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| Incident at Petrich | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Demir Kapia, where the original incident took place. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Greece Great Britain League of Nations | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Boris IIIAleksandar Tsankov Ivan Mihailov | Pavlos KountouriotisTheodoros Pangalos | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 10,000 soldiers | 20,000 soldiers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 50 dead[1] (Mostly civilians) | 121 dead[2] | ||||||||
TheIncident at Petrich (Greek:Επεισόδιο του Πετριτσίου;Bulgarian:Петрички инцидент), or theWar of the Stray Dog (Greek:Πόλεμος του αδέσποτου σκύλου),[3] was a Greek–Bulgarian crisis in 1925 that resulted in a brief invasion ofBulgaria byGreece near the border town ofPetrich.[4] The incident ended after a decision by theLeague of Nations.
Relations betweenGreece andBulgaria had been strained since the early 20th century by their rivalry over the possession ofMacedonia and laterWestern Thrace, which led to years ofguerrilla warfare between various pro-Bulgarian Macedonian paramilitaries and the pro-GreekMacedonian Committee in theMacedonian Struggle (c. 1904-1908). Open conflict broke out between Greece and Bulgaria during theSecond Balkan War (1913) and theFirst World War (1916–1918). The outcome of those conflicts was thatAegean Macedonia and Western Thrace came under Greek rule.
The significant Bulgarian populations in both regions[5] caused them to become targets of Bulgarian irredentism throughout theinterwar period. Two organisations, theInternal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO) and theInternal Thracian Revolutionary Organisation (ITRO), based in Bulgaria, launched raids and terrorist attacks into Greek andYugoslav territory.[6]
Petrich was the administrative centre of the Bulgarian-heldPirin Macedonia in which, during the early interwar years, the IMRO ran as a "state within a state".[7]
In 1923, Bulgarian Prime MinisterAleksandar Stamboliyski was murdered by IMRO after his deposition in a coup d'état. His policies of rapprochement were deeply unpopular with the IMRO and nationalist factions in Bulgaria.[8]
There are two versions of how the incident started.
In the first version, the incident was started on October 18, 1925, by a Greek soldier running after his dog, which had strayed across the border from Greece at the passDemir Kapia [bg], 3 km west ofRadomir onBelasitsa (Belles). It is thus sometimes referred to as theWar of the Stray Dog.[9] The border was guarded by Bulgarian sentries, one of whom shot the Greek soldier.
In the second version, according to Greek claims, the incident was caused on October 18 by Bulgarian soldiers, who crossed the Greek border, attacked a Greek outpost at Belasitsa and killed a Greek captain and a sentry.[10]
Bulgaria explained that the firing was caused by a misunderstanding and expressed its regret.[11]
In addition, the Bulgarian government proposed the formation of a mixed commission of Greek and Bulgarian officers to investigate the incident, but the Greek government declined as long as Bulgarian troops remained on Greek territory.[12]
The Greek government, led by GeneralTheodoros Pangalos, issued an ultimatum to Bulgaria of 48 hours[13] to punish those responsible,[14] an official apology,[15] and two millionFrench francs as compensation for the families of the victims.[16]
On October 22, 1925, Greece sent soldiers into Bulgaria to occupy the town of Petrich with the objective of enforcing the demands.[17]
Fighting between Greek and Bulgarian forces started, and Bulgaria appealed to theLeague of Nations to intervene in the dispute. Somechetas of theInternal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), together with the sentries, organised defence lines against the Greeks near Petrich.[citation needed] Volunteers and war veterans from the whole region were summoned to join the resistance.[citation needed]
Greece made it clear that it was not interested in Bulgarian territory but demanded compensation.[17]
Some contemporary international newspapers reported that the town of Petrich had been captured.[18] However, Bulgarian sources claim that the town successfully resisted the Greek attacks.[19][20] In reality, the League of Nations ordered an immediate ceasefire just hours before the Greek army was due to launch its attack on the town.[21]
The League's final ruling included a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Greek troops from Bulgaria and the payment of £45,000 in compensation to Bulgaria.
Both countries accepted the decision, but Greece complained about the disparity between its treatment andItaly's treatment during theCorfu incident in 1923 in which Italy invaded and occupied the island and forced Greece to pay war restitutions. There was one rule in the League for the great powers like Italy and another for the smaller powers like Greece.[22]
The League Council sent military attachés from France, Italy and the United Kingdom to report to it when the hostilities ceased and to observe the withdrawal of the Greek troops. The attachés also decided that the Bulgarians should not reoccupy the territory until a certain time had elapsed to prevent incidents.[23]
The material and morale damage Greece had to pay was £45,000 (3 million Bulgarian levas) in compensation within two months,[24] while Bulgaria compensated the victims' family.
There were 50 victims, mostly civilians, on the Bulgarian side.[1] Bulgarian estimates for losses on the Greek side count 121.[2]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Greece. and Bulgaria have clashed, following a frontier incident, where a Greek captain and a sentry were shot dead at an outpost.
After attacking the Greek outpost and shooting the two men, the Bulgarians hoisted the white flag. They explained that the firing was due to a misunderstanding.
The Greco-Bulgarian frontier incident was caused by a Greek soldier who accidentally crossed the Bulgarian-Greek border chasing a stray dog, Bulgarian regulars mistook this for an invasion and attacked a Greek outpost atBelesh, shooting dead a sentry and a captain.
He says that subsequently Bulgaria hοisted the white flag and explained that the firing was due to a misunderstanding. The Greek Government, however, despite the Bulgarian expressions of regret and explanations, is determined to throw full light on the incident.
The Greek Prime Minister (General Pangalos) has refused the Bulgarian proposal to form a commission of inquiry into the frontier incident at Petrich while Bulgarian troops remain in Greek territory.
The Bulgarian Government proposed the formation of a mixed commission of Greek and Bulgarian officers to investigate the incident on the spot, but this was declined by the Greek Government.
the Greek Government has issued an ultimatum to Bulgaria giving a time limit 48 hours.
the punishment of those responsible.
...an expression of regret,...
...an indemnity of two million French francs,...
...compensation for the relatives of the killed.
According to an Athens telegram the Government has decided to order the Greek troops to advance into Bulgaria and to occupy the town of Petrich, the headquarters of the Macedonian-Bulgarian committee, with the object of enforcing the Greek demands for satisfaction for a violation of Greek territory,...
The Greek troops have attained their objective, Petrich. The Greek military operations are now regarded as ended.
Reuter's Athens correspondent from Salonika says: "The town of Petrich is officially reported captured by the Greeks."
...Petrich has been captured by the Greeks, to "learn the Bulgars" to be more careful.
He also urged them to give immediate instructions to their armies until the League Council should meet. The telegraph arrived in Athens, the capital of Greece, only a few hours before the Greek army was due to attack the town of Petrich.
Media related toIncident at Petrich at Wikimedia Commons
