First Battle of Çatalca

The Çatalca operation was one of the fiercest engagements of the Balkan War. Bulgarian troops commanded by Lieutenant General Radko Dimitriev attempted to break through the defensive line of the Ottoman Çatalca Army, which guarded the approaches to the capital, Istanbul.

 Despite their efforts and the heavy casualties suffered by the Bulgarian army, they were forced to withdraw. This was the Ottoman Empire's most significant military success in the Balkan War and, at the same time, the first major defeat suffered by Bulgarian troops since the establishment of the Third Bulgarian State. The defeat at Çatalca eliminated the possibility of bringing the war to a swift conclusion favourable to Bulgaria. The Bulgarian army lost the initiative, while its casualties, including 1,480 killed, 1,400 missing and 13,000 wounded, further weakened its forces. At the same time, a cholera epidemic that claimed another 1,600 lives further weakened the Bulgarian units, which had already suffered substantial casualties since the beginning of the war. The demoralisation of the Bulgarian troops was accompanied by a hardening of Ottoman policy. An armistice was concluded two weeks after the battle, but it lasted only two months. Fighting in the Çatalca area continued intermittently until April 1913.