The Battle of the Stray Dog: Greece and Bulgaria, Protagonists of One of History’s Strangest Wars
History is filled with unusual stories and conflicts that erupted for unexpected reasons. Among them is the Battle of the Stray Dog, which pitted Greece against Bulgaria in 1925.
This war marked the peak of escalating tensions between the two countries, whose relations had been strained for twelve years, despite a period of near-alliance following their independence from the Ottoman Empire.
The Beginning of the Story
Both Greece and Bulgaria gained independence from the Ottoman Empire during the nineteenth century. They later allied during the First Balkan War against the Ottomans in 1912.
However, only months later, the former allies became enemies during the Second Balkan War, which broke out in late June 1913. The conflict ended with Bulgaria’s defeat at the hands of a Balkan coalition that included Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Bulgaria allied itself with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while Greece chose to align with France, Britain, and Russia.
The defeat of the Austro-Hungarian-led powers resulted in the imposition of the Treaty of Neuilly on Bulgaria in 1919. Under this treaty, Bulgaria was forced to pay substantial reparations and to cede parts of its territory to neighboring states, including Greece, which acquired a significant portion of Western Thrace.
In the years that followed, Greek-Bulgarian relations remained tense.
All of this paved the way for the explosion of 1925: an armed military confrontation between the two sides triggered by one of the most unlikely causes imaginable.
What Happened?
On October 18, 1925, a Greek soldier chased his dog, which had run away and crossed the border between Greece and Bulgaria.
Unintentionally, the Greek soldier crossed the border while pursuing the animal. A Bulgarian soldier then opened fire and killed his Greek counterpart.
Despite its highly unusual nature, the incident sparked serious tensions between the two countries. Greece condemned the killing of one of its soldiers and accused a Bulgarian force of entering its territory, according to the Military History of the Balkans website.
Bulgaria, for its part, apologized to Greece and at the same time proposed the establishment of a joint commission to investigate the incident.
Greece rejected the proposal and demanded that Bulgaria pay a sum of nearly two million French francs to the family of the fallen soldier.
On October 22, Greece sent a military force to invade the Bulgarian region of Petrich, where the incident had taken place.
Clashes subsequently erupted between the two countries and lasted for a week, resulting in the deaths of 121 Greeks and approximately 80 Bulgarians, most of whom were civilians.
The League of Nations, the predecessor of today’s United Nations, eventually intervened and imposed a ceasefire, along with the withdrawal of Greek forces from Bulgarian territory.
