Serbia's Part in the War (Volume 1) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII The Third Austrian Invasion The Battle Of The Koloubara We have seen that, during the first three months of the war, Austria operated two distinct invasions of Serbia. The First Invasion (the ill-fated Strafexpedition) was defeated in the valley of the Yadar; the Second, undertaken by the enemy doubtless with the object of eliminating once and for all the menace in the south-eastern theatre, was scarcely less disastrous to the Teuton cause. During this period Serbia had rendered very precious service to the Allies by nailing down on her irontiers a hostile force some 250,000 strong, and it is possible that the winter of 1914 would have been an epoch of rest and recuperation for King Peter's soldiers, had not the entry of Turkey on the side of the Central Empires (October 7th) enormously extended the area covered by the general operations and made the possession of the railway from Beograd to Constantinople imperative if the Kaiser was to establish communications with his latest Ally. One immediate effect of this new and untoward development was to endow the operations of the Serbian Army with a more vital interest. That it would sooner or later become necessary for the Entente to take offensive action with the object of cutting off the Turk from Europe and opening up a warm-water route to Russia, was a military deduction as self-evident as the natural corollary that Austria would seek to forestall, them Jjy breaking through Serbia to Bulgaria and linking up with the Ottoman forces in Thrace. The Austrian authorities were aware that Bulgarian co-operation with them waa merely a matter of time and strategy, and they accordingly regarded the Serbian Army not only as the unique rampart which blocked their progress to the Golden Horn, but as the sl...