Macedonian front

The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and with insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia and was complicated by the internal political crisis in Greece (the National Schism). Eventually, a stable front was established, running from the Albanian Adriatic coast to the Struma River, pitting a multinational Allied force against the Bulgarian army, which was at various times bolstered with smaller units from the other Central Powers. The Macedonian front remained stable, despite local actions, until the Allied offensive in September 1918 resulted in Bulgaria capitulating and the liberation of Serbia.

Macedonian front
Part of the Balkans theatre of World War I

From left to right: Allied soldiers from Indochina, France, Senegal, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Serbia, Greece, and India.
Date21 October 1915 – 30 September 1918
(2 years, 11 months, 1 week and 2 days)
Location
Result

Allied victory

Belligerents
Allied Powers:
Commanders and leaders
Units involved

Army Group Scholtz

Allied Army of the Orient


Italian XVI Corps
Strength
  • 550,000 men
  • 18,000 men
  • 1,217 artillery pieces
  • 2,710 machine guns
  • 30 aeroplanes
  • Unknown
  • 29,000 men (Dec 1916 – May 1917), afterwards 4,300 (until May 1918).
  • 717,000 men
  • 2,609 artillery pieces
  • 2,682 machine guns
  • 6,434 automatic rifles
  • 200 aeroplanes
Casualties and losses
  • 200,000 casualties


  • 6,700 killed, 15,600 missing and 16,200 wounded
  • 40,000 casualties
  • 27,000 casualties
  • 26,207 casualties
  • 10,538 casualties
  • Unknown
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