Battle of Kajmakčalan | |||||||
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Part of theSerbian Campaign of theBalkans Theatre ofWorld War I | |||||||
![]() Battlefield of Kaymachatlan after the battle | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
1st Army with main effort byDrina Division | 1st brigade of3rd "Balkan" Infantry Division with the main effort by11th "Sliven" Regiment | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
4,643 casualties[2][3][4] of which3⁄4 belonging to the Drina Division |
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TheBattle of Kaymakchalan was fought betweenSerbian andBulgarian troops on theMacedonian front duringWorld War I.
The battle was fought between 12 and 30 September 1916, when the Serbian army managed to capture the peak of Prophet Elijah while pushing the Bulgarians towards the town ofMariovo, where the latter formed new defensive lines. Between 26 and 30 September, the peak changed hands several times until the Serbian army decisively captured it on the 30th.
The battle proved to be very costly for both sides. Serbian losses had reached around 10,000 killed and wounded by 23 September.[5] The Bulgariancompanies had been reduced to 90 men each, and one regiment, the 11th Sliven Regiment, had 73 officers and 3,000 menhors de combat.[6]
From a strategic standpoint, the battle was not a significant success for theAllies due to the upcoming winter that rendered further military engagements almost impossible.
Today, there is a small church on the peak of Prophet Elijah where the skulls of dead Serbian soldiers are stored, and it is regarded as a cultural site and is atourist attraction. There is confusion about the name of the church, but it is called Saint Peter's (Sveti Petar in Serbian), which stands on the peak called Prophet Elijah.[7]
40°56′32″N21°48′17″E / 40.94222°N 21.80472°E /40.94222; 21.80472