Siege of Shkodra 1912-1913

[malioni91]

Thanks for the map Jeff.

It shows the Birdica position,said to be the scene of a lopsided resulting Turkish counterattack on the 9th Feb 1913.

According to Erickson page 307:

The Turks swept over them and pushed them completely back to their orginal positions.Serb casualties were significant.The Turks claimed to have killed 1400 Serbs and furthermore to have captured 428 men and three thousand rifles at a cost to themselves of 41 dead and 64 wounded.Although these claims may seem fanciful,such a lopsided claim of victory appears nowhere else in the thousands of pages of historical text concerning the Balkan Wars published by the Turkish General Staff.However Richard Hall,who noted 1800 Serb casualties,confirms these losses.Needless to say,the Turks held the field at the end of the day,and they attributed their smashing victory to the poor quality of the Serb reservists,who comprised the bulk of the regiments....

Peter, If I'm not mistaken, the Turkish attacking element was comprised mainly of Redifs (reservists) from the Elbasan and the Prizren divs. Berdica was the scene of the heaviest fighting because of the type of terrain. I've seen the area a couple of years ago and it is a pretty flat one, with a few low hills here and other.

[malioni91]

Thanks for the map Jeff.

It shows the Birdica position,said to be the scene of a lopsided resulting Turkish counterattack on the 9th Feb 1913.

According to Erickson page 307:

The Turks swept over them and pushed them completely back to their orginal positions.Serb casualties were significant.The Turks claimed to have killed 1400 Serbs and furthermore to have captured 428 men and three thousand rifles at a cost to themselves of 41 dead and 64 wounded.Although these claims may seem fanciful,such a lopsided claim of victory appears nowhere else in the thousands of pages of historical text concerning the Balkan Wars published by the Turkish General Staff.However Richard Hall,who noted 1800 Serb casualties,confirms these losses.Needless to say,the Turks held the field at the end of the day,and they attributed their smashing victory to the poor quality of the Serb reservists,who comprised the bulk of the regiments....

Peter, If I'm not mistaken, the Turkish attacking element was comprised mainly of Redifs (reservists) from the Elbasan and the Prizren divs. Berdica was the scene of the heaviest fighting because of the type of terrain. I've seen the area a couple of years ago and it is a pretty flat one, with a few low hills here and other.

[ltcolonel]

Officila data for Serbian (Montenegrins) casualties (from archives) 1.592 casaulties (475 soldiers and 16 officers KIA and missing, 606 soldiers and 14 officers wounded, 477 soldiers i 4 officiers captured.

[Peter H]

The counterattacking Turks were the 2nd Battalion of the 54th Regiment.

[jwsleser]

The Turkish official (which is Erickson’s source) Balkan Harbi Garp Ordusu Karadağ Cephesi III ncü cilt 3 ncü kisim pages 153-157 states the Ottoman defenders were:

2/54th Regiment
3rd/50th Regiment
Elbasan Redif Battalion
Debreizir Redif Battalion
Devol Redif Battalion
Two platoons of the 6th Engineer Company
300 volunteers

The attacking force was:

1st, 4th Battalions, 11th Regiment, Sumadya Division
1st, 2nd, 3rd Battalions, 5th Regiment, Drina Division
1st, 2nd, 3rd Battalions, 6th Regiment, Drina Division

Map of the attack is below.

Jeff

[Dr Eisvogel]

The losses suffered by Montenegrin army during the siege of Shkodra/Skadar/İşkodra/Scutari in 1912/1913 were:
2430 KIA,
406 died [from disease ?]
6602 WIA
Total 9438

Source: Memoirs of Radule Simov Brajičić (1876-1963), who commanded a Montenegrin battalion during the Siege of Skadar, according to the introduction.
http://www.montenegrina.net/pages/pages1/istorija/cg_od_20vij_do_1_svj_rata/moji_memoari.htm

Lt. Radule Simov Brajičić commanded Gornjo-ozrinićka Company of Lukovski Battalion, which was part of Nikšić Brigade of the Montenegrin Army, during the first part of the campaign.

On the October 18th 1912, Lukovski Battalion was transferred to 2nd Mixed Brigade.

By April 12th 1913 Radule Simov Brajičić was battalion commander.

[Dr Eisvogel]

Црногорци на врху Тарабоша, поглед Скадру на Бојани
Montenegrins on the top of Tarabosh, view towards Skadar/Shkodra on Bojana/Buna river
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Tarabos_kod_Skadra_1913.jpg

***


The handing over of the Turkish flag to H. M. King Nicholas I of Montenegro in Skadar/Shkodra
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Skadar_predaja_zastave.jpg

[ltcolonel]

Officila data for Serbian (Montenegrins) casualties (from archives) 1.592 casaulties (475 soldiers and 16 officers KIA and missing, 606 soldiers and 14 officers wounded, 477 soldiers i 4 officiers captured.

Officila data for attack on Brdica.

[Tosun Saral]

Staff Captain Hasan Rıza Bey (Pasha)

[Dr Eisvogel]

Hasan Rıza Pasha (1871-1913)


Source: http://www.albanianhistory.net/texts20_1/AH1916.html

[Peter H]

Jeff's map also shows the Bardanyolt Hills scene of what Erickson calls "the largest enemy attack on Iskodra during the war".15 Serb and Montenegrin battalions (5 Infantry Brigades) assaulted the position 7-9 February 1913 after a one day heavy bombardment by Serb artillery.Matrus Tepe and Niscani Tepe were also lost,only the latter recaptured by a Turkish counterattack.Turkish losses in the Battle of Bardanyolt are given as 1,300,Serb and Montenegrin around 4,000..."tactically the battle was an Ottoman defeat" (Erickson page 309).

[jwsleser]

Here are the maps for that action. Matrus Tepe and Niscani Tepe are on the north and northeast part of the Ottoman defense.

7 February

BardanyoitFeb7a.jpg

Night of 7 February through 9 February

BardanyoitFeb7-9b.jpg

[malioni91]

The surrender

The city was surrendered to the Montenegrin forces by Esad Pasha Toptani, an Albanian Ottoman general who took command of the city's defenses after assassinating Hasan Riza Pasha. According to several sources, before his death, Hasan Riza Pasha had entered into secret talks with the newly formed Albanian government of Ismal Bey Vlora (Qemali) to raise the Albanian flag and declare Shkodra part of the newly independent country. Nobody can say with certainty why Esad Pasha sold the city to the Montenegrins. The official Albanian historiography claims that Esad Pasha did it only for the considerable payment that he received from Montenegro in exchange for the surrender. Other historians say that by the time that the city surrendered, the Treaty of London had granted Shkodra to Albania. However, it is certain that by that time, the city was short of food and that the majority of the population had requested the Ottoman command to stop the fighting.

Anyway, the pictures below are part of A.Lame's historical colletion:

[Peter H]

Austro-Hungarian pressure on the resolution of the Scutari seige is also detailed here:
http://www.zmne.hu/aarms/docs/Volume4/I ... 10ball.pdf

[Peter H]

Thanks for the extra maps Jeff.

Landscape from: http://www.siger.org/albania/en/area-7- ... f-shkoder/