Images Dated 2013

Lake Doiran - Thessaloniki

French & British forces landed in Thesaloniki in Oct 1915 to support the Serbs who had been invaded by the Central Powers but in fact they arrived too late and after a short incursion into Serbia near Lake Doiran concentrated on the fortification of Salonika.
Because of the huge amount of wire used it became known as the "Birdcage" and by the summer of 1916 the force was well entrenched as it was joined by Serbian, Russian & Italian units with the front extending from the Aegean to the Adriatic roughly along the Greek border and then through Macedonia. In 1917 the fighting was mainly centred around Lake Doiran but it was not until July of 1918 that a major offensive was undertaken to end the Balkan war. In September the British launched a disastrous attack on heavily defended positions to the west of Lake Doiran and sustained enormous losses. However the prerssure told on the Bulgarians who agreed to an armistice on 30th Sept 1918

© Mike St. Maur Sheil / westernfrontphotography.com