Battle of Prilep

The battle of Prilep is a military clash during the First Balkan War , which took place on November 3, 1912. Units of the Serbian army came across Ottoman troops near the town of Prilep (now located on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia ). The confrontation lasted for three days, as a result of which the Ottoman army was defeated and forced to retreat ^[1] .

Battle of Prilep
Main Conflict: First Balkan War
date	November 3-5, 1912
A place	Cling
Total	victory of the kingdom of Serbia
Opponents
Serbia Ottoman Empire

Bad weather and broken roads made it difficult for the Turks to be persecuted by the 1st Army after the Battle of Kumanovo . The Moravian division was forced to move ahead of the Drinsky division. On November 3, when it was raining, the rearguard of the Moravian division was met by fire from the side of the 5th corps of Kara-Said Pasha, which held positions north of Prilep. Thus began the three-day battle at Prilep, which was interrupted by the coming night and resumed the next morning. When the Drinsky division arrived on the battlefield, the Serbs gained an overwhelming advantage in numbers, forcing the Turks to retreat south of the city ^[1] .

On November 5, the Serbs advanced south from Prilep, again falling under Turkish fire from fortified positions at the heights of the road to Bitola. The bayonets and hand grenades gave the Serbs an advantage in hand-to-hand fighting, but it again took them most of the day to force the Ottomans to retreat. An open and unsophisticated approach to the attack of the Serbian infantry struck Turkish observers who noted: “The development of the attack of the Serbian infantry was so open and clear, as if it were barracks exercises. Ranges covered the entire plain. All Serbian officers were clearly distinguishable. They attacked as if they were in a parade. This picture was very impressive. One part of the Turkish officers was impressed by this mathematical order, while others sighed at that moment, complaining of the lack of heavy artillery. They also noted the impudence of an open frontal attack ” ^[1] .

Artillery could support the Ottomans, but it was abandoned in a defensive camp south of Prilep. The Serbs, in turn, showed the same lack of subtlety in their infantry attacks, which were the cause of heavy losses among the soldiers, both during the Balkan Wars and in the First World War . During this battle, the Serbian 1st Army was left without the personal presence of its commander, Crown Prince Alexander . Kronprinz fell ill due to severe cold and humid weather conditions, but nevertheless maintained telephone contact with his army from his bed in the camp ^[1] .

The brief, furious skirmishes around Prilep showed that the Ottomans were still able to withstand the movement of the Serbs through Macedonia. Even after abandoning Prilep, the Ottoman 5th Corps stubbornly fought south of the city. The number and enthusiasm of the Serbs defeated the Turks, but they also suffered significant losses. The Turks lost about 300 people killed and 900 wounded, 152 were taken prisoner. The Serbs had about 2,000 killed and wounded. The road southwest to Bitola was now open to the Serbs. ^[one]