Battle of Krivolak

Battle of Krivolak
Part of Balkans Theatre of World War I
French soldiers resting in Thessaloniki, 1915
Date 21 October – 22 November 1915 Location Krivolak, Kingdom of Serbia (present-day North Macedonia) 41°31′38″N 22°07′15″E / 41.5272°N 22.1208°E / 41.5272; 22.1208 Result Bulgarian victory
Belligerents
Bulgaria	France
Commanders and leaders
Georgi Todorov Stefan Bogdanov	Maurice Sarrail Maurice Bailloud C. de Lardemelle
Units involved
2nd Army 11th Division	57th Division 122nd Division 156th Division
Strength
1 army	3 divisions
Casualties and losses
5,877	3,161 10 artillery pieces lost 12 machine guns lost 36 ammunition wagons captured

The Battle of Krivolak (in Bulgarian: Криволашко сражение, Битка при Криволак) was a World War I battle, fought between 21 October and 22 November 1915. It was fought in the initial stage of the Macedonian campaign, in the Balkans Theatre. On 21 October, Bulgarian troops attacked the French-held positions near the Strumica rail station, at the time part of the Kingdom of Serbia (present-day North Macedonia), starting the battle. Fighting continued until 22 November, when two Serbian divisions failed to capture Skopje, thus rendering the continuation of Entente offensive operations dangerous and forcing the French to evacuate their forces from the region.

The Entente defeat at Krivolak and the follow-up battle of Kosturino led to the complete withdrawal of Allied forces from Serbia, thus enabling the Central Powers to re-open the Berlin to Constantinople rail line. The Allies, in the meantime, consolidated their defenses in Greece.