On November 17 and 18 (new style) 1912 one of the most difficult battles for the Bulgarians during the Balkan War (1912-1931) was fought near Chataldzha.
Two weeks earlier, the Bulgarian army won an important victory over the Ottomans in a bloody battle at Lüleburgaz-Bunarhisar. As a result, the Ottoman troops retreated to their next fortified position on the road to Istanbul – Chatalja.
The Bulgarians do not engage in pursuit and a quick attack, which gives the enemy the opportunity to reorganize well along the fortified line. The offensive, under the command of gen. Radko Dimitriev, it starts in the morning of the 17th, and the goal is to break the defensive line.
Numerical superiority is on the Ottoman side, but the Bulgarians are not facing a more numerous opponent for the first time. However, the enemy's resistance from the fortified positions is strong and the attacking units suffer heavy losses.
Ottoman counterattacks the next day increased the Bulgarian casualties and the command ordered a retreat. In addition to those killed in battle, many Bulgarian soldiers also died from a rapidly spreading cholera epidemic. The loss at Chataldzha is a heavy blow that stops the strong Bulgarian drive.
For the first time, our army, created after the restoration of the Bulgarian state in 1878, suffered a major defeat. A truce was concluded after the battle, but a few months later hostilities in the Chatalja region resumed and continued until the end of the war.