Today we look back at one of our greatest triumphs that our military history knows – the capture of Lozengrad.
From October 9 to 11, 1912, the Third and part of the First Army carried out the Lozengrad offensive operation. The First Army was tasked with reflecting the actions of the Edirne garrison, and the Third Army – to seize the fortified point of Lozengrad.
This is recalled by the National Museum of Military History (NVIM).
The location of the Third Army remained unknown to the enemy, which created conditions for a strategic surprise when delivering the main blow. On October 9, the troops of both sides attacked almost simultaneously. After fierce hand-to-hand fighting along the Edirne - Lozengrad line, the enemy was stopped at Eskipolos - Ericler and pushed back towards Lozengrad.
The Ottoman command planned to repel the Bulgarian troops, who reached the approaches to the city with night operations.
On October 11, the enemy defense was broken through and the Third Army under the command of Lieutenant General Radko Dimitriev seized the second strongest fortress in Eastern Thrace - Lozengrad.
The operation dealt a powerful blow to the enemy's Eastern Army. Completely disorganized, it retreated south, abandoning all its heavy weapons along the way. Telegraph agencies quickly spread the news of the Bulgarian victory.
The English newspaper “Daily Telegraph“ described the capture of Lozengrad as “one of the greatest triumphs that military history has ever known“.