The Greeks Advance

The chapter starts with an assessment of the balance of forces. Greece had local superiority over the Ottoman forces, as did Serbia and Bulgaria in their respective theatres. The Turkish armies were weakened by events in Yemen, by the war against Italy, and most of all by the need to fight on three or more fronts. The Greek army under Crown Prince Constantine moved forward northward encountering little resistance at first. Aegean islands were liberated by the Greek fleet, which also blocked the Turkish fleet in the Dardanelles, preventing them from resupplying their forces in Macedonia and Thrace. Tension developed between Venizelos and Constantine over the direction and speed of the Greek advance, when it became clear that the Bulgarians aimed to occupy Salonika. The city was the key for Venizelos, who urged Constantine to greater speed. The Greek army entered the city first, with the Bulgarians close behind, a recipe for continuing tension between the two allies, threatening inter-allied war.

Ancient history · Bulgarian · Geography · Greeks · Turkish · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Philosophy