Battle of Bitola

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The Battle of Bitola took place near Bitola from 16 to 19 November 1912. It was part of the Balkan Wars. The Serbian army decisively defeated the Ottoman army. The Serbs then entered Bitola on 19 November. With the conquest of Bitola the Serbs controlled southwestern Macedonia, including the symbolically important town of Ohrid.

Aftermath

After the battle of Bitola, the five-century-long Ottoman rule of Macedonia was over. The Serbian 1st Army, was most of whom fighting in the First Balkan War. At this point some Serbs wanted the 1st Army to continue its advance down the valley of the Vardar to Salonika. Vojovoda Putnik refused. The threat of war with Austria-Hungary loomed over the issue of a Serbian presence on the Adriatic. In addition, with the Bulgarians and Greeks already in Salonika, the appearance of Serbian forces there would only muddle an already complicated situation.

References

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Last updated on Wednesday March 12, 2008 at 14:01:06 PDT (GMT -0700)
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