Shipka Defense

After the Russian army crossed the Danube , the Commander-in-Chief decided to immediately take over the passages through the Balkan Range, for further movement deep into Turkey . On July 5, General Gurko’s advance detachment, crossing the Hainkoy pass and defeating the Turks near the village of Uflany and the city of Kazanlak , approached the Shipka pass , occupied by the Turkish detachment (about 5 thousand people) under the command of Hulussi Pasha, on the south side. On the same day, a detachment of General Svyatopolk-Mirsky attacked Shipka from the north, but the attack was repelled. On July 6, General Gurko launched an attack on the pass from the south and also failed. Nevertheless, Hulussi Pasha, considering his position to be dangerous, on the night of the 6th to the 7th left the side roads to the city of Kalofer , throwing artillery at his positions.

July 7, 1877 Shipka was immediately occupied by the troops of Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky . After the retreat of the advance detachment of General Gurko from Zalkalkan, Shipka entered the area of ​​the southern front of the Russian army entrusted to guard the troops of General Radetzky (8th Corps, part of the 2nd, 4th Infantry Brigade and the Bulgarian militia ), which had to be extended by more than 100 versts; the general reserve is located at Tarnov .

Shipka pass goes along the narrow spur of the main Balkan ridge, gradually rising to the Mount St. Nicholas, from where the road abruptly descends into the Tundji valley. Parallel to this spur, separated from it by deep and partly wooded gorges, mountain ridges stretch from the east and west, dominating the pass, but connected to it only in 2-3 places by more or less easily accessible isthmuses. The position taken by the Russian troops on Shipka completely did not meet tactical requirements: its only benefit was its inaccessibility. Stretching several versts in depth, along an extremely narrow ridge (25-30 fathoms), it underwent crossfire throughout its entire length from neighboring dominant heights, not presenting either natural coverings or amenities for going on the offensive. For all that, due to strategic requirements, it was necessary at all costs to keep this passage.

At the beginning of August 1877, Radetsky had good reasons to fear the transfer of Suleiman Pasha’s army to northern Bulgaria along one of the eastern passages and its attack on Tarnov. Therefore, when alarming news was received (which later turned out to be an exaggeration) about the strengthening of enemy troops against Russian troops near the cities of Elena and Zlataritsa , the general reserve was sent (August 8) to these points, and thus withdrew from Shipka by a distance of 3-4 big transitions. Meanwhile, after the retreat of General Gurko, Suleiman set out to capture Shipka and by August 8 concentrated against her about 28 thousand people with 36 guns. At that time, the Russians had only the Oryol Infantry Regiment and 5 Bulgarian squads (totaling up to 4 thousand people) with 27 guns, to whom the Bryansk Regiment arrived from the town of Selvi already during the battle the next day, increasing the number of Shipka defenders to 6 thousand .

On the morning of August 9, enemy artillery, having occupied Mount Small Bedek east of Shipka, opened fire. The subsequent attacks of the Turkish infantry, first from the south, then from the east, were repelled by the Russians. The fight lasted all day; at night, Russian troops, who were expecting a repeat of the attack, had to strengthen their positions. On August 10, the Turks did not renew their attacks, and the matter was limited to artillery and gun shooting. Meanwhile, Radetzky, having received news of the danger threatening Shipka, moved a general reserve there; but he could have arrived, and even with intensified transitions, only on the 11th; in addition, it was ordered to go to Shipka by another infantry brigade with a battery, which stood by Selvi, which could only arrive in time on the 12th. August 11th was the most critical day for the defenders of the pass.

The battle of August 11 began at dawn; by 10 o’clock in the morning the Russian position was seized by the enemy from three sides. The attacks of the Turks, repulsed by Russian fire, resumed with fierce perseverance. At 2 pm, the Circassians even went to the rear of the Russian location, but were driven back. At 5 p.m., Turkish troops advancing from the western side captured the so-called Side Hill and threatened to break through the central part of the position. The position of Shipka’s defenders was almost hopeless when, finally, at 7 o’clock in the evening, part of the reserve arrived at the position - the 16th rifle battalion, raised to the pass by Cossack horses. He was immediately moved to the Lateral hill, and with the assistance of other units that went on the offensive, recaptured her from the enemy. Then the remaining battalions of the 4th Infantry Brigade, under the command of Major General Tsvetsinsky , arrived to stop the pressure of the Turks on other parts of the position. The battle ended at dusk.

Russian troops stayed at Shipka. However, the Turks managed to maintain their location - their battle lines were only a few hundred steps from the Russians. On the night of August 12, the 2nd brigade of the 14th Infantry Division ascended to Shipka, with the arrival of which Radetzky had 20.5 battalions with 38 guns, and therefore decided to go on the attack the next day in order to bring down the Turks from two heights of the western ridge - the so-called Forest Barrow and Bald Mountain, from where they had the most convenient approaches to the Russian position and even threatened its rear. At dawn on August 12, the Turks attacked the central sections of the Russian positions, and at 2 pm - and Mount St. Nicholas. They were repelled at all points, but the Russian attack on the Forest Barrow was also not successful.

On August 13, Radetzky decided to resume the attack on the Forest Barrow and Lysaya Gora, having the opportunity to deploy more troops due to the arrival of the Volyn Regiment with a battery on Shipka. At the same time, Suleiman Pasha significantly strengthened his left flank. Throughout the day (August 13) there was a battle for the possession of the above heights; The Turks were shot down from the Forest mound, but they could not be captured by their fortifications on Lysaya Gora. The attacking troops retreated to the Forest mound, and here during the evening, night and at dawn on the 14th, they were repeatedly attacked by the enemy. All attacks were repelled, but the Russian troops suffered such great losses that Radetzky, not having fresh reinforcements, ordered them to retreat to Lateral Hill. The forest mound was again occupied by the Turks.

In the six-day battle on Shipka, Russians lost up to 3350 people, including 2 generals ( Dragomirov wounded, Derozhinsky killed) and 108 officers; Turks lost more than twice as much. This battle did not have any significant results; both sides remained in their positions, but the Russian troops, captured by the enemy from three sides, were still in a very difficult position, which soon worsened significantly with the onset of autumn bad weather and winter colds and blizzards.

From August 15, Shipka was occupied by the 14th Infantry Division and the 4th Rifle Brigade under the command of General Petrushevsky. The Oryol and Bryansk regiments, as the most affected, were assigned to the reserve, and the Bulgarian squads were transferred to the village of Zeleno Drevo to take the route through the Imitli pass, bypassing Shipka from the west. Since that time, the "Shipkinsky sitting" begins - one of the most difficult episodes of the war. Defenders Shipka, doomed to passive defense, cared mainly about strengthening their positions and about the device, as far as possible, of closed communications with the rear. The Turks also strengthened and expanded their fortifications and continuously showered the Russian position with bullets and artillery shells.

On September 5, at 3 a.m., they again launched an attack from the south and west. They managed to take possession of the so-called Eagle's Nest - a rocky and steep cape, outstanding in front of Mount St. Nicholas, where they were knocked out only after a desperate melee. The column advancing from the west (from the Forest Barrow) was reflected by fire. After that, the Turks no longer made serious attacks, but limited themselves to shelling the position. With the onset of winter, the situation on Shipka became extremely difficult: frosts and blizzards on the tops of the mountains were especially sensitive. These hardships were especially noticeable for the newly arrived Russian troops: three regiments of the 24th division in a short time literally melted from disease. During the period from September 5 to December 24, only about 700 people were killed and injured in the Shipkinsky detachment, and up to 9.5 thousand were sick. The end of 1877 was marked by the end of the Shipka’s sitting, the last act of which was an attack on Turkish positions on the road from Mount St. Nicholas to the Shipka village (see The Battle of Sheinovo ). After the fall of Plevna on November 28 (December 10), the number of troops of Radetzky was increased to 45 thousand people. However, even in these conditions, the attack on the strongly fortified positions of Wessel Pasha (he had about 30 thousand people) was risky.

It was decided to attack the vast Turkish camp in the valley against the Shipkinsky pass with two columns that were supposed to make a roundabout maneuver: 19 thousand eastern column under the leadership of Svyatopolk-Mirsky through Trevnensky pass and 16 thousand Western column under the command of Mikhail Skobelev, through the Imitli Pass. About 10-11 thousand people remained under Radetzky’s leadership, who remained in Shipkinsky positions. The columns of Skobelev and Svyatopolk-Mirsky appeared on December 24, both columns met great difficulties, overcoming the snow blockages, almost all artillery had to be abandoned. On December 26, a convoy of Svyatopolk-Mirsky descended to the south side of the mountains, the main forces took up positions near the village of Gyusovo. The Skobelev’s column, besides natural obstacles, collided with the Turkish troops that occupied the heights dominating the southern descent, which they had to occupy with battle. Vanguard Skobeleva only in the evening of December 26 was able to go to the village of Imitlia, and the main forces were still on the pass.

On the morning of December 27, Svyatopolk-Mirsky launched an attack on the eastern front of the Turkish camp. The camp had about 7 versts in a circle and consisted of 14 redoubts, which had trenches in front and between them. By 1 o’clock in the afternoon, Russian troops captured the first line of Turkish fortifications in this direction. Part of the forces of Svyatopolk-Mirsky occupied Kazanlak, blocking the retreat of the Turkish troops to Adrianople. The troops of the western column of the 27th continued to bring down the Turks from the dominant heights, and due to the insignificance of the forces that crossed the mountains, Skobelev did not dare to launch an offensive. On the morning of the 28th, the Turks launched a counterattack against the eastern column, but were driven back. Russian troops captured Shipka and several fortifications. Further attack of the convoy of Svyatopolk-Mirsky was impossible, since the attack had not yet begun from the Skobelev side, and the troops suffered heavy losses, having consumed most of the ammunition. Radetsky, having received a report from Svyatopolk-Mirsky, decided to strike at the front of Turkish positions and pull back part of the Turkish forces on himself. At 12 noon, 7 battalions descended from Mount St. Nicholas, but further advancement along a narrow and icy road under strong enemy gun and artillery fire led to such high losses that the Russian troops, having reached the first line of the enemy trenches, were forced to retreat. However, this attack diverted significant forces of the Turkish army and artillery, which could not be used for counterattack against the troops of Svyatopolk-Mirsky and Skobelev.

Radetsky did not know that at 11 o’clock Skobelev launched his attack, directing the main blow at the southwestern part of the enemy’s positions. Soon his forces broke into the middle of the fortified camp. At the same time, the column of Svyatopolk-Mirsky resumed the offensive. About 3 hours, Wessel Pasha, convinced of the impossibility of further resistance and retreat, decided to capitulate. The troops that held positions in the mountains also received orders to surrender. Only part of the Turkish cavalry was able to escape. As a result of the battle of Sheinovo, Russian troops lost about 5.7 thousand people. The Wessel Pasha army ceased to exist, only about 23 thousand prisoners were captured, and 93 guns also captured. This victory had important consequences - in fact, the shortest route to Adrianople and Constantinople was open. Thus ended the battle for Shipka.

Shipka is one of the most famous names in the history of Bulgaria , the shrine of Bulgarian patriots. The most large-scale and solemn events are held here on March 3 - this is the day of the signing of the San Stefano Peace Treaty , which brought freedom to Bulgaria after the five-century Ottoman yoke.

Every August there is a historical reconstruction of the events of 1877 . An important part of the event is a memorial service for the Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Romanian and Finnish soldiers who died here, as well as Bulgarian militias. They are given military honors, state leaders and the people of Bulgaria lay wreaths of fresh flowers at the top of the hill as a sign of gratitude.

In 1954, the feature film Heroes of Shipka was shot at Lenfilm.

March 3, 2003 , in honor of the 125th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria, the celebration was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin , at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart George Pyrvanov ^[1] .

And to this day, during the liturgy in all Orthodox churches in Bulgaria, during the Great Entrance of the Liturgy, Alexander II and all Russian soldiers who fell on the battlefield for the liberation of Bulgaria in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 are remembered: “Our emperor was blessed Aleksandr Nikolaevich and all the warriors drove to the slaughter field for vyarata and were freed from the founding of the fatherland, but God replace the Lord in the kingdom ” .

• Shipka // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.