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The true face of WW1 in archive photographs

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Kanas_Krumesis View Drop Down
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  Quote Kanas_Krumesis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: The true face of WW1 in archive photographs
    Posted: 10-Mar-2010 at 12:52
I watch recently a movie about WW1 on one very popular TV channel. An actors talk theatrical about formar battles and there was shown several well-known films, most of them made in studios thousand kilometers far from battlefields.
I want to open this treat to all photographs, which show the true face of this horrible war. No matter how unsightly is it, because this was the historic true seen with eyes of the soldiers involved in the conflict. That`s why wе must do this never happen again.
Post only authentic photographs. I`ll start with photo`s connect with participation of Bulgarian army in WW1.
 
Battle of Skra di Legen (pеак Yarebitchna in bulgarian). This battle took place  29 May - 31 May 1918 on the Balkan front. Combine force of 3 greek infantry division and 1 french brigade attacked strategic pеак, part of bulgarian front line and defend by 3rd brigade of 5th infantry division of Bulfarian army. After several cruel attacks and bulgarian counter-attacks Greek army manage to take the peak. They lost 441 killed, 2,227 wounded and 164 missing. Bulgarians lost 600 killed and 1,835 taken prisoners. Although big sacrifices this success of Antanta like many others in this war had only propaganda sense, without any decided results. Bulgarian army just took new position in account of old and the war continue. 
 
Bulgarian counter-attack on the peak. You can see machine-gun in action.
 
 
Еxhausted bulgarian POW after the battle


Edited by Kanas_Krumesis - 10-Mar-2010 at 12:56
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  Quote Kanas_Krumesis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Mar-2010 at 13:59

Battle of Tutrakan (Turtucaia in Romanian) September 2, 1916 - September 6, 1916. In 1913 Romanian political elite strove after idea of Romania Mare or "Great Romania" ordered Romanian army to attack without caution and annexed Bulgarian region called South Dobrudja. In 1916 Romania wage in WW1 on the side of Antanta-the opposite one of Bulgaria. During three years of occupation Romanian army with help of French engineers build mighty fortification around important city of Tutrakan. It was regarded as "the second Verdun".

The Bulgarian 4th division and one brigade of the 1st division, under General Panteley Kiselov, aided by a column of German troops (whose role was limited to capturing the strong point 2), stormed the fortress in the morning of 5 September, with the Bulgarian artillery opening fire (using 105 mm leichte Feldhaubitze 16, Howitzer) at 6:30 AM and the troops attacking at 8:20 AM. Five strong points were gradually taken during the day, while the Romanians were reinforced by 15 infantry battalions and three batteries from Bucharest.  

The attack was renewed on 6 September and the Bulgarian forces entered Tutrakan at around 4:00 PM, completely seizing the town a half an hour later and capturing two flags, 450 officers, more than 28,000 soldiers, 151 cannons and all of the infantry's weapons. One of the biggest military disaster of Romanian army. However, during the offensive the Bulgarians lost several thousands of soldiers, including many officers, due to General Kiselov's decision to put the commanding officers in front of the subordinate soldiers.

Aftermath the battle:
Killed romanian artillery crew on the position. The soldier in front killed after bulgarian storm "on knife".   
 
Romanian soldiers killed in the trench from direct impact of bulgarian shell
 
Killed romanian soldiers and destroy military equipment on the shore of river Danube while attepmt to evacuate

Picture of destruction on the shore of river Danube. We can see the smoke coming from romanian city of Olteniţa (situated on the north shore of the river) burn by bulgarian and german artillery fire.

 

1764 Bulgarian soldiers rest in the military cemetery in Tutrakan

 
 
Eternal Glory to all heroes from both side... We will never forget!


Edited by Kanas_Krumesis - 10-Mar-2010 at 14:12
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  Quote Cryptic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Mar-2010 at 14:06
Was Bulgaria formally part of the Germany, Austro-Hungary, Ottoman Empire alliance? Or were they fighting their own war for their own interests like Finland did in World War II? 
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  Quote Kanas_Krumesis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Mar-2010 at 15:07
The topic is about archive photographs, but i`m going to tell you.
Bulgaria was part of Central powers-Germany, Austro-Hungary and Ottomans and we were their ally. Reason to wage in war was complex. First Bulgaria want to integrate all territory populated with Bulgarian people in one country. We lost Second Balkan war in 1913 from coalition of all others Balkan state, which want to stop bulgarian upsurge. Countries like Serbia, Greece and Romania had their own imperial ambition and every one of them want piece from Bulgarian territory. Serbia for example provoked begining of the First World War with assassination of Austrian Kron-Prince by Serbian secret service. They succeed to build an empire (Jugoslavia) with help of France after the war and this empire include ex Austro-Hungarian provinces along with Macedonia-region with bulgarian population till then. Similar happen with Romania, while Greece failed to restore Byzantine empire because lost the war with Ataturk`s Turkey. So in 1915 Bulgaria can`t wait anything from alliance with France and UK, because Serbia was french satellite and Greece- a british. Russia wanted control over Black sea Straits and one submit Bulgaria. We had our national interests, Antanta absolute others.
Second reason- Bulgarian monarch Ferdinand were ethnic german from family Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He were a german puppet.  
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  Quote Kanas_Krumesis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Mar-2010 at 02:55
The third Battle of Doiran was fought from 18 September to 19 September 1918, with the Greeks and the British assaulting Bulgarian positions near Dojran Lake in Macedonia.
The Greeks and the British set off from their base at Thessaloniki at the same time as the Serbians and the French. The Greeks and the British under General George Milne set off the attack on the Bulgarian positions at Dojran while the Serbians and the French under the command of General Franchet d'Esperey went to penetrate the Bulgarian defences in the Vardar Valley. The Greeks and the British were aiming to capture the Bulgarian positions in the hills above Dojran Lake.
The Allies' losses totalled about 14,000 soldiers, while the Bulgarians suffered only 2,000. The reason for this was that in the night of September 16 the allies bombarded the Bulgarian positions with heavy artillery fire (the total weight of the bombs is estimated to have been 30,000 t). The Allies believed that there would be few survivors, but due to the well-constructed bunkers the Bulgarians lost only 9 killed and 40 injured. Thus the Allied attack proved to be a complete disaster, as the Greek and the British soldiers were easy targets for the hidden Bulgarians. From British side in the battle took part  22nd and the 26th Divisions of the British army and from Greek side- The Cretan division. 
The Serbian and French armies had defeated the Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian army in the Vardar valley and were advancing towards Doiran. When the Bulgarians' German advisors heard of this, they ordered the Bulgarian army to retreat so that they would not be cut off from the rear.
 
Bombardment by British large range heavy artillery guns on Bulgarian supplying trench deep into Bulgarian rear.
 
 
Picture took from British position in the night before attack. We can see many V-light rockets from both side and also one British military searchlight on the left and two Bulgarian on the right side of the photo.
 
British POW and Bulgarian soldiers and officer after the battle
 
Captured British armaments and military equipment. Vickers mashine-guns and gas masks. Before the battle British army used big number poison gas-shells with sulfur mustard gas against Bulgarian troops.
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  Quote Kanas_Krumesis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Mar-2010 at 03:33

Bulgarian officer inspect remains of took dawn British military aircraft along with bodies of dead pilots near Doiran

 
Bulgarian soldiers around took dawn British fighter RAF B.E.12 (Bleriot) on 29.Х.1917 near Doiran.
 
Bulgarian pilot prepare for mission on aircraft Nieuport XXIV


Edited by Kanas_Krumesis - 12-Mar-2010 at 14:28
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  Quote opuslola Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Mar-2010 at 18:06
Besides showing some very good photos, just what point is being made? Is one dead soldier better than another? I would bet that someone else could show many other photos that represent the other side?

It is "War" that is suspect? That and the attitudes that the men and women on the other side are, "wrong!"

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http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
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  Quote Kanas_Krumesis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20-Mar-2010 at 13:04
I don`t know what you "suspected", but I`ll answer with one verse of the great Bulgarian poet Dimcho Debelyanov who was kill on the front line during WW1. The verse was written right there just before his dead.
 
Dead one is not my enemy anymore
 
He isn`t our enemy anymore.
These which stood alive,  
mighty wave wash them away
somewhere on the other hills
 
There he is- on the bottom of a trench,
lying calm and pallid
with reconciled grief look at
the blue deep sky.
 
And onto the grey ground,
warmed from southern air,
vibrating useless letters,
sprinkle with blood.
 
Who he is and who he was?
Whose called him against us
in days of great victories
to die without anything?
 
Would his mother`s love
recieve in this black misery
and what will happen
when she learn?
 
Stupid pity, mindless pity
in this stormy, cruel time!
Didn`t he give his live
in attempt to take another's?
 
Is it possible dressed with this uniform
to expect mercy from him?
No, he takes what he search for!
Dead one is not my enemy anymore!
 
This topic is about authentic photograph`s from WW1. If you have something please post it, no matter whose side represented...


Edited by Kanas_Krumesis - 20-Mar-2010 at 13:08
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  Quote dankawa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Apr-2011 at 08:06
i revive this topic with some clarifications,first....every country has it's own view of history:).if you ask the serbds or greeks they will say that bulgaria was expansionist,ssecond...the second balkan war (1913) was provoked by the bulgarians so...who's the expansionist?
in the problem of the anexation of the south dobrudja by romania i will atach the ethnical  componence of this area in 1918 and 1900 as all of you can see the bulgarian are a small percentage of the population....
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  Quote dankawa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Apr-2011 at 08:08
here are the pictures
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  Quote dankawa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Apr-2011 at 08:09
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