The Kingdom of Serbia was one of the major parties in the two Balkan Wars (8 October 1912 – 18 July 1913), gaining land in both conflicts. It experienced significant territorial gains in the Central Balkans, nearly doubling its territory.
During the First Balkan War, most of the Kosovo Vilayet was taken by Serbia, while parts of the region of Metohija were taken by the Kingdom of Montenegro, a close ally. Over the centuries, populations of ethnic Serbs and Albanians tended to shift following territorial handovers. As a result of the multi-ethnic composition of Kosovo, the new administration provoked a mixed response from the local population. The ethnic Albanian population did not welcome Serbian rule and many were forced to flee the country. Kosovo Vilayet was agreed to be incorporated into Serbia and northern Metohija was agreed to be incoperated into Montenegro at the Treaty of London in May 1913.
Disagreements regarding the territory of Macedonia among the members of the Balkan League led to the Second Balkan War, during which Serbia, Greece, Romania, Montenegro, and the Ottomans fought against Bulgaria in 1913. The new borders were ratified at the Treaty of Bucharest the same year. Serbia gained control over the land known as Vardar Macedonia (Part of present-day North Macedonia). In 1918, Serbia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, renamed Yugoslavia in 1929.
Background
Serbian Chetnik Organization
Balkan League
Following Italy's victory in the Italo-Turkish War (29 September 1911 – 18 October 1912), the Young Turks fell from power after a coup. The Balkan countries saw this as an opportunity to attack the Ottoman Empire and expand their empire.
With the initial support of Russian agents, a series of agreements were reached between Serbia and Bulgaria in March 1912. Military victory against the Ottoman Empire would not be possible while the empire could enlist reinforcements from Asia. The condition of the Ottoman railways at the time was unusable, so most reinforcement would have to come by ship through the Aegean Sea. Greece was the only Balkan country with a navy powerful enough to deny the use of the Aegean to the Ottoman Empire, thus a treaty between Greece and Bulgaria became necessary; it was signed in May 1912. Montenegro concluded agreements between Serbia and Bulgaria later that year. While refusing to enter into any such deal with Greece, Bulgaria negotiated treaties with Serbia to partition the area of northern Macedonia. According to Bulgarian strategy, the agreement would restrict Serbia's access to Macedonia while allowing Bulgaria to unilaterally capture as much as its troops could without regard to Greek interests. Bulgaria thought it could occupy the larger part of Aegean Macedonia and the important port city of Salonika before the Greeks could get there. This alliance between Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Montenegro became known as the Balkan League; its existence was undesirable for all the Great Powers.
The League was loose at best, though secret liaison officers were exchanged between the Greek and the Serbian army after the war began. Greece delayed the start of the war several times in the summer of 1912 to better prepare her navy, but Montenegro declared war on 8 October (25 September O.S.). Following an ultimatum for the Ottoman Empire, the remaining alliance members entered the conflict on 17 October.
Order of battle in the First Balkan War
Battles First Balkan War (1912–1913) Battle of Kumanovo Battle of Prilep Battle of Bitola Siege of Adrianople Siege of Scutari Second Balkan War Battle of Bregalnica Battle of Pirot Battle of Kalimanci Battle of Vidin
Fall of Adrianople and Serbo-Bulgarian friction
The failure of the Şarköy-Bulair operation and the deployment of the 2nd Serbian Army together with its much-needed heavy siege artillery sealed Adrianoples fate. On 11 March, after a two weeks bombardment that destroyed many fortified structures around the city, the final assault started with Allied forces enjoying a crushing superiority over the Ottoman garrison. Under the command of General Nikola Ivanov, the Bulgarian 2nd Army with 106,425 men and two Serb divisions with 47,275 men conquered the city, with the Bulgarians suffering 8,093 and the Serbs 1,462 casualties.The war between Bulgaria and Turkey 1912–1913, Volume V, Ministry of War 1930, p.1057 The Ottoman casualties for the entire Adrianople campaign reached 23,000 killed. The number of prisoners is less clear.
The Ottoman Empire began the war with 61,250 men in the Adrianople fortress.Erickson (2003), p. 281 Richard Hall notes that 60,000 men were captured. Adding to the 33,000 killed, the Turkish historians note that 28,500-man survived captivity leaving only 10,000 men unaccounted for as possibly captured (including the unspecified number of wounded). Bulgarian losses for the entire Adrianople campaign amounted to 7,682. This was the last and decisive battle that was necessary for a quick end to the war, even though it is speculated that the fortress would have fallen eventually due to starvation. The most important result was that now the Ottoman command lost all hopes of regaining the initiative, which made any further fighting pointless.The war between Bulgaria and Turkey 1912–1913, Volume V, Ministry of War 1930, p. 1053
The battle had major and key results in Serbian-Bulgarian relations, planting the seeds of the two countries' confrontation some months later. The Bulgarian censor rigorously cut any references about the Serbian participation in the operation in the telegrams of the foreign correspondents. Public opinion in Sofia thus failed to realize the crucial services Serbia rendered in the battle. Accordingly, the Serbs claimed that their troops of the 20th Regiment were those who captured the Ottoman commander of the city and that Colonel Gavrilović was the allied officer who accepted Shukri's official surrender of the garrison, a statement that the Bulgarians disputed. Subsequently, the Serbs officially protested, pointing out that although they had sent their troops to Adrianople to win for Bulgaria's territory whose acquisition had never been foreseen by their mutual treaty, the Bulgarians had never fulfilled the clause of the treaty requiring Bulgaria to send 100,000 men to help the Serbians on their Vardar front. The Bulgarians answered that their staff had informed the Serbs about that on 23 August.
The friction escalated some weeks later when the Bulgarian delegates in London bluntly warned the Serbs that they must not expect Bulgarian support on their Adriatic claims. The Serbs angrily replied that that was a clear withdrawal from the prewar agreement of mutual understanding according to the Kriva Palanka-Adriatic line of expansion, but the Bulgarians insisted that in their view, the Vardar Macedonian part of the agreement remained active and the Serbs were still obliged to surrender the area as agreed. The Serbs accused the Bulgarians of maximalism, pointing out that if they lost northern Albania and Vardar Macedonia, their participation in the common war would have been virtually for nothing. The tension soon was expressed in a series of hostile incidents between the two armies along their common line of occupation across the Vardar valley. The developments essentially ended the Serbian-Bulgarian alliance and made a future war between the two countries inevitable.
Serbian-Montenegrin theater of operations
The Serbian forces operated against the major part of the Ottoman Western army which was located in the areas of Novi Pazar, Kosovo, and northern and eastern Macedonia. Strategically the Serbian forces were divided into four independent armies and groups: Javor brigade and Ibar Army against Ottoman forces in the area of Novi Pazar, Third Army against Ottoman forces in the areas of Kosovo and Metohija, First Army against Ottoman forces in the area of northern Macedonia and Second Army (operating from the Bulgarian territory) against Ottoman forces in the area of eastern Macedonia. The decisive battle was expected to be fought in the area of northern Macedonia, more specifically in the plains of Ovče Pole, where the main forces of Ottoman Vardar Army were expected to concentrate.
According to the plan of the Serbian Supreme Command, three Serbian armies (First, Second and Third) were supposed to encircle and destroy the Vardar Army in that area, with First Army advancing from the north (direction of Vranje-Kumanovo-Ovče Pole), Second Army advancing from the east (direction Kriva Palanka-Kratovo-Ovče Pole) and Third Army advancing from the north-west (direction Priština-Skopje-Ovče Pole). In the execution of this plan, the main role was given to the First Army while Second Army was expected to cut off the Vardar Army's retreat route, and if necessary attack its rear and right flank. The main goal of the Third Army was to take Kosovo and Metohija and if necessary assist the First Army by attacking the Vardar Army's left flank and rear. Ibar Army and the Javor brigade had a minor role in the Serbian plan, they were expected to secure the Sanjak of Novi Pazar and replace the Third Army in Kosovo after advancing farther south.
The Serbian Army under General (later Marshal) Putnik dealt three decisive victories in Vardar Macedonia, its primary objective in the war, effectively destroying the Ottoman forces in the region and conquering northern Macedonia. They also helped the Montenegrins to take the Sandžak and sent two divisions to help the Bulgarians at the siege of Edirne.
The last battle for Macedonia was the battle of Monastir, in which the remains of the Ottoman Vardar Army were forced to retreat to central Albania. After the battle, Prime Minister Pasic asked Gen. Putnik to take part in the race for Thessaloniki. Putnik declined and instead turned his army to the west, towards Albania, foreseeing that a future confrontation between the Greeks and Bulgarians over Thessaloniki could greatly help Serbia's plans over Vardar Macedonia.
After the Great Powers applied pressure on them, the Serbs started to withdraw from northern Albania and the Sandžak, although they left behind their heavy artillery park to help the Montenegrins in the continuing siege of Shkodër. On 23 April 1913 Scutari's garrison was forced to surrender due to starvation.
In vilayets of Kosovo and Scutari At the end of 1912, the Kingdom of Serbia occupied most Albanian-populated territory to the Adriatic coast. The army of Montenegro was present around Shkodër. During the attempt to annex the lands, Serbian and Montenegrin armies committed numerous crimes against the local Albanian population. To investigate the crimes, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace formed a special commission, which was sent to the Balkans in 1913. Summing the situation in Albanian areas, the Commission concludes:
The number of victims in the Kosovo Vilayet under Serbian control in the first few months was estimated at 25,000 people.(more reliable source needed) The Serbian government has denied reports on war crimes. After this war, Kosovo was part of the Kingdom of Serbia. These events have greatly contributed to the growth of the Serbian-Albanian conflict.
Campaign within Albanian declared territory
The Serbian campaign on present-day Albanian territory (then still officially Ottoman Empire) took place during the First Balkan War and lasted from November 1912 to October 1913.
Before the outbreak of the First Balkan War, the Albanian nation was fighting for a national state. At the end of 1912, after the Porte recognised the autonomy of Albania, the Balkan League (comprising three neighboring states: Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece; along with Bulgaria) jointly attacked the Ottoman Empire and during the next few months partitioned all Ottoman territory inhabited by Albanians.
Aspirations