Battle of Adrianople (1913)

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First Balkan War
Sarantaporo - Giannitsa - Kumanovo - Kirk Kilisse - Pente Pigadia - Prilep - Lule-Burgas - Vevi - Bitola - Elli - Adrianople - Lemnos - Bizani

Battle of Odrin

Part of First Balkan War

Date	11-13 March, 1913
Location	Odrin, Turkey
Result	Decisive Bulgarian victory

Combatants

Bulgaria

Ottoman Empire

Commanders

General Vladimir Vazov (2nd Army)

Vojvojda Stepa Stepanović (2 divisions the 2nd Army staff)

Shukri Pasha

Strength

>85,000^{[citation needed]}

65,000^{[citation needed]}

Casualties

Several thousand killed and wounded
^{[citation needed]}

c. 7,000 killed; 33,500 captured^{[citation needed]}

The Battle of Adrianople, Siege of Adrianople, Bulgarian Battle of Odrin (Битка при Одрин) or Serbian Battle of Jedrene during the First Balkan War began in mid-November, 1912 and ended with the capture of Adrianople by the Bulgarian 2nd Army under the command of General Vazov (brother of the famous Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov) on March 26, 1913.

One of the first known uses of an airplane for bombing (with hand grenades) took place during the siege. It was intended to cause panic among Turkish soldiers.

The final battle consisted of three night attacks. During the first two nights the first and the second belts of external fortifications were captured, and during the third night the fortress itself. Preparations for the battle included covering with tissue of all "shining" parts of the soldiers' uniforms (to reduce visibility of buttons, for example) and of the horses' hooves (to diminish noise). The several armies that took part in the siege were put under joint command, creating a prototype of a front. Some light artillery pieces towed by horses followed the advancing units, playing the role of infantry support guns. Attempts were made to perturb radio communications of the besieged.

Serbian units involved were the 2nd army under command of general (later vojvoda, equivalent to Field Marshal) Stepa Stepanović (two divisions and some support units) and heavy artillery (38 siege cannons and howitzers of 120 and 150mm purchased from French Schneider-Canet factory in 1908) dispatched because the Bulgarians lacked heavy artillery (though they were well supplied with Krupp-designed 75mm field artillery).