The Dude
Banned
Battle of Plovdiv
By August 15th, the British Salonika Expeditionary Force had reached the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv in record time. This was mainly because Bulgarian troops were distracted in Eastern Serbia, preventing them from attacking the advancing British. However, by the 15th they had managed to turn around and face the invaders. Therefore, it was decided to fortify Plovdiv in preparation for a Bulgarian attack that was almost certain to come. 150,000 British soldiers, most of them from India, were facing Bulgarians that had almost twice the manpower. Supplies, fortunately, were not too limited. The Greeks had been a great help in this campaign, and the Battle of Plovdiv was no exception. They should have enough supplies to hold out until the rest of the British arrived. Disease, however, was still a problem. Fortunately, if anything it was more of a problem to the Bulgarians. In the summer, Plovdiv often was beset by mosquitoes. The Indians were used to dealing with mosquitoes, while most of the Bulgarians were not.
However, one thing the British did not expect was an attack delaying reinforcements. Most of the British Expeditionary Force was in the city of Peshtera. The Bulgarians also led a somewhat smaller force there. Though this army had little hope of victory, it would significantly slow down help to the army in Plovdiv. At this point, there wasn't much hope for the Indians trapped in Plovdiv among the British High Command. It would take at least a month to reinforce them, and the British didn't have that much faith in the Indians. However, many people have underestimated colonial troops in the past. Things weren't over for the Indians in Plovdiv yet.....
*****
August 19th, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Captain Omaha Rajput did not like fighting in Plovdiv. This is not to say he did not like fighting; no, he quite enjoyed developing battle plans for his unit. This is also not to imply he didn't like Plovdiv; he loved it, and that was precisely why he did not like fighting there. The thought of shells and bombs destroying the beautiful architecture damn near broke his heart. The ancient cities were just too beautiful for that, in his opinion.
He was sitting in the Church of the Holy Mother of God, looking at an inscription on the belfry. He was told it read
"In memory of the liberators".
He was also told this was to commemorate the liberation of Plovdiv from the Turks by the Russians. Looking at Bulgaria's current diplomatic situation with both nations, Rajput found this bitterly funny.
Suddenly, one of his soldiers spoke up from the church tower.
"Sir!", shouted Ranga, their slender sniper, from the church tower.
"Bulgarians, coming this way from the East!"
"Alright men, get out there and take positions! Ranga, pick them off from a distance! The rest of you, find some cover and start shooting! Go!"
Rajput himself began crouching behind a wall right next to the stairs. He poked his head above his position to find the Bulgarians were quickly advancing up the stairs. He aimed his Lee-Enfield rifle at one man and fired. Then, he ducked back down just in time to see returning fire traveling through the space where his head occupied moments before.
Then, he heard the distinctive chatter of a Vickers machine gun. The church, being a rather important objective, had one of the precious few machine guns in the area. Within a minute or two, the attacking Bulgarians had been repelled.
Onkar, the big, bearded, burly man of the group, began to speak.
"Captain,", he said, "can we pursue them?"
"No, Onkar. We were given orders to hold this church, and that's what we'll be doing. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir", Onkar replied in an annoyed voice, and then stepped away, grumbling.
"Be glad we get to keep this position, Onkar. This is one of the few places the Bulgarians aren't willing to shell."
He then stepped inside to admire the glasswork of the church windows.
"At least the warring powers have the good sense not to destroy this", he thought to himself.
By August 15th, the British Salonika Expeditionary Force had reached the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv in record time. This was mainly because Bulgarian troops were distracted in Eastern Serbia, preventing them from attacking the advancing British. However, by the 15th they had managed to turn around and face the invaders. Therefore, it was decided to fortify Plovdiv in preparation for a Bulgarian attack that was almost certain to come. 150,000 British soldiers, most of them from India, were facing Bulgarians that had almost twice the manpower. Supplies, fortunately, were not too limited. The Greeks had been a great help in this campaign, and the Battle of Plovdiv was no exception. They should have enough supplies to hold out until the rest of the British arrived. Disease, however, was still a problem. Fortunately, if anything it was more of a problem to the Bulgarians. In the summer, Plovdiv often was beset by mosquitoes. The Indians were used to dealing with mosquitoes, while most of the Bulgarians were not.
However, one thing the British did not expect was an attack delaying reinforcements. Most of the British Expeditionary Force was in the city of Peshtera. The Bulgarians also led a somewhat smaller force there. Though this army had little hope of victory, it would significantly slow down help to the army in Plovdiv. At this point, there wasn't much hope for the Indians trapped in Plovdiv among the British High Command. It would take at least a month to reinforce them, and the British didn't have that much faith in the Indians. However, many people have underestimated colonial troops in the past. Things weren't over for the Indians in Plovdiv yet.....
*****
August 19th, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Captain Omaha Rajput did not like fighting in Plovdiv. This is not to say he did not like fighting; no, he quite enjoyed developing battle plans for his unit. This is also not to imply he didn't like Plovdiv; he loved it, and that was precisely why he did not like fighting there. The thought of shells and bombs destroying the beautiful architecture damn near broke his heart. The ancient cities were just too beautiful for that, in his opinion.
He was sitting in the Church of the Holy Mother of God, looking at an inscription on the belfry. He was told it read
"In memory of the liberators".
He was also told this was to commemorate the liberation of Plovdiv from the Turks by the Russians. Looking at Bulgaria's current diplomatic situation with both nations, Rajput found this bitterly funny.
Suddenly, one of his soldiers spoke up from the church tower.
"Sir!", shouted Ranga, their slender sniper, from the church tower.
"Bulgarians, coming this way from the East!"
"Alright men, get out there and take positions! Ranga, pick them off from a distance! The rest of you, find some cover and start shooting! Go!"
Rajput himself began crouching behind a wall right next to the stairs. He poked his head above his position to find the Bulgarians were quickly advancing up the stairs. He aimed his Lee-Enfield rifle at one man and fired. Then, he ducked back down just in time to see returning fire traveling through the space where his head occupied moments before.
Then, he heard the distinctive chatter of a Vickers machine gun. The church, being a rather important objective, had one of the precious few machine guns in the area. Within a minute or two, the attacking Bulgarians had been repelled.
Onkar, the big, bearded, burly man of the group, began to speak.
"Captain,", he said, "can we pursue them?"
"No, Onkar. We were given orders to hold this church, and that's what we'll be doing. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir", Onkar replied in an annoyed voice, and then stepped away, grumbling.
"Be glad we get to keep this position, Onkar. This is one of the few places the Bulgarians aren't willing to shell."
He then stepped inside to admire the glasswork of the church windows.
"At least the warring powers have the good sense not to destroy this", he thought to himself.
