Battle of Skra-di-Legen

The battle of the Florina Ridge (Cerna offensive) was one of the major operations on the Macedonian front in 1916. From 17 August, Franco-Serbian troops, supported by Russians, British, and African units, launched an offensive to clear the Florina region and force a Bulgarian-German withdrawal. Fighting was fierce in the mountains, in rain and heat, and saw the capture of several strategic summits (Banitsa, Kajmakčalan). The Allies broke through the Bulgarian lines, enabling the liberation of Florina on 18 September and the continuation of the advance toward Monastir. The Cerna offensive broke Bulgarian resistance on the southern sector and prepared the way for the victory at Monastir in the autumn.

The battle of Monastir marked the culmination of the Macedonia campaign in 1916. From September to November, Franco-Serbian troops, reinforced by British, Russian, Italian, and Greek forces, launched a great offensive against Bulgarian and German-Ottoman forces. After hard fighting in the mountains (Dobro Pole, Crna Reka), the Allies broke through the Bulgarian front, forcing enemy retreat. On 19 November, French and Serbs entered Monastir (Bitola) in triumph, the first major Balkan city retaken from the Triple Alliance. The capture of Monastir was a moral and strategic victory for the Army of the Orient and for Serbia, whose reconquest began. Fighting was extremely bitter: mountains, rain, cold, machine guns, night attacks, artillery, and Allied air forces distinguished themselves. Monastir, pounded, lay in ruins but the Macedonian front emerged strengthened by the victory.

The Chemin des Dames offensive, directed by General Nivelle, was conceived as a decisive breakthrough on the Western Front. Planned as a brief, massive shock that would break German lines in 48 hours, the attack met fierce resistance. Despite massive artillery deployment and weeks of preparation, French forces failed to break through durably, bogged down in violent counter-attacks, well-fortified trenches, and terrain transformed into a quagmire.