Salonika is a city in southeastern Europe, located on the coast of northern Greece beside the Aegean Sea. Today, it is called Thessaloniki, which is its modern Greek name, and it is Greece’s second-largest city.
In 1915, Salonika was very important because it had a large port, and a railway line into Europe. This allowed the Allies to bring in soldiers, weapons, food, and medical supplies by sea, which was much safer than traveling overland.
For the Allies, Salonika was a secure base from which they could try to help Serbia* and open a new front against the Central Powers. For the Central Powers, especially Bulgaria and Germany, stopping the Allies at Salonika was important because it protected their control over the Balkans** and kept key land routes between their countries open.
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* Serbia was an ally of Britain and had successfully resisted the attacks of the Austro-Hungarian Army in the opening months of the First World War. But, in October 1915, the combined forces of Austria, Germany and Bulgaria overwhelmed her armies and conquered the country. The Allies tried to help Serbia but arrived too late.
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* Serbia was an ally of Britain and had successfully resisted the attacks of the Austro-Hungarian Army in the opening months of the First World War. But, in October 1915, the combined forces of Austria, Germany and Bulgaria overwhelmed her armies and conquered the country. The Allies tried to help Serbia but arrived too late.
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* The Balkans is a name used for a region in south eastern Europe. It includes several countries, such as Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and others, which are close together and share parts of their history and geography.
* The Balkans is a name used for a region in south eastern Europe. It includes several countries, such as Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and others, which are close together and share parts of their history and geography.
The Balkans are named after the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina), a range running through Bulgaria. Before and during the First World War, the Balkans were important because many countries there had tensions with each other, and events in this region helped lead to the war.
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The Salonika Campaign is sometimes called the Macedonian Campaign. In 1915, the geographical region of Macedonia was primarily under the occupation of Bulgaria, having been split only two years earlier among Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria after previous recent wars in the Balkans. In 1915, Macedonia did not exist as a single, independent political entity or nation-state with defined modern borders.
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The Salonika Campaign is sometimes called the Macedonian Campaign. In 1915, the geographical region of Macedonia was primarily under the occupation of Bulgaria, having been split only two years earlier among Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria after previous recent wars in the Balkans. In 1915, Macedonia did not exist as a single, independent political entity or nation-state with defined modern borders.