Part 21 - The Kichevo, Karbunitsa, Dushegubitsa and Gjavato Uprisings

Part 21 - The Kichevo, Karbunitsa, Dushegubitsa and Gjavato Uprisings

The Kichevo Uprising encompassed the Kichevo and Poreche Regions and was lead by vojvodas Luka Dzherov, Janaki Janev and Arso Mitskov representing Kichevo Region and Gjorgij Peshkov, Vancho Srbakov, Janaki Petrov and Tsvetan from Svetoratse representing Poreche Region. The Kichevo Region was subdivided into sub-regions Gorna Kopachka, Dolna Kopachka and Dolna Reka. The Poreche Region was sub-divided into Rabetin Kol and Poreche. Unlike most Regions, the Kichevo-Poreche Regions, populated almost entirely by Christians, the vast majority being Macedonian, took part in the Uprising in vast numbers making them proportionally one of the strongest supporters of the Uprisings in Macedonia. Unfortunately the people in these Regions were faced with obstacles; they were poorly armed and were bordering a Region predominantly populated by Albanians and other Muslims. Being faced with a difficult situation the Kichevo-Poreche Region leadership was hesitant to start the Uprising under these conditions prompting Damjan Grev and the General Headquarters to intervene. On May 28th, 1903 Gruev dispatched a Cheta of 40 insurgents lead by vojvoda Maksim Nenov to Dolna Reka to raise the peoples' moral and make sure the Uprising began on time. Unfortunately the Cheta was spotted by the Ottomans and attacked by the Bashi Bazuks. Unprepared, the Cheta was defeated and suffered severe losses. With Gruev's plan foiled, General Headquarters decided to take a different approach. Instead of maintaining the Kichevo Revolutionary Center as a military base it decided to move its mountain headquarters to Dolna Reka and turn it into a logistics and strategic base for reserves which could be employed at other sub-regions. The Kichevo leadership was then asked to lobby the prominent Debar citizens to influence the Albanian and other Muslim populations to be more sympathetic to the rebel cause. Their actions seemed to work and as more money was raised more rifles and ammunition were purchased. Just before the Uprising started 450 rifles were purchased and 23 villages participated each with their own Cheta. In spite of the problems experienced in Dolna Reka, the four Chetas formed there were dispatched to other regions. Two were dispatched to participate in the Galichnik Uprising, one in the Lazaropole and the fourth in Tresonche. During the Uprising most Chetas were dispatched to assist with the fighting in Gorna Kopachka since there was little activity in the Kichevo and Poreche Regions. The number of fighters mobilized in these two regions just before the Uprising numbered over 1,000 but they were still outnumbered by the Ottoman army by three to one not to mention the additional numerous Bashi Bazuk units that roamed these regions. The orders to commence the Uprising, dispatched from the General Headquarters, arrived in the Kichevo Uprising District on July 26th, 1903 prompting the district leadership to convene on July 31st in the Prechista Monastery and prepare its plan of action. Upon completion of the plan of action, on August 1st, 1903, the village vojvodas were briefed and given orders to mobilize the forces on August 2nd. Six hundred insurgents arrived the night of August 2nd and were divided into three detachments. About an hour after midnight the attacks commenced. One detachment attacked a camp near Jurija while another attacked the Kale barracks. The attacks were designed to shock the enemy and cause it as many casualties as possible in the shortest possible time. While these attacks were taking place, six smaller village Chetas in the Gorna Kopachka Sub-region combined forces to form a large, 120 insurgent Cheta which in turn encircled and attacked the 150 soldier strong Ottoman garrison at Izvor. This particular garrison, being of some importance, was cause for both sides to escalate the fighting. As a result, the Ottomans dispatched another 150 soldiers to the scene prompting the Macedonians to match it with 200 of their own. A vicious fight ensued resulting in the breach of the Macedonian blockade.

As soon as the garrison was freed the Ottomans retreated to Kichevo. Fifty Ottoman soldiers and eight Macedonian insurgents were left dead. The next day (August 3rd, 1903) the Ottomans came back with 200 soldiers and 150 Bashi Bazuks intending to attack and blockaded the village Vraneshtitsa. The Macedonians sent 200 insurgents lead by Arso Mitskov to the rescue. The Macedonians divided their forces into two groups intending to attack the enemy from two sides. The first group managed to intercept the Ottomans at the village Staroets before they had a chance to do any damage. The second group attacked the Ottomans near Vraneshtitsa resulting in an Ottoman defeat. After a short engagement the Ottomans near Staroets were also defeated. The Ottomans retreated to Kichevo while the Bashi Bazuks were pursed by the insurgents with several engagements taking place. The Bashi Bazuks disbanded after their leader Alija was killed and the pursuit ended. On the morning of August 4th, 1903 a regular Ottoman battalion numbering 800 soldiers, along with a number of local Bashi Bazuk units, viciously and repeatedly attacked the village Karbunitsa. Three of the attacks were repelled by the 200 insurgents lead by Arso Mitskov defending the village but the defense line was breached during the fourth attack and by noon the village had fallen into enemy hands. In their attempt to withdraw from the battle Arso and his insurgents lead the enemy in pursuit to a place near Gjugjevitsa where an ambush was prepared by 350 insurgents from Gorna and Dolna Kopachka. Then just as the Ottomans received more reinforcements from the Kichevo garrison and from the Bashi Bazuks, 150 more insurgents, lead by Jordan Piperkata and Dimitar Dechev, arrived and joined the battle. Unprepared for a long battle the insurgents soon ran out of ammunition and the firefight turned into a vicious hand to hand massacre as the Macedonian insurgents threw themselves at the enemy, armed with only daggers and knives. But as luck would have it, one of the Macedonian insurgents killed the enemy commander responsible for directing the battle and during the confusion many of the insurgents broke through the enemy lines and managed to escape. About 700 Macedonian insurgents participated in this 12 hour battle leaving behind 30 dead and many wounded. On the Ottoman side more than 1,500 soldiers and Bashi Bazuks participated in the battle with 120 dead and many wounded. When the battle was over the Ottomans declared it a defeat and the army retreated to Kichevo while the Bashi Bazuks fled to the forest in hiding. After failing to win in Kichevo, the Ottomans turned their attention to Poreche Region. On August 8th, 1903 2,500 Ottoman soldiers and about 1,000 Bashi Bazuks made their way into Rabetin Kol where they were met by 100 Macedonian insurgents lead by Vancho Serbakov. Just as the insurgents approached the enemy near Poduvach in Cholaitsa Mountain, the Ottomans opened fire with their artillery forcing the insurgents to retreat back into the hills. A vicious battle ensued but without the use of its artillery the enemy was unable to break the barrier and its advance was halted. When the battle was over the Ottomans retreated leaving behind 80 dead. The Insurgents lost 12 fighters. Frustrated, during its retreat the Ottoman army burned down the villages Orlantsi and Rabetino leaving behind 20 women, children and old men dead. After their retreat, the Ottomans stayed away from this region for at least a month. During this time the Macedonian civilian population prepared special camps in secluded areas where they remained for the duration of the Uprising. While living in the safety of the camps, the civilians served as the main providers of food, clothing, weapons and medical supplies for the local insurgents who were fighting in the Uprising. 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.