Assignment of the defense of Strymon River to the British, May 27, 1916
On 28 May 1916, a redeployment of Allied forces took place during the First World War. As part of this redistribution, the defense of the Strymons River area in Greece was assigned to the British. This strategic decision was made as part of wider Allied operations and planning in the Balkans, where the Entente forces faced the Central Powers on several fronts. The area of Strymons was of strategic importance due to its geographical location and its role in transport and communications.
Assigning the defense to the British was part of their overall strategy to strengthen their positions and protect the southern borders of Serbia and Greece from attacks by the Central Powers, mainly the Germans and Bulgarians. This move was critical to maintaining the cohesion of the Balkan front and providing support to allies in the region.
The British forces that undertook the defense of Strymons were part of the forces of the Allied Army of the Orient, which had been formed to operate in the Balkans and included units from various Entente countries, such as France, Italy and Serbia.
Before the defense of the Strymons River was handed over to the British on 28 May 1916, the area was mainly under the responsibility of Serbian and French forces. The Serbs, after the collapse of their front and subsequent retreat through Albania in 1915, had reorganized and continued to operate in the Balkans under Allied command. The French, for their part, constituted an important pillar of the Army of the East and had assumed an important role in the area of the Macedonian front.
The redistribution of forces and transfer of responsibility to the British was part of an effort to better organize the defense and strengthen the Allied presence in the region, given the continuing threats from Central Powers forces, mainly the Bulgarians and Germans.
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