The valley of the Kodza Déré River was of strategi­cal im­por­tance to the Allied Forces of World War I because the French headquarters were based near Axioupolis and a camp of the 122th Division and military hospital was located near Pigi. The front line was just a few kilometers above on the height of the Skra-di-Legen Canyon (), where the Battle of Skra-di-Legen () was fought. Similar to the nearby Battles of Doiran in 1917 and 1918 there were lengthy battles with heavy losses in the area.