Dobro Pole, Macedonian - Greek Border
According to Dobri Petkov, the basis for this accusation, among other things, was the alleged statement of French General Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, during the signing of the armistice in Thessaloniki (09.30.1918) that allegedly he spoke in front of the Bulgarian delegation:
"It is sad, but among you there are traitors, who I as a soldier, despise"
It is interesting that at that time (October 1928) General Louis Franchet d'Espèrey is in Yugoslavia, where he was asked by reporters whether he remembers this event and whether he really said this.
General d'Espèrey confirmed that he clearly remembered that day, but denied that he said such a thing. Louis Franchet d'Espèrey never testified before the Bulgarian court, but even if he did, he would hardly cast a stain on the victory of the Allied forces or would directly interfere in the internal affairs of Bulgaria.
The lawsuit later ends in favor of the widow of General Lukov and with imprisonment of Dobri Petkov.
Excerpts from newspaper Politika (08-17.10.1928)
In Yugoslavia and especially in Macedonia, these events were closely monitored, with many newspaper writings, so we can assume that this is the source of our story.
But is there any truth in it?
It is fact that at the end of the First World War the Bulgarian army was in extremely bad condition. The soldiers were hungry, badly equipped, and rebellions and defection were very common. It was no question of "IF" but "WHEN" and "AT WHAT PLACE" would happen the breakthrough of the front. The Entente Command decided that this would happen on the sector of the Serbian army, which also had the greatest interest to end the war.
The Entente forces concentrated about 550 cannons in the area of around Dobro Pole and much larger and more equipped army against the demoralized and poorly equipped Bulgarian army.
The amount of shells that fell on the Bulgarian trenches were a guarantee for the success of The Battle of Dobro Pole and there was hardly any need to "bribe" anyone. We can say that the Battle for Dobro Pole was a clean victory and in a short period of time the Entente forces achieved great success on the Macedonian front, whose fate was already decided.
Yet it was uncertain whether and how long Bulgaria would continue fighting and would it sacrificed its population for its ally Germany. Bulgarian King Ferdinand (who was also of German origin) supported the idea, against a number of generals and government officials, who were aware of the situation among the population, and did not agree to continue fighting and were considering a change of leadership. In these political games, we can assume that there were treachery and profligacy on both sides, and fighting for dominance continued after the war ended. It is naive to believe that in this situation there was no influence from other countries and even bribes. But these were complex political games that are out of everyone's understanding, and yet provide a good basis for discussion, speculation, and stories among the population.
The real problem of today's Mariovo region!
In a situation of low living standard, the stories associated with gold and hidden treasure are always interesting for the people, especially in Mariovo region. This region forgotten by many slowly becomes a haven for illegal activities, which inflict irreparable damage to the cultural heritage and are particularly dangerous for the local population. The "Gold diggers" as they are called, are actually a "Relict hunters" who irreversibly destroy the rich cultural heritage in this region.
Text: Pargovski Jove
https://macedonia1912-1918.blogspot.com
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