-- ILINDEN UPRISING -- - Part 02

The village Dushegubitsa was attacked by Ottoman soldiers on August 29th, 2003 as part of an Ottoman offensive against the Kichevo Uprising. A detachment of 600 Ottoman soldiers was dispatched from Debar to Dolna Reka to clean up the insurgency there when it was met by the Dushegubitsa village Cheta. A battle ensued and lasted about four hours before insurgent reinforcements arrived and pushed the Ottomans back. This was indeed a great battle where a tiny village Cheta consisting of inexperienced men and women pitted against an entire Ottoman detachment of battle hardened soldiers. But thanks to the timely arrival of Luka Dzherov's district Cheta and the Laftentsi village Cheta, a disaster was avoided.

After their defeat the Ottomans quickly retreated leaving behind 30 dead. The insurgents experienced no deaths and only a few wounded. The next day the Ottomans came back and tried to invade the region again but this time the insurgents were prepared with an ambush at Bistra Mountain. Unfortunately due to an accidental rifle shot their plans were revealed and the Ottomans turned back before falling into the trap.

A few days later, on September 2nd, 1903, the Ottoman army returned. This time it brought 2 battalions from Debar numbering 2,000 soldiers. In its third attempt to enter the region the Ottomans divided their forces into two groups. One group was to attack and capture Dushegubitsa while the second was to simultaneously attack and capture Lafchani. Outnumbered and suffering from exhaustion, the Dushegubitsa village Chetas decided to retreat and head for the village Klenoets. The Lafchani village Cheta, consisting of 75 insurgents, decided to stay on and fight. Unable to resist the numerically superior Ottoman army the Lafchani insurgents also decided to abandon their positions and retreated to Podvis. The second Ottoman group then burned down the village Lafchani and retreated to Kichevo and Debar. The first Ottoman group meanwhile, invaded Dushegubitsa and burned the village down and then headed towards Kleonets in pursuit of the insurgents. Several battles ensued before the Ottomans retreated.

A stronger Ottoman counter-offensive in the Kichevo and Poreche Regions did not begin until September 8th, 1903 when 10 Ottoman battalions arrived with 7,000 soldiers and 4 mountain cannons. The army positioned itself to attack the region from four different sides. On the opposing side, leading the defense were vojvodas Mihail Josifov, Pesho Radev and Kocho Kurshumot with 200 insurgents. The fight lasted two days before the Ottomans broke through the Kichevo defenses and burned down the refugee camps along with the villages Pateets, Svetorache, Kozichino and Rabetin. After that the Ottomans took measures to suppress the Uprising in Poreche by sending an attack force of 1,500 soldiers accompanied by a large number of Bashi Bazuks which attacked and robbed the villages Tsreshovo, Belitsa and Vir.

By September 17th, 1903 most Uprisings in the neighbouring districts had been squelched and more Ottoman forces were becoming available to carry out new offensives in the still liberated regions. By then Ottoman forces were arriving from Kichevo, Debar, Ohrid and Demir Hisar and they were all headed for Gorna and Dolna Kopachka.

Sensing the enormity of the force arriving in the region, General Headquarters ordered the insurgents to back off and evacuate

themselves prompting the Ottomans to go on a three day wild goose chase.

Unable to finish the job, the Ottomans left disappointed but came back to Dolna and Gorna Kopachka on October 1st, 1903 and robbed and burned down several villages.

By October 13th the Uprising in these regions had been squelched and with the exception of some garrisons, most of the Ottoman army returned to its bases in Kichevo and Debar.

All in all when it was all over, it was estimated that the Ottomans lost 600 soldiers. On the Macedonian side, 100 insurgents were killed, 12 villages were burned down, 550 houses were destroyed and 204 civilians killed. (Vanche Stojchev. "Military History of Macedonia". Military academy. Skopje, 2004. Page 327)

The Village Gjavato was of no extraordinary importance except that it was situated in the Bitola-Smilevo vicinity near the crossroads leading to Bitola, Prespa, Resen and Ohrid. Being in the way of the Ottoman communication and transportation corridor, Gjavato was attacked many times during the Ilinden Uprising. The first attack took place on August 3rd, 1903. Ottoman forces heading for the Smilevo Region attacked the village in an attempt to dislodge the insurgents so that they would not interfere with their Smilevo campaign. The village was defended by 150 insurgents lead by Gjorgij Sugarev and assisted by vojvodas Stefanov and Tale. Realizing that they were no match for Bahtier Pasha's several thousand finest Ottoman soldiers, the insurgents, after some short resistance, yielded and allowed the enemy to pass.

The second wave of attacks manifested themselves on August 12th, 1903 when the Ottomans began their counter-offensive in the region. This time the village was first attacked by a large group of Bashi Bazuks from the villages Kazhani and Dolentsi. Fortunately the Chetas lead by Boris Sarafov and Gijorgij Monchev happened to be in the vicinity and together with Sugarev's Cheta the insurgents were able to repel the attack. Unable to break the impasse the Ottomans sent in the artillery which forced the insurgents and much of the civilian population to fly to the forest.

Two days later, just as the people had returned to their homes, the attack, as part of the counter-offensive to suppress the Uprising in the Smilevo Region, was renewed in Gjavato resulting in a massive fight. In an attempt to slow down the enemy advance Sugarev ordered his most experienced fighters to take a frontal position near Prevarets as a first line of defense for Gjavato. A battle ensued and the front line insurgents resisted as long as possible before retreating into the village and taking positions in the sturdiest houses. As the Ottomans advanced on the village the insurgents managed to repel the first wave of attacks. Being unable to encircle the entire village, due to lack of sufficient forces, the Ottomans concentrated their second wave of attacks on two fronts, east and west. Still unable to break the impasse, the Ottomans ordered re-enforcements from Bitola. During the lull, Sugarev evacuated the civilians and ordered his insurgents to continue to fight. Unfortunately the re-enforcements arrived equipped with cannons and by dusk the enemy had turned the village into dust. Being familiar with the terrain however, Sugarev and his insurgents had no problem slipping through the Ottoman encirclement in the dark of night and escaping to Bigla Mountain.

----- The Demit Hisar, Prilep and Margara Uprisings

The Demir Hisar Revolutionary District encompassed the region covered by Ilinka Mountain, Velmeshka Mountain, Sprostranska Mountain, Baba Mountain, Ljuben Mountain and part of the Krushevo valley. The population in this district consisted of about 12,800 people, predominantly Macedonian with only a few Albanian villages. It was estimated that about 10% of the population actively participated in the Uprising.

Taking part in the Uprising in top leadership roles as vojvodas in this District included were Jodan Silijanov – Piperkata from the village Koritsa, Dimitar Dechev, Priest Kuzman from Babino and Hristo Pashov.

Preparations for the Uprising in this District began immediately after the Smilevo Congress and by the time the Uprising began the people were ready to fight. While the larger Chetas, including that of Jordan

Piperkata, were tasked with attacking the Ottoman garrisons during the Uprising, the smaller Chetas were dispatched to incapacitate roads, cut telegraph wires and destroy bridges and other facilities between Kichevo and Bitola. Jordan Piperkata and his 150 insurgents took on and destroyed the Ottoman strongholds in Ukjumat, Murdirluk and Pribiltsi. After burning down the Ottoman strongholds and liberating the local villages, Jordan Piperkata and his fighters left for Kichevo Region.

After the liberation of Krushevo and the establishment of the Krushevo Republic, Macedonian authority was extended to Kichevo and parts of Demir Hisar Region. Jordan Piperkata was tasked with providing security for the region but as soon as Bahtiar Pasha advanced towards Kichevo Jordan Piperkata’s insurgents were instructed to open fire. However, being vastly outnumbered, Piperkata wisely withdrew to save his forces and retreated to the hills. Being unopposed the Ottomans entered Tser, killed all its inhabitants, including women and children and burned down 200 houses. The next day Piperkata and his insurgents returned to investigate and help those in need but the Ottomans were waiting for them and they fell into an ambush. The Ottomans quickly encircled the area and began to tighten the ring. Fortunately reinforcements from Svinishta arrived just in time and succeeded in breaching the encirclement allowing Piperkata’s Cheta to escape to Sprostani. When the Cheta arrived at its destination the villagers poured in to jubilantly greet it but when they found out Jordan Piperkata was not among his insurgents the crowds went silent. Jordan Piperkata was killed in battle during the escape.

Upon finding this out, some of the villagers traveled to the scene of the battle, retrieved the bodies of their fallen heroes and returned them to the village Velmentsi where they gave them a proper burial. Many attended the funerals and the entire district was in mourning for days, mourning their favourite vojvoda who for years had defended them from the Ottomans. But even the dead were not allowed to rest as the funeral was interrupted by the arrival of a large Ottoman force. They disrupted the insurgents from saying their final words to their leader and forced them to take refuge in Sprstranska Mountain where they remained for a while.

On August 15th, 1903, as part of the Ottoman general offensive, a column of 2,000 Ottoman soldiers were spotted approaching Strugovska Mountain on its way to Slepche. The local Cheta did its best to intercept the Ottomans but was quickly put down by the numerically superior Ottoman force which then burned down the village Slepche, including its old monastery.

Following the first column of Ottoman soldiers, another column of 1,000 was spotted coming from Gjatovo. So as not to provoke a firefight, the local Chetas, including that of Boris Sarafov, withdrew their force and allowed the Ottomans to enter the village Babino unobstructed, in hopes that it would not be harmed. Unfortunately the Ottomans did not feel sympathetic that day and robbed the village and burned it down anyway.

While the people tried to recuperate from the shock a third column of 1,000 Ottoman soldiers was spotted marching on the Bitola-Kichevo road. Unprovoked they attacked and burned down several villages including Sopotnitsa and Rakinitsa.

A fourth column of another 1,000 Ottoman soldiers was spotted marching on the Kichevo to Belitsa road and as the days passed they pillaged and burned villages indiscriminately. The columns eventually came together on August 21, 1903 at the village Slp. Convinced that they had destroyed the Uprising the soldiers retreated to Kichevo and Bitola from whence they came.

Unbeknownst to the Ottomans most Chetas were not completely destroyed and as the insurgents fled to the Demir Hisar mountainside to hide they formed a sizable force, numbering over one thousand. Unfortunately as the number of insurgents increased so did the chances of them being discovered and as they waited for further orders from the General Headquarters an Ottoman force numbering over 10,000 infantry soldiers and Bashi Bazuks, lead by Bahtiar Pasha, was dispatched in pursuit. Equipped with 14 mountain cannons and 4 cavalry squadrons the Ottoman force was divided into 4 columns and on September 17th, 1903 began its second offensive against the Macedonian insurgents.

As all columns headed for the Demir Hisar mountainside, the first column started out from Smilevo and moved towards Slepche, the second column left from Strugovska Mountain and headed towards Laskovo, Tserovo, and Virono, the third column started out from Resen and headed towards Tsrn Vrv and the fourth column began its campaign in Ohrid Region and moved towards Gol Vrv and Plake.

As this massive Ottoman force began to tighten its noose on the Bitola Revolutionary District, General Headquarters quickly scrambled to assemble its forces and take the defensive. A force was 300 insurgents was ordered to defend the General Headquarters, which at that time was located on Mount Bigla, right in the middle of the Ottoman encirclement. Sugarev’s Cheta, consisting of about 250 insurgents, was dispatched to the southern side of Bigla Mountain to head off the Ottoman advance. A third Cheta consisting of local Demir Hisar insurgents was positioned to defend Vorovsko and Sloeshtitsa. The Chetas stayed in constant contact with each other and with General Headquarters through couriers who reported the enemy’s activities and movements. Just as the 19 kilometer Ottoman encirclement, stretching from the village Boishta to the village Sloeshtitsa began to close in, command of all the 970 or so insurgent forces was taken over by the District leadership and orders were given to open fire on the enemy.

Outnumbered 12 to 1, the insurgents initiated the attack and a severe battle broke out all throughout Bigla Mountain, lasting several hours. Unable to stand the pounding of the enemy artillery the insurgents in the lower half of the mountain left their positions and retreated into the forest, regrouping at the rear of the General headquarters.

Resistance free, one of the columns from the Ottoman force continued to advance up the mountain until it was again attacked by insurgents at the Sloeshtitsa Slope. The loud roar and sudden appearance of the insurgents stopped the Ottoman advance forcing the soldiers to take defensive positions. A firefight broke out and a stalemate was quickly reached. To break the stalemate the Ottomans brought their artillery and again began to pound the insurgents. Unable to withstand the pressure the insurgents abandoned their positions and retreated back into the woods splitting their forces into

several columns. One column of about 200 insurgents went directly to Tserovo Mountain and took a defensive position in the rocky terrain. The other columns that had retreated to Virovo and Boishka Mountains later joined the Tserovo force just as the Ottomans began to concentrate their attacks. A stalemate was reached before the day was over, which would have prompted the Ottomans to order artillery attacks the next day. Instead of waiting it out, the insurgents took the offensive and attacked the Ottomans in the dark of night punching a hole in their defenses.

After breaching the Ottoman encirclement the insurgents organized themselves into three groups and escaped. One group consisting of the General Headquarters escaped to Boishta and Smilevo, another group escaped to Tserovo Mountain and the third escaped to Virovo.

During the battle, which lasted all day and through the evening, 78 Ottomans soldiers and 17 Macedonian insurgents were killed and 11 Macedonian insurgents were wounded. When it was over the Ottomans returned to their garrisons and the insurgents returned to Demir Hisar to regroup. Unfortunately with the Uprising in decline the insurgent force in Demic Hisar was disbanded and by the end of 1903 everyone was sent home.

The Prilep Region, at the start of the 1903 Uprising, supported 38,000 residents of whom 35,000 were Macedonians and the rest were Ottomans, Albanians, Vlachs and Roma. Of the 38,000, 17,000 lived in the city of Prilep.

During the preparations for the Uprising the Prilep District was divided into three Regions and further subdivided into thirteen centers each equipped with a small Cheta of 10 to 15 insurgents. Since the region was not prepared for the Uprising, the first priority of the Chetas was to help mobilize the villagers, recruit new insurgents, acquire medical supplies, form intelligence networks, carry out training and procure weapons, food, clothing and other supplies.

As a result of their activities, the Chetas managed to recruit 600 more insurgents but unfortunately there were only 500 rifles in reserve and not sufficient ammunition to properly arm all the men.

The Bitola Revolutionary District did help out but not sufficiently to develop a force strong enough to tackle the Headquarters of the Ottoman 7th Cavalry brigade located in Prilep, consisting of four squadrons, a battalion of reservists and four other battalions numbering 4,500 Ottoman soldiers and officers in total.

Since a direct attack on the Prilep Ottoman strongholds was out of the question, the regional and village Chetas were ordered to initiate the Uprising using diversionary actions which included destroying bridges, cutting telegraph wires, attacking the Bey’s estates, etc.

During their operations the Chetas not only avoided direct confrontation with the Ottoman army but between August 2nd and 8th carried out missions in Skochivir, Grbalovo, Brod, Ribartsi, Novatsi and other villages. They managed to damage the roads to Bitola, Krushevo and Veles and to destroy the railway station in Gradsko. After all these successes the leadership decided to take its chances and attack the 300 soldier strong Ottoman garrisons in Vitolishte. For that purpose smaller but well armed and trained Chetas were ordered to gather together in the neighbouring village Zhiovo and combine forces. The combined Chetas lead by Tole Pasha and Dimitar Andonov were split into several columns. The first column was to attack from the east and the second from the south while the others acted as reserves. The date of the attack was chosen to be August 12th, 1903 and was kept a secret until the final minutes when a rebel accidentally fired a shot as the Chetas were approaching the Ottoman barracks.

A firefight broke out and the insurgents continued their pressure, with Andonov’s Cheta taking positions on the hill above the village forcing the Ottomans to retreat into the barracks while Tole Pasha’s insurgents kept up the pressure on the buildings where the gendarmerie was housed. Unable to take the garrison the insurgents retreated to the Kuchkin Kamen Peak on Nidzhe Mountain leaving 16 Ottoman soldiers dead without any losses to themselves.

Discouraged by their failed attempt the Prilep Leadership decided to disband the new Chetas and sent the insurgents back to their old Chetas and continued their partisan style operations mainly in the mountains.

Prilep Region is the crossroad connecting Western Macedonia with Skopje and Solun. The railway connecting Gradsko and Veles to Krushevo, Brod and Kichevo also passed through Prilep which for the most part carried thousands of Ottoman soldiers from Uroshevats to Vels, Gradsko and Prilep. Unfortunately, perhaps as an oversight by the Macedonian leadership at General Headquarters, this strategically important part of the country was never secured and was allowed to operate uninterrupted.

The small Chetas continued to concentrate their operations in the mountains until August 19th, 1903 when an Ottoman force attacked and encircled the village Paralovo on Mount Selechka trapping Petso Zhelezarov’s Cheta inside. The attack however was slowed long enough by the local Cheta for Todor Zlatkov and Kole Mariovets’s Cheti to arrive with reinforcements and punch a hole in the encirclement. This too was an unequal battle bidding 250 insurgents against 400 Ottoman soldiers but the insurgents fought hard and saved the day. Two insurgents and twenty-six Ottomans were killed in this battle.

Aching from the sting, a few days later the Ottomans sent a larger force numbering 7,000 soldiers and again clashed with the insurgents, this time in the village Dunje. Vojvodi Peshkov, Zlatkov and Zhelezarov with a combined force of 350 insurgents were surrounded but still managed to punch a hole through the Ottoman encirclement and escaped with only 20 dead. The Ottomans lost 160 during this battle. Unfortunately as the number of Macedonian fighters dwindled the Ottoman forces continued to grow making battles more and more difficult to win.

One of the last major battles to be fought in Prilep Region was on September 16th, 1903 when Nikola Peshkov fought an unequal battle with the Ottomans on the slopes of Dren Mountain near the village Belovoditsa and lost 35 insurgents and his own life.

One of the most brutal and significant battles ever fought by the Prilep Revolutionary District during the Ilinden Uprising was the battle of Margara, fought near the village Chanishte, Moriovo Region. As the Uprising was winding down in the southern parts of

Macedonia the insurgents were being pushed northward and were concentrated in certain regions creating serious opposition to the Ottoman offensive. As it happened, in the beginning of October, there was a concentration of insurgents on the move in the Moriovo Region. Among the Cheta leaders present there were Lazar Pop Trajkov and Ivan Popov with 116 insurgents, Gjorche Petrov with 14 insurgents and 10 insurgents from the remnants of Tole Pasha’s Cheta lead by Milan Zvezdov. The insurgents numbered 140 in total and were pitted against a force of 5,500 well armed Ottoman soldiers.

The battle began at seven in the morning just after sunrise on October 2nd, 1903 when an Ottoman force was spotted just above Margara attempting to surprise the rebel camp near the village Chanishte. The moment the Ottomans were spotted a security unit of 20 insurgents, lead by Iovan Ivanovich (a Montenegrin) was dispatched and set up positions to intercept. Vasil Kotev’s Cheta meanwhile took up position at a nearby hill. Luka Ivanov took charge of the operation and ordered the insurgents not to fire until the enemy was within 200 paces. Surprised by the sudden burst of fire the Ottoman force quickly retreated and took up a defensive position. A stalemate was reached as the two sides continued to fire at each other. Many Ottomans were killed during the initial attack. About an hour later the Ottomans received reinforcements and again began the offensive, this time in a much denser line. When the insurgents stopped firing it was a sure sign that they had fled. Confident that the insurgents were gone the dense Ottoman line continued its advance only to find out it was a trick. This time the Ottomans received even heavier losses.

About six hours later the Ottoman force was again reinforced and ordered to encircle the entire battle ground. Through the call of trumpets all Ottoman units were ordered to attack simultaneously from all sides but to their surprise the insurgents kept fighting with renewed vigor. In their arsenal the insurgents also employed grenades, dynamite, boulders and even javelins, swords and knives. It was going to be a fight to the end.

By the evening the Ottomans realized that it was not going to be an easy victory so they retreated for the night.

The next day a bigger Ottoman force arrived fully equipped with artillery only to find the insurgents had left.

The battle of Margara, the greatest and last of the Ilinden Uprising great battles, pitted an insurgent force of 140 Macedonians for 12 hours against a superior force of 5,500 Ottoman soldiers and proved that under the right conditions, with good discipline and a willingness to fight, the scales against the Ottomans could have been tipped.

----- The Ohrid and Resen Uprisings

The Ohrid Uprising Revolutionary District, which included the Ohrid and Struga Regions, consisted of 111 villages housing a total population of 64,000 residents. Of those, 46,000 were Macedonians, 7,000 Albanians, 6,000 Ottomans 3,000 Muslim Macedonians and 2,000 Vlachs. (Vanche Stojchev. “Military History of Macedonia”. Military academy. Skopje, 2004. Page 336)

Even though the Ohrid Revolutionary District leadership had concluded that Ohrid was not ready to participate in the Uprising militarily, it did not want to go against the National leadership’s decision to start an early Uprising, so after the Smilevo congress it began intensive preparations. Tome Davidov, a trained military officer, and his Cheta were dispatched to the region in March 1903 and were given responsibility for organizing training camps and acquiring food supplies, weapons and ammunition. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, soon after their arrival, his Cheta were surprised by a strong Ottoman force near the village Rbeni and in a pitch battle, Tome was killed and 150 of his insurgents were captured. The incident severely hampered preparations but soon afterwards Hristo Uzunov, just released from prison, took over the operation and brought it back on track.

Initially, the Ohrid Uprising Revolutionary District was divided into four Regions consisting of Debar with 18 villages, Lake with 37 villages, Malesija with 10 villages and Drimkol with 18 villages. By mid-May 1903 it was re-organized into six Regions consisting of Debar with 12 villages led by Smile Vojdanov, Malesija with 10

villages led by Tase Hristov, Dolna Debartsa with 23 villages led by Dejan Dimitrov, Lake with 19 villages led by Nikola Mitrov, Debar Drimkol with 7 villages led by Marko Pavlev, and Struga Drimkol with 11 villages led by Jakim Alulov. Recruitment and training began immediately after the re-organization and was conducted underground and with utmost secrecy.

On July 23rd, 1903 the General Headquarters announced the actual date of the Uprising, prompting the Ohrid District to set up its regional headquarters in the mountains and to prepare plans for combat. The Uprising was to begin in three regions in Ohrid; Gorna Debartsa, Dolna Debartsa and Lake. Uzunov made it clear to all the District Vojvoda’s that the aim of the Uprising was to follow Gotse Delchev’s prescribed methods of fighting which included first and foremost saving the population and second prolonging the struggle by carrying out Partisan style campaigns.

Their first task was to evacuate the population from the areas where battles were expected to take place. Then the Chetas were to attack and subdue the various Ottoman garrisons and strongholds in the Ohrid vicinity and finally the insurgents were to pursue and eliminate representatives of the Ottoman authorities and their collaborators; including tax collectors. It was prohibited to attack the Ottoman civilian population. Various posters were put up explaining the Organization’s aims and that this was an attack on the Ottoman system; not on the people.

On July 28th, 1903 the district vojvodas held a meeting with the village leaders and local vojvodas in order to inform them of the Uprising date and of their plans for the Uprising. Unfortunately, as it turned out, one of the leaders from the village Velmej was also an Ottoman spy and the plans were revealed to the Ottoman authorities. Being discovered before the Uprising began ruined the surprise attack on the enemy and placed the insurgents at a disadvantage. As a result, events in Debartsa Drimkol and Struga Drimkol did not develop as planned and the village Chetas were not mobilized. Of all the Chetas from Struga Drimkol that were prepared to join the Uprising, only the Regional Cheta became active and participated in various battles outside of its territory. Because its support was needed at various other places, the Regional Cheta was split into two

units, one commanded by Lazar Dimitrov and Marko Pavlev and the other by Milosh Krstev. While the first Cheta was tasked with cutting the telegraph lines connecting Debar to Struga, the second Cheta was sent to recruit insurgents for the village Chetas.

While this was going on, Malesija Region came under attack and Pavlev and his Cheta were dispatched to provide assistance, thus abandoning the mission to cut telegraph lines.

Because of the sudden and unexpected attack, the Malesija Region too deviated from its original plans and instead of providing support to neighbouring regions it ended up fighting for its own survival. Unprepared for a fight, the civilian population suffered the most.

On August 3rd, 1903 a Bashi-Buzuk group of 300 from the village Zhupa appeared in the region near Kale in Seltse and was confronted by Pavlev’s Regional Cheta. A vicious battle broke out and unable to withstand the pressure the insurgents retreated. Then another battle broke out between Tase Hristov’s Regional Cheta and a regular Ottoman army unit of 200. Hristov’s insurgents fought hard but after the Bashi-Buzuks attacked them from the rear, the Cheta retreated to Debar.

In other parts of Malesija Region, the plan was for the village Chetas from Lazheni, Draslaitsa and Tashmaruninishta to go to the foot of Karaorman Mountain and, on August 1st, 1903, meet up with the Chetas from Struga Drimkol and leave together for Gorna and Dolna Debartsa. While the 210 insurgents from the three villages arrived on time, 80 being unarmed, the ones from Struga did not show at all. Then, after a three day wait, the village Chetas attacked the Ottoman garrison of 100 stationed in the village Velishta. Unfortunately the attack was unsuccessful and was quickly repelled by the Ottomans with assistance from the local Bashi-Bazouks. The insurgents then withdrew to Tashmaruninishta where they were followed and attacked by Ottomans and Bashi-Bazouks. A vicious battle ensued and lasted until the evening of August 3rd, 1903. By then the Ottomans had dispatched reinforcements from Ohrid numbering 800 soldiers but before they could engage in battle the insurgents withdrew and retreated to Karaorman. When it was over, 25 insurgents and 80 Ottoman soldiers lay dead and wounded. After

this battle the insurgents went to Gorna Debartsa, signifying the end of the Uprising in Malesija Region.

In the Gorna Debartsa Region, in the meantime, 330 insurgents from Dolna Debartsa and Malesija arrived to join forces with Gorna Dabartsa and the surrounding villages and to attack Izdeglavje. Smile Vojdanov, the Regional leader, was given responsibility for mobilizing the 232 insurgent village Chetas in the six surrounding villages and to ultimately lead them in the attack. The aim was to approach Izdeglavje from two fronts, surround it and destroy its garrison. While the Chetas were attacking from the outside two village Chetas, one from Mramor and the other from Slatina, were tasked with simultaneously attacking the towers in Osashani, Ozdoleni and Slatinski Chiflik. The insurgents were successful in burning down the Osashani and Ozdoleni towers but failed to destroy the Slatinski Chiflik because the attack was expected and as the garrison moved its defenses forward the rear was reinforced with about 2,000 fresh Ottoman troops from Ohrid and Debar including Bashi-Bazouks from Pesochani. Unable to withstand the pressure the insurgents withdrew their forces to Rbeni and Laktinje. The Ottomans did not pursue and instead burned Ozdoleni to the ground.

In other places in Dolna Debartsa, on August 2nd, 1903, Vojvoda Gurko Sadulov mobilized the village Chetas from a number of surrounding villages in Struga Field and conducted demolition operations including the cutting of the Struga to Ohrid telegraph lines and demolishing the Ohrid to Struga road. Unfortunately their operations too were cut short as the enemy set an ambush and attacked and killed most of the insurgents including their leader Gurko Sadulov. During the same day a unit of 200 Ottoman soldiers attacked the three village Chetas from Brezhani, Belchishte and Velmej. The Chetas were forced to retreat but came back the next day and pushed the Ottomans back to Vemej where they remained under siege for the next three days. During the siege two insurgents were killed and six wounded. The Ottomans had five dead and three wounded.

While this was going on the Cheta from Belchishte, consisting of 140 insurgents, attacked the Ottoman garrison in Sirula from three

sides but unfortunately the attack was anticipated and the insurgents were forced to retreat.

In the Lake Region in the meantime, the plan called for defensive and diversionary attacks. On August 2nd, 1903 the regional Cheta led by Argir Marinov was sent on a mission to cut telegraph wires and destroy the Ohrid to Resen road. The rest of the village Chetas led by regional vojvoda Nikola Mitrev were dispatched to carry out diversionary missions on the Ohrid to Pogradets road. Unfortunately unbeknownst to the insurgents, the Ottomans were aware of their plans and anticipated their moves thus ambushing Mitrev’s Cheta in a surprise attack between the villages Elshani and Konsko. Five insurgents were lost during the ambush but they managed to successfully cut the Ohrid to Resen telegraph lines. After fleeing the scene the insurgents regrouped and took defensive positions outside the village Trpejtsa.

Marinov’s Cheta was successful in blocking the Ohrid to Resen road and as a bonus managed to capture a convoy carrying food supplies.

Between August 2nd and August 6th, 1903 the Macedonian insurgents managed to liberate Gorna and Dolna Debartsa as well as part of Lake Region thus ending the first phase of the Uprising in the Ohrid Revolutionary District.

In the lull that followed the Regional Headquarters began to prepare for the next phase of fighting by tasking its forces with gathering provisions and war material. A number of checkpoints, shelters and warehouses were established in various mountainous regions in preparation for prolonged partisan-like warfare. A hospital with the capacity to handle 30 people was also established along with a kitchen and bakery well stocked with medical supplies and food. Hristo Angelov, a graduate of medicine, was appointed as the doctor who not only treated wounded insurgents but also sick villagers.

Given the proximities of the sub-regions liberated, Regional Headquarters on August 9th, 1903 decided to split itself into two headquarters. One, led by Uzunov, Tsvetinov and Zlatarev was established to lead the forces in Dolna Debartsa and Lake sub-

Regions. The second, led by Ketskarov, Chakrov and Dimitrov was established near Gorna Debartsa.

Unfortunately, as it happened in other regions, the Ottomans, before commencing their offensive, bolstered their forces with significant reinforcements both with trained soldiers and with Bashi-Bazouks and began their attacks. As in other regions they were not simply attacks to recover lost territories, but assaults on the entire population with aims to eradicate it. The Ottomans burned houses, killed civilians and robbed and destroyed their properties. The insurgents fought back with all their might using every technique known to them but it was futile. As the number of insurgents declined the number of Ottomans kept increasing and the battles were moved out of the villages and into the mountains and campsites. Then on August 30th, 1903 a regular Ottoman army numbering about 3,000 soldiers accompanied by Bashi-Bazouks began to besiege the refugee camps. At the time these camps were sheltering over 2,000 refugees from 18 different villages from the Dolna Debartsa and Lake sub-Regions and were protected by 117 insurgents. A fierce battle ensued and lasted the entire day. Unfortunately vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the insurgents could not hold out and the battle turned into a massacre of women and children. About 190 were killed, mostly women and children and every female of young age was raped and dishonoured. Forty one insurgents were killed and 200 Ottoman soldiers were lost to the enemy. All the buildings that stored food and other supplies were looted and destroyed.

After this the civilians in Dolna Debartsa and Lake began to slowly return to their homes only to find them in ruins. After the disastrous battle insurgent activities continued to decline and completely ceased by the beginning of October. Those insurgents who remained active, including Hristo Uzunov, left for Demir Hisar.

The less devastated insurgents in Gorna Debartsa continued the struggle for a little longer but they too eventually were forced to flee for their lives and escaped to Albania and from there to Montenegro. Hristo Uzunov returned to Ohrid and shared his people’s fate.

During the Uprising period from August 2nd to October 1903, 42 villages were burned down, 2,064 houses, 24 churches and 18 schools were completely destroyed in the Ohrid Revolutionary District. According to Hristo Uzunov, 483 people were killed of whom 116 were insurgents and the rest were civilians mostly women and children. (Vanche Stojchev. “Military History of Macedonia”. Military academy. Skopje, 2004. Page 342)

After the Smilevo Congress, the Resen Uprising Revolutionary District with a population of 28,000 was sub-divided into two independent regions, Gorna and Dolna Prespa. Gorna Prespa was led by Slavejko Arsov, Dragan Petkov and Aleksandar Panajotov, while Dolna Prespa was led by Nikola Kokarev, Veljan Iliev, Naum Fotev and Angel Andreev.

Gorna Prespa Region consisted of the city Resen as the center and 32 surrounding villages. Dolna Prespa Region was made up of 43 villages with the village German as its center. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the population in the Resen Uprising Revolutionary District was Macedonian and the rest were Vlachs, Albanians, Ottomans and others.

Due to some prior successes in the struggle against the Ottomans, the people of Resen were ready to follow their leaders. In January 1903 Arsov and his Cheta engaged the Ottoman army and the Bashi-Bazouks in the village Izbishte in a great battle and won a victory. Following that more battles were fought and won thus giving the insurgents some reputation as good fighters and gaining the trust of the people. When the call to arms came, many volunteered for all sorts of duties including stocking food, clothing and other assets necessary for a prolonged struggle. Even many of those who had gone to work abroad as pechalbari answered the call and over 1,000 returned to prepare for the ultimate fight.

Purely for the purpose of better organization, the Dolna Prespa Region was further divided into two sub-regions, one covering the villages south of Podmochani to Dolno Dupeni, led by Valjan Iliev, and the second covering the villages near Mala Prespa Lake, led by Angel Andreev. Nikola Kokarev was appointed leader of both.

Just before the Uprising began, the Resen Revolutionary District was visited by Damjan Gruev and Boris Sarafov who offered some advice for the division of the forces and on how to commence the uprising. Having only 900 insurgents at their disposal, the local leaders were encouraged to recruit more and subdivide their forces so that they could simultaneously strike several targets. Village Chetas were also formed and charged with defending their villages.

On July 18, 1903 regional head Slavejko Arsov held a meeting in the village Bolno with the Resen city elders to convince them to prepare for an uprising inside the city but the idea was opposed. Failing that, the regional leader convinced them to at least help the rebellion by donating medicines, food, etc. and establish an intelligence service inside the city.

About a week prior to the Uprising, the District received its final orders and a decision was taken to strike at the mudirluk in Nakolets first where 200 Ottoman soldiers were stationed. The plan was for several Chetas to simultaneously attack on August 2nd, 1903 from various directions. Unfortunately not all the Chetas made it to their destination on time and left a gap for the Ottomans to escape. Having unexpectedly escaped, the additional Ottoman force was able to aid the Ottoman Beys in the village Slivitsa and to contribute to the defeat of the insurgents in other areas. Having freed Slivitsa the Beys then participated in the defense of Nakolets which lasted two days. A band of Bashi-Bazouks from the village Krani joined the Nakolets battle and drove the insurgents to retreat.

The Mala Prespa Lake sub-Region leadership in the meantime held a meeting on August 2nd, 1903 in the village Rudari and developed a plan of attack which called for attacking the village Ppli where 150 Ottoman soldiers were stationed. Village Chetas from Esvika, Oromnik, Bukovik and Drenovo on one side, and Chetas from the villages Rmbi, German, Medovo, Shtrkovo and Rudari on the other, with a total force of 200 insurgents, were to approach secretly and at their leader’s signal attack simultaneously from all directions. Because of the close proximity of the Albanian armed population living in those villages extreme caution needed to be exercised. Unfortunately before the plan could be put into action, the Ottomans became aware of it and took precautions. Having lost the advantage

of a surprise attack, the insurgent leaders decided to withdraw their forces and retreated to the village German where they held another meeting to decide what to do.

Despite their position of disadvantage, the leaders decided to carry out some attacks anyway. The first attack was staged against the village Shaovtsi during the night of August 8th, 1903, but without success. The next attack was carried out against the village Bostandzhiovtsi on August 8th, 1903 which was also unsuccessful. Both villages were well armed and well defended not only by the Ottomans but also by the Albanians who lived there.

The plan to commence the Uprising in Gorna Prespa was with an attack on the city Resen. To finalize preparations, the insurgent leaders got together in the village Bolno on August 1st, 1903. It was decided to split up the Chetas into 5 groups of 30 and commence the attack the same day. All Chetas except the one from Drmeni made it to its destination and waited for the signal to commence firing. The Drmeni Cheta was unfortunately intercepted by an Ottoman night patrol and had no choice but to open fire. The premature gunfire alerted the city authorities of the imminent attack and to prevent a counter attack the rest of the Chetas opened fire starting multiple battles. The firefight lasted 45 minutes before the Ottomans regrouped and had the Chetas driven out of the city.

While the main Cheta was battling the Ottomans in the city, several village Chetas from Izbishta, Kriveni, Krushe and Zlatari attacked Ottoman patrols but with little success. The Ottomans, with help from the Bashi-Bazouks, quickly took the upper hand and not only drove the insurgents out but in revenge also burned down the villages Krushe and Leva Reka. The village Chetas from Evla and Gorno Dupeni with about 50 insurgents attacked the Ottoman stronghold in Petrino which was guarding the Ohrid to Resen road. Skirmishes were also sparked in the villages Tsarev Dvor, Drmeni and Podmochani. Battles continued for the next couple of days and most of Prespa Revolutionary District, except for the City Resen, Nakolets and Ppli, were liberated. The failure to liberate these places was mainly due to treachery where the plans of the insurgents were secretly revealed to the enemy.