Dobro Pole, near the village of Gradeshica, Municipality of Novaci

Coordinates : 41.034108, 21.882241

Dobro Pole is a place on the border between Macedonia and Greece, and also the site of the breakthrough of the Macedonian Front line during the First World War.

The offensive began on 14 September 1948 with artillery fire, and the next day at 5:30 am the infantry attack followed. On the Allied side, in the front row were the 122nd French Infantry Division, the 17th French Colonial Infantry Division and the Serbian Shumadija Division and, in the second row, two Serbian divisions: Timocka and Yugoslav.

Bulgarian troops resisted artillery fire, and the place Dobro Pole was won by the infantry. Thanks to the flamethrowers the Bulgarian machine guns were destroyed and, after eight hours of fighting, the Bulgarian line was broken.

Ten days after the Front's breakthrough in Dobro Pole, the Entente forces won the village of Gradsko, the main communications centre of the central forces, which disrupted communication between the German commanders and the Bulgarian army.

On 29 September, the allies entered Skopje and thus arrived at the Bulgarian border. Bulgaria signed his surrender on 29 September 1918 in Thessaloniki. This will put an end to the battles on the Macedonian Front line.

In 1938, a delegation led by Louis Cordier engaged the sculptor Marcel Ganguilhem - a soldier who lost his right hand during the battles at Dobro Pole - to make a bronze monument. This monument was erected in Dobro Pole. It disappeared later, but we can see today the traces of his whereabouts.

How to get to Dobro Pole:

Dobro Pole is a place on the border between Macedonia and Greece in the Mariovo region, which is also the least populated region of Macedonia. A mountain road leads to Dobro Pole. The road is accessible only by all-terrain vehicle and only during the summer months. To the place where the monument was erected, and which is on the Greek side, we can walk there. Visitors can easily get lost if they are not accompanied by a guide.

Companies and associations in Bitola that transport tourists:

Tourism agency Turist Bitola (www.turist.com.mk)
Off Road Macedonia (www.off-road.mk)
Hera Turs Bitola (www.heratours.mk)
Info Bitola (www. Bitola. info)
Mountain Solution Bitola (www.mount.mk)
Pelister’s guides (www.pelister-guides.com)