/ world today news/ General Y. Gurko’s forward detachment advances in the direction of Svishtov – V. Tarnovo – the passes of the Central Stara Planina – St. Zagora – Edirne. In this way, it is planned to ensure the transfer of the main Russian forces to the valley of the Maritsa river, as well as to support the possible uprising of the Bulgarian population.
Here I will deviate from the topic in order to briefly describe the situation that arose during the first ten days of July 1877 in the Balkan theater of hostilities.
Svishtov, Byala, V. Tarnovo were released; on July 7, fifty Don Cossacks entered Pleven, disarmed the Turkish company stationed there, but then retreated; on July 8, the intelligence unit of Cornet Tuleshko reached Sevlievo; preparations for the capture of Nikopol begin; the left flank of the Russian army is strengthened, against which significant enemy forces are concentrated.
The Turkish Ministry of War recovered from the initial surprise caused by the swift and successful actions of our northern brothers and took a number of countermeasures.
Abdul Kerim, commander-in-chief of the troops in the quadrangle of fortresses (Ruschuk (Ruse) – Shumen – Varna – Silistra), was ordered to start an offensive. This area was among the most heavily fortified in Europe. 75,000 people serve there.
Reuf Pasha’s army, including 15 camps, 1 squadron, 4 batteries, 400 mounted Circassians, was concentrated in the valley of the Tunja River.
The corps of Süleyman Pasha (20,000 personnel) begins its withdrawal from Albania to Bulgaria (until then, it participated in the hostilities against Montenegro). In the literature, I came across information about a plan to send this compound to Varna, but in the end it was transported on English ships to Dedeagach and from there it reached St. Zagora.
Mehmed Ali’s troops are redeployed from the Serbian border to Sofia.
Part of the garrison in Nikopol was sent to Pleven.
Osman Pasha was ordered to leave Vidin and join the main forces.
As a result, a little later, the Russian army will have to postpone the operation for a rapid advance in southern Bulgaria, since it does not have enough reserves.
But let’s return to V. Tarnovo, where the heroes of our history are. It was decided that the Front Detachment would cross the Balkans through Hainboaz (now Pass of the Republic), because it was the only one that was not guarded by the enemy.
The Shipchen pass is well fortified by the Turks, who have significant reserves in their rear, in Kazanlak. Trevnesky is also controlled by the Kazanlak garrison, and Tvardishki is blocked by the units stationed in Sliven.
Prince Tsereteli, accompanied by a group of Bulgarians, scouted the route. The terrain was difficult, in fact the troops had to overcome tens of kilometers along a narrow path with steep ascents and descents, winding over precipices and crossing rivers. Until then, only pedestrians and individual horsemen passed through it.
Between July 10 and 12, a hundred Ural Cossacks and a cavalry pioneer unit under the command of the deputy head of the Front Detachment, General O. E. Rauch, repaired the route. With picks, axes and shovels, they chip away at the rocks, often having to wade in waist-deep cold water.
The main Russian units move to the pass on July 12. Russian and foreign correspondents set off with them, including McGahan. Everything that could slow down the movement was left in V. Tarnovo. The horses are loaded with weapons, ammunition, breadcrumbs for five days and a three-day supply of oats. In some places, the cannons had to be carried by hand.
Organized by P. Hitov, the local population helped the liberators – they widened the roadway, provided buffaloes to pull the Polish artillery, brought food, collected information about the enemy. And something impressive – no one brought the enslavers for the operation.
As of 9:30 a.m. on 14.07. the forward parts of the detachment reach the southern exit of the pass. On the move, the officers and soldiers of the XI Rifle Battalion and the II Mountain Battery attacked the Turkish camp near Hainköy (now known as Gurkovo), in which one camp was located. The surviving enemies fled to the villages of Konare and Kozosmade (now Kozarevo).
In the evening, two camps sent by Tvarditsa were broken up. One Russian soldier was killed in this battle, six others were wounded.
On July 15, with the forces of two Cossack regiments, two Bulgarian militia companies and artillery, three camps were defeated. The same day, the Cossacks cut the telegraph line between Eni Zaara (now Nova Zagora) and Eski Zaara (now Stara Zagora) and captured an enemy convoy with ammunition.
Intelligence established that five infantry camps were located in N. Zagora, 5-10 camps in Kazanlak, and 8-10 camps at the positions in the Shipchen Pass.
In the headquarters of General Y. Gurko, two plans for further actions were developed. If it turned out that the Turks had considerable forces in the Transbalkan, the task of the Forward Detachment was to be limited to the defense of the southern outlet of Hainboaz. Otherwise, an advance to Kazanlak was envisaged, with the aim of breaking the Turkish reserves there, and threatening the rear of the units in the Shipchen Pass, to force them to leave their positions. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army approved the plan and reinforced the corps with a regiment of the IX infantry division with a battery.
On 14.07. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich rejects the second request of Gen. Gurko for the advance of the Front Detachment deep in the south, but allows raids to be carried out towards Kazanlak, Sliven and N. Zagora. This decision was probably influenced by the message received from the embassy in Paris that Suleiman Pasha’s army was being transported by sea from Albania to Bulgaria.
Successful battles and intelligence data convinced Gen. J. Gurko to continue the advance towards Kazanlak and capture the Shipchen pass.
The active actions of our liberators forced the Turkish command to abandon attacks and go on the defensive.
Now, when the battles have long died down, some can fantasize… If in July 1877 a strong strike group with secured flanks and rear had been transferred to southern Bulgaria, the war would probably have ended much faster. The rapid movement of Russian troops to Edirne and Constantinople would force the Sublime Porte to sign a peace favorable to Russia, and not to wait for the help of the West, especially England. Then, possibly, the history of our country, resurrected after five centuries of bloody slavery, would have been different. But history is what happens.
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