THE GREAT CROWNED (ТЕПЕ ТЕПЕ)

This small peak is now locally called Голема Круна/Golema Kruna. This is the simple translation of "Grand Couronne". Because here, between Greece and North Macedonia, the hills of Karabalija overlooking Lake Dorjan, in the west, have names that are neither Greek nor Slavic: the Turtle, the Small Crowned, Pip Ridge, the Twins ... These are the nicknames given during the First World War by French and British soldiers to the positions held by the Bulgarians. So many places that the allied troops tried to conquer during three years. Three years of offensives, bombings and hand-to-hand combat. Between 1915 and 1918, Dorjan was the "Verdun of the Macedonian front". And its fort of Douaumont was the Grand Couronne, the main observation post of the Bulgarian artillery. Officially called Kale Tepe ("the hill of the castle" in Turkish), and also known as the Devil's Eye in English, the Grand Couronne is only 612 m high. But it is hard to reach, especially in the heat.

Bunkers and rusty casings. From Star Dojran, a path accessible by 4 x 4 and today used by the border guards allows to reach the half-slope. Then you have to walk through the rocky terrain, make your way through the brush to reach Dovdželii. During the conflict, this village located in the no man's land between the two sides was continuously bombed. Only ruins remain. Further on is the deadly Twin Ravine, then the Bulgarian first and second lines, whose trenches are still visible. Only a few isolated Allied units managed to reach the top of the ravine, sometimes with losses of more than 70 percent of their strength. The slopes up to the summit proved even more difficult to climb. The hill is littered with bunkers and dugouts, some of which are well preserved, while the ground is littered with shell casings and projectiles gnawed by rust. The place is surmounted by a blockhouse that offers a breathtaking view of the lake around which the troops climbing the hills were concentrated. The Bulgarians had no trouble anticipating the Allied attacks... until September 19, 1918. On that day, the Welsh of the South Wales Borderers finally managed to seize the Grand Couronne. Only 18 soldiers and one officer were left when the battalion took the position. Despite a fierce defense, the Bulgarians were overwhelmed. Ten days later, Skopje was conquered by surprise by the French and Bulgaria capitulated.