemed assured. Impressed with the initial Russian success, the Romanians saw the chance to enter the war on the allied side and regain territory previously lost to Hungary. Eventually Romania agreed to enter the war on the allied side on the condition, among several others, that Sarrail would launch an offensive against Bulgaria from the south. It was thought that Sarrail's assault would force the Bulgarians to concentrate on the Salonika and prevent their interfering with anything the Romanians did further north in Transylvania. The allies quickly agreed.
Sarrail deployed his forces with the British on the right flank (where it was thought little fighting would occur), French in the middle and Serbs on the left with support provided by French, Russians and Italian units. The Bulgarians, after a cross boarder incident, actually attack before Sarrail was ready. The resulting Battle of Doiran (August 2-21) saw the British/French advance against the Bulgarian attack. The Battle of Florian (August 17-19) followed with a combined German/Bulgarian force being pushed back. By October, Sarrail's forces were attacking into Macedonia where the town of Monastri was liberated.
After Monastri, the Balkan winter began to set in on the allies and
the offensive was officially halted. The mixed result was that a
small part of former Serbian territory was recaptured while the strategic
battle was lost. Sarrail's offensive did not divert attention away
from Romania. On the contrary, the master German warlords Falkenhayn
and Mackensen were quickly dispatched to the Balkans where they commanded
a combined German/Bulgarian army in the offensive against Romania.
By the end of 1916, after a series of catastrophic defeats, Romania was
eliminated as an allied belligerent.
Victory Conditions
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The Bulgarians must prevent the allied offensive from penetrating the
defenses. Any objectives captured by the Allies must counter attacked
and retaken.
Remarcks
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This scenario is designed to be played solitaire against the AI from
the Bulgarian side. For PBM games, the Bulgarians should have an
extra +2 in prestige in order to compensate for the large numbers of allied
troops.
Last Update Changes
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