The Battle of the Crna Bend

Entente forces on the Salonika Front repeatedly attempted to advance towards Bitola, an approach protected by Bulgarian defences around the bend of the Crna River. Serbian units made the first unsuccessful attempts to break through in the autumn of 1916. The main offensive resumed in the spring of 1917, with British, French, Italian and Russian formations participating in unsuccessful attacks on the Bulgarian position. The offensive culminated on 17 May, following several days of preparatory artillery fire, but the Bulgarian defence again withstood the assault. After this further failure, the Entente's offensive momentum subsided, and warfare on the Southern Front returned to a positional character.

The battle ended in a Bulgarian victory.