Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece sent their already prepared troops across the border to Ottoman territory the day after the declaration of war.

In it, the Bulgarian army formed the main group with three army groups in the Istanbul direction. The main forces of Serbia (three army groups) against the group of Ottoman troops in Macedonia. The Greek armies of Visalia and Epirus prepared against the armies of Thessaloniki and Yanina, respectively. The Greek Navy was preparing to take action against the Ottoman Navy to guarantee the Balkan League's naval supremacy in the Mediterranean. The task of the army of Montenegro was to fight in Macedonia in coordination with the Serbian army. The Balkan Confederates formed an encirclement posture against the Ottoman army, intending to crush his forces in Europe before Ottoman reinforcements arrived.

For this war, the Balkan Alliance mobilized close to 700,000 troops at the outset, of which Bulgaria mobilized 300,000 troops and Serbia mobilized 220,000 troops. Greece mobilized 120,000 troops, and Montenegro mobilized 35,000 troops. On the other side of the war, the Ottoman Empire had 350,000 troops on European territory.

In terms of military strength, the Balkan countries basically achieved the point of two soldiers against one Ottoman soldier, so the idea of the Balkan countries was to quickly break through and outflank the Ottoman army. Do not give him the opportunity to wait for reinforcements for the troops on the territory of Europe.

The first of these large-scale battles took place near the town of Kumanovo, located in northern Macedonia of the Ottoman Empire.

On October 19, the Serbian 1st Army crossed the border and advanced south into Ottoman territory. The Serbian cavalry division served as a guard on the left flank of the Serbian army. In command of the war against the Ottomans this time was the Chief of the General Staff, General Putnik.

Born in Kragujevac, the son of a secondary school teacher, educated at the Serbian Artillery Academy, the Putnik Colonel was appointed second lieutenant in 1866 and took part in the 1876 war against Turkey, where he gained a reputation for his outstanding performance despite Serbia's defeats at the Battle of Aleksi in September and the Junis region in October. After the outbreak of the 10th Russo-Turkish War in 1877-1878, he participated in counteroffensive operations with the Russian army.

In 1885 he took part in the unfortunate war against Bulgaria as chief of staff of the division, suffering a heavy blow in the battles of Slivnica and Pietro in November. He graduated from the Army Staff College in 1889. Steadily rising to the rank of general, he became chief of staff in 1903 and secretary of war three times (1904–1905; 1906-1908；1912）。 In order to save Serbia from the trauma of its early years, he worked to improve the professional skills of the Serbian army, as well as its weaponry and training. Under his leadership, the Serbian army became a well-equipped (relative to other Balkan countries), technologically advanced and highly motivated troops.

In his army headquarters. The Putnik general was looking at the military map and giving orders to his staff officers.

"Send a telegram to the Third Army and tell them to speed up their march and get to Mitrosse as soon as possible to cover our flank."

After receiving the order from Admiral Putnik, the staff officer straightened his legs and gave a military salute. "Yes, Chief of the General Staff."

Seeing the departing staff officers, Admiral Putnik was still satisfied with the current speed of the First Army, the First Army, composed of 110,000 men, was now the main force of the Serbian war, on their right was the Bulgarian 2nd Army with 54,000 men, and on the left was his own Third Army with 50,000 troops, and their goal was to annihilate the Ottoman garrison in the Macedonian region. It's just that they didn't expect Zeki Pasha's Varda Army to be prepared for this, and in the town of Kumanovo they were ready.

Three days later, the 4th Forward Division of the 1st Army met Zeki Pasha's Army Group Varda, which consisted of Kara-Saeed Pasha's 5th Army, Dijpasha's 6th Army, and Fati Pasha's 7th Army. The three corps were to the east, north and northwest of the Macedonian town of Kumanovo. The Turkish army totaled about 58,000 men, about half of the attacking Serbian army.

"Our forward 4th Division was in the town of Kumanovo and encountered the main force of the Ottoman Macedonian army."

A major staff officer hurriedly stepped forward to report to Admiral Putnik with a telegram from the Ottoman army in the town of Kumanovo.

"Show it to me."

General Putnik took the telegram and read it, in which the 2nd Division said that it had come under attack from 50,000 Ottoman troops and was now fighting for defensive operations.

The size of the Ottoman army was a surprise to the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian army, General Putnik, who did not expect to encounter a large Ottoman army so early in this war, nor did he expect that a major battle would begin in a small town in the far north of Turkey.

Admiral Putnik quickly found the location of the town of Kumanovo on the military map, and looked at the map and muttered it in his mouth. "Dare to fight back here, it's too bad to take our Serbian army seriously."

He also said this for a reason, because on the military map the Ottoman army fought near Kumanovo, and the entire Ottoman army was under the threat of the Serbian Third Army and the Bulgarian Second Army, easily cut off and surrounded.

"Now I command."

With the order of the chief of the general staff of Putnik, all the staff officers in the command put down their work and quietly waited for him to give orders.

The telegram ordered the Fourth Division to hold on to the spot and wait for reinforcements, and the other divisions of the First Army rushed to the town of Kumanovo at full speed, and quickly entangled their troops when they reached their destination. At the same time, a telegram was sent to the Third Army and the Second Bulgarian Army informing them of what had happened to us in Kumanovo. Ask them to penetrate the back as soon as possible, and I will annihilate them completely. ”

After saying that, General Putnik felt that it was not enough, and smashed his fist on the military map, and the location where it was hit was the town of Kumanovo.

All divisions of the 1st Army, which received a telegram from Commander Putnik, accelerated their march and rushed to Kumanovo. The Serbian Third Army and the Bulgarian Second Army also quickened their pace, striving to get to the predetermined location as soon as possible to encircle the Ottoman army. For a time, all the troops were mobilized.

At the focal point of the battlefield, inside the headquarters of the Serbian 4th Division, which was being besieged by the Ottoman army, the staff officers were busy, and various maps hung on the walls of this house. The division commander, Miller Sheroch, dressed in the uniform of a major general, was in a corner watching the telegram sent to him by the chief of the General Staff, Putnik.

"Report."

A herald with the smell of gunpowder on his uniform interrupted the division commander's train of thought.

"Speak."

Division Commander Millesevich put down the telegram in his hand and said to the herald.

"I am the herald of the 3rd Regiment of the right flank position, Nikilvino, we were attacked by tens of thousands of Ottoman troops, the casualties were large, the field phone could not be reached, our regiment commander Jabik sent me to ask for support."

Hearing the herald's words, Division Commander Millesevich turned his head to look at a young captain in a military uniform with an epaulette with the insignia of an engineer.

"Captain Vloster, why haven't you sappers checked the phone lines yet?"

The commander of the division's engineer company complained bitterly to the division commander Millesevich. "We are investigating, the line of the third regiment has been blown up three times, and we have lost seven maintenance sappers."

Hearing the complaint of the commander of his engineer company, Division Commander Millesevich still said with a resolute face. "I don't care about that, you have to make sure that the telephone lines are open, even if the sappers are even dead."

Hearing such a resolute order from the division commander, Captain Villeste had no choice but to comply. After giving a military salute to the division commander Millesevich, he went out to arrange for his subordinates to check the telephone line again.

After giving the order to the commander of the engineer company, Division Commander Millesevich picked up a field telephone and spoke to the communications staff officer. "Pick me up at the headquarters of the Fourth Regiment."

The 4th Regiment was the reserve of their 4th Division, and now that the front line was tight, of course it was necessary to send reinforcements from the reserves.

After a while, the communications staff officer was connected to the 4th Regiment, and the division commander Millesevich said loudly into the phone. "Is it Lieutenant Colonel Badanvik of the 4th Regiment?"

A voice came from the other end of the phone. "Yes."

Hearing that it was the commander of the 4th regiment, Badanvik, Division Commander Millesevich gave a loud order into the phone. "I'm division commander Millesevich. Now I order you to send a battalion at once to reinforce the 3rd Regiment of the Commander of the Right Wing Jabik. ”

The head of the Badanvik regiment on the other end of the line immediately replied. "Yes, division commander, I will immediately send a battalion to reinforce the 3rd Regiment on the left flank."

After the phone call, division commander Millesevich spoke to the herald of the 3rd regiment. "Now you can go back and reinvigorate, I've sent a battalion to reinforce me."

On the positions of the 3rd regiment, which was waiting for reinforcements, a wave of offensive by the Ottoman army had just ended. Porosnilo, a soldier of the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion, finally relaxed his tense nerves and breathed a long sigh of relief. He put down the Mosin Nagant rifle in his hand, pulled out a roasted potato from his dirty pocket, and ate it. Three months ago he wouldn't have had any interest in this baked potato, but now he thinks it's better than a steak.

Porosnilo came from a well-to-do family, his father was the town's doctor and his mother was the daughter of a merchant. Because his father was a skilled doctor, his wife and children did not have to worry about life, and Porosnello received a good education from an early age, thanks to his mother's teachings. Later, he went to the capital Belgrade to study in secondary school, planning to enter university in two years. As a result, when he was studying, he was encouraged by his classmates to join the army with them and was sent to the fifth company as a soldier. When he was sent over, due to his good family conditions, he was not used to life in the barracks, but seeing that he was now eating cold potatoes with relish, he also knew that he was used to the life in the barracks.

He had just finished eating the cold potatoes in his hand when he heard the shouts of the other soldiers. "Shelling."

Porosnello quickly crouched down in the trench and opened his mouth wide to avoid the shelling.

"Boom ~ Boom ~ Boom ~ Boom."

The Ottoman artillery hit a large number of shells on the positions of the Serbian army, and for a time the dust was flying, and the air was filled with a thick smell of gunsmoke. Many of the unlucky ones lost their lives in the shelling, but Porosnello was lucky enough to not have a single wound other than to make himself disgraced.

"Phew~Phew~Phew."

After a burst of shelling, Porosnilo spat out the dirt in his mouth.

The comrade-in-arms next to him shouted. "The Ottomans are coming up again."

"Aren't these damn Ottomans tired." Borosnello grumbled, picked up the gun next to him and began to plunge into the tense battle.

At the launch position of the Ottoman army, Zeki Pasha, the commander of Army Group Varda, was holding a telescope to observe the effects of the attack. The Ottoman army attacked in a skirmish line, while the Serbian army launched a counterattack in the trenches. In the fierce counterattack of the Serbian army, the Ottoman army also suffered heavy casualties. Perhaps the commander-in-chief was observing the situation from behind, and the commander of the Ottoman army did not give the order to retreat, but another wave of troops came up to reinforce it. With the combined efforts of the two waves of Ottoman troops, they finally stormed the position of the 3rd Regiment, and for a time a tragic white-knuckle battle took place on the position.

Zeki Pasha saw this and said with praise. "Well done."

Just then a Serbian reinforcement arrived, and the Ottoman army was driven out of their positions unnoticed.

At the position of the 3rd Regiment of the Serbian Army, Porosnilo was lying on the ground, and he was bandaged by a paramedic next to him. He was stabbed in the abdomen by an Ottoman soldier, but fortunately he reacted quickly and escaped the vital point, but he suffered from flesh and skin and did not hurt his internal organs, and he needed to lie in the hospital for a while to recover. After being bandaged by the paramedics, he was carried on a stretcher and taken to the field hospital in the back. After the paramedics had treated his injuries, they were busy treating the other wounded.

This time the Ottoman attack cost the 3rd Regiment 614 men, but the Ottoman army did not fall well either, and they lost even more 1,153 men.

This time, the commander, General Dramunsuk, stepped forward with a gloomy face and spoke to the commander Zeki Pasha, who was observing the course of the battle. "I'm sorry, Your Excellency, but I still failed."

Hearing the self-blame of his right-hand man, Zeki Pasha looked at him with a smile and said. "It's okay General Dramonsuk, if we fail this time, we will get it back next time, and no one will always win on the battlefield."

Hearing that his boss didn't blame him, Dramsuk also sighed secretly. He intends to summarize the course of this battle and avoid making mistakes again.

After Zeki Pasha left the front-line position and returned to his headquarters, he said to the subordinate staff officers around him. "You guys go down, I want to think for myself."

Hearing his order, the staff officers left the room one after another. After seeing that there was no one around, Zeki Pasha's face suddenly collapsed, and he did not want to move the army to northern Macedonia to attack first. In his view, the defense of northern Macedonia was an attempt to keep the Balkan Confederate army at the border. This idea is good but unrealistic, because the Balkan countries have twice as many troops as the Ottoman European garrisons, and they can only be broken by them with superior forces on the national border, and they cannot delay the reinforcements of Asian armies at all.

Moreover, the strategy of attacking first was seriously flawed, because the army lacked adequate training, and its subordinate officers lacked the ability to lead troops to organize and carry out a successful attack. This has already been shown in today's battle. This is still money, and he can't do anything if the army doesn't have enough funds.

In his opinion, the army should be moved to the south to fortify Bitola, where they could use Albanian resources (the only area in Albania to support the Ottoman Empire) and be able to hold out for a while, at least to buy time for reinforcements from Anatolia. However, the orders of the commander-in-chief of the Turkish army, Nizam Pasha, must be obeyed, so he could only choose a relatively good town of Kumanovo to launch the offensive.

"Fight for another day, and if it still doesn't work, retreat." Zeki Pasha secretly made a decision in his heart.

On the battlefield, the Ottoman soldiers still fought with the Serbian soldiers, and many lives were ended in each battle. The Ottoman army did not make much progress until dark, and could only fight again tomorrow. Zeki Pasha didn't know that he had made a mistake in his calculations, and that he would pay for the mistake himself.

That night, Serbian troops began to arrive one after another, and they brought a large number of battlefield god artillery to the 4th Division, because it was night, and the Serbian army did not attack immediately.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, the Ottoman army began to prepare for the attack, and it was still the artillery that opened fire first. However, this time the Serbian position also had a large number of its own artillery, and for a time the artillery of both sides was inseparable from each other. This made Zeki Pasha feel a little strange in his heart.

During the artillery engagement, the Ottoman army nevertheless launched an attack on the positions of the Serbian army. For a while, the smoke of gunfire was filled in front of the Serbian positions, and the soldiers of both sides were fighting together, and many Ottoman officers felt that the Serbian defense had increased a lot today, and the Serbian army counterattacked more and more times, which surprised them.

Of course, Zeki Pasha, as their commander, also knew about this situation, but he believed that this was due to the arrival of the Serbian army one after another, so he could only increase the intensity of the attack and invest more troops to suppress the counterattack of the Serbian army.

However, after increasing the investment of troops, the Serbian army's counterattack continued, which made Zeki Pasha realize that something was wrong. At this time, the Serbian artillery relied on more artillery and more sophisticated technology to completely suppress the Ottoman artillery.

At this time, the Serbian army began to counterattack, and for a time the Ottoman army was caught off guard and retreated to the launching position. And these Serbian troops had no intention of stopping at all, and launched a strong onslaught directly on the Ottoman army. The Ottoman positions were in danger of being beaten.

Zeki Pasha knew that he had to come up with a countermeasure as a commander-in-chief, and he gave orders to the staff officers around him. "Let the reserve militia go up."

He was going to increase the number of troops in the front line and withstand this wave of attacks first, and in fact it was the worst decision he had ever made in this campaign. The lack of training and panic of these militias could only demoralize the Ottoman army.

Sure enough, with the reinforcement of these militias, the positions of the Ottoman army were broken through in many places, and seeing this, Zeki Pasha knew that the general trend had gone, and now he could only retreat first.

"Give the front line an order for them to retreat in batches and resist step by step, and we are also ready to retreat."

After hearing the words of their commander-in-chief, the staff officers put away their important documents one after another and prepared to retreat to the rear in a carriage. Zeki Pasha glanced at his command post and left first under the protection of the guards.

Although the Serbian army repelled the Ottoman army, they did not carry much ammunition because they were all on a rapid march, and did not continue the pursuit. However, Zeki Pasha's Army Group Varda suffered heavy casualties and was no longer able to stop the Serbian army's advance into the Macedonian region.

In this battle of Kumanovo, the 1st Serbian Army had 687 killed, 3,208 wounded, and 597 missing, half of which were killed or wounded by the besieged 4th Division. The Ottoman army suffered 12,000 casualties and about 300 were captured, which was three times the number of the Serbian army.

Although initially a little caught off guard, the Serbian army quickly recovered and dealt a heavy blow to the Ottoman army in Macedonia with a brave counterattack, although the Serbian army did not take advantage of the momentum to pursue and extend the victory. But with the victory at Kumanovo, Serbia still controlled northern Macedonia. In the dispute between Serbia and Bulgaria, most of the "disputed zone" was occupied by Serbia, giving Serbia a huge advantage.

(I'm sorry I can't separate, so let's just watch)