The Battle of the Red Wall

The battle was fought between two Bulgarian divisions, the 6th Bdin and 8th Tundzha, and French forces from the Entente's Army of Salonika. The French plan called for driving the Bulgarians from their positions on Baba Mountain and then securing the Bitola and Prilep plains as a base for advancing into the Vardar Valley. The French offensive began on 12 March 1917 with a twenty-four-hour bombardment of the Bulgarian positions on the commanding heights of Red Wall Peak and Hill 1248. From 14 March, French forces attacked continuously for six days and nights, suffering heavy losses. Bulgarian resistance ended only in early May, when the defenders withdrew to a neighbouring peak. By then, however, the Red Wall had become a symbol, known as the “Macedonian Shipka”. On 18 May, Bulgarian troops recaptured it in a fierce attack supported by artillery. The Red Wall remained in Bulgarian hands until the end of the war.

The battle ended in a Bulgarian victory.