First Battle of Cobadin

First Battle of Cobadin
Part of the Dobruja Campaign of the Romanian Campaign of World War I

The Romanian river monitors at Rasova, oil on canvas by Dimitrie Știubei [ro]
Date17–19 September 1916
Location
Rasova, Cobadin, Tuzla; Romania
Result Entente victory
Belligerents
 Bulgaria
 German Empire
 Ottoman Empire		  Romania
 Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Tsardom of Bulgaria (1908–1946) Stefan Toshev
German Empire August von Mackensen
Ottoman Empire Mustafa Hilmi Pasha		 Kingdom of Romania Alexandru Averescu
Russian Empire Andrei Zayonchkovski
Strength
Tsardom of Bulgaria (1908–1946) 55 battalions and 24 squadrons
German Empire 4 battalions and 3 squadrons
Ottoman Empire 3 battalions(initially)
Total: 62 battalions and 27 squadrons[1]		 Total: 70+ battalions and 41 squadrons[1]
4 river monitors
Casualties and losses
 Bulgaria 704 killed, 4,778 wounded, 611 missing
 German Empire unknown
 Ottoman Empire 36 killed, 348 wounded 62 missing
Total: Over 740 killed, 5,126 wounded, 673 missing[2]		 Unknown

The First Battle of Cobadin, also known as the First Battle of the Rasova–Cobadin–Tuzla Line, was fought from 17 to 19 of September 1916 between the Bulgarian Third Army and the Romanian–Russian Army of the Dobruja. The battle ended in Entente tactical victory and forced the Central Powers to hold their offensive and assume a defensive stance till the middle of October.

The right flank of the Allied forces was supported by the Romanian Navy's Danube Flotilla, consisting mainly of four Brătianu-class river monitors. These warships blocked with mines the river sectors of Silistra, Ostrov, and Gura Borcea, protected the 8 September evacuation of Silistra, attacked enemy land convoys, and destroyed enemy batteries.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Тошев (2007), page 108
  2. ^ Министерство на войната (1943), page 390-395
  3. ^ Romanian Review, Volume 51, Issues 327-332, p. 139

Sources

  • Министерство на войната, Щаб на войската (1943). Българската армия в Световната война 1915–1918, Vol. IX. Sofia: Държавна печатница.
  • Kirițescu, Constantin (1926). Istoria războiului pentru întregirea României: 1916–1919 [История на войната за обединението на Румъния. Войната в Добруджа]. Sofia: Печатница на армейското военно издателство.
  • Тошев, Стефан (2007). Действията на III армия в Добруджа през 1916 год. Захарий Стоянов. ISBN 978-954-739-976-1.
  • Pollard, Albert Frederick (2006). A Short History of the Great War. BiblioBazaar, LLC. ISBN 978-1-4264-2180-8.