Campaign in Serbia by the Central Powers

Map of the Serbia campaign in 1915

The Serbian campaign in World War I was successfully ended by the Central Powers after two months in autumn 1915. A year earlier, the 1914 campaign in Serbia by the Austro-Hungarian army against the Kingdom of Serbia had failed. On October 6, 1915, the new campaign began with massive German help, and on October 14, the Tsarism of Bulgaria , which had been won as an ally through secret negotiations, intervened in the war against Serbia and threatened the enemy from the east. The strategic war goal of the attackers was to open the direct land connection to the allied Ottoman Empire , to occupy Serbia and to eliminate it as a war opponent. The Serbs faced a considerable superior force, which could not be compensated for by the landing of Entente troops near Saloniki . After the fall of Belgrade (October 9th) and Niš (November 5th) the remnants of the Serbian army withdrew to the Albanian and Montenegrin mountains; after being reorganized in Corfu, it was later used again on the newly formed front in Macedonia . The continuation of the campaign across the Macedonian border was forbidden by the German army command under General von Falkenhayn because of the Greek neutrality at the beginning of December 1915.

prehistory

In the Serbian campaign of 1914, the Serbs, led by Army General Radomir Putnik , successfully pushed back the Austro-Hungarian 5th and 6th Armies by December 9, 1914 through a counter-offensive initiated on December 3rd at the Kolubara . On December 15, the areas of Serbia occupied since the Austrian offensive and the recently conquered capital of Belgrade had to be evacuated. The Austrian Supreme Commander FZM Potiorek was replaced by Archduke Eugen in December . The victory had also resulted in heavy losses for the Serbian army and made further offensive operations impossible for the following year 1915. An invasion of Bosnia or Hungary was not to be feared by the Serbs either, so that the Austro-Hungarian Army could afford to relocate larger parts of the Balkan Army to the Eastern Front in Galicia in order to support the wavering front in the Carpathian Battle. The entry into the war of Italy demanded the withdrawal of the Austro-Hungarian 5th Army to the newly created Isonzofront so that the remaining on the Balkan front Army Group of Cavalry General Tersztyánszky due to their small thickness only one backup job could be issued.

Bulgaria's entry into the war

At the beginning of the world war Bulgaria had declared itself neutral. Both the Central Powers and the Entente endeavored to form an alliance with Bulgaria, which in turn could make its participation in the war dependent on the respective offer. Here the Central Powers were in a better starting position, as they could more easily accommodate the territorial interests of Bulgaria at the expense of Serbia and possibly Romania and Greece. The Bulgarians were promised the annexation of Macedonia , Dobruja and Eastern Thrace by the Central Powers , and after lengthy negotiations they agreed on September 6th to cooperate with the Central Powers, which should also establish the land connection to the Ottoman Empire through an attack on Serbia . Bulgaria undertook to support the allies with at least four divisions after the German-Austrian attack on Serbia began . This breakthrough was made possible by the Turkish decision to cede some areas on the Mariza to the Bulgarians . Serbia, which had become aware of the negotiations between the Central Powers, responded preventively in early September 1915 by transferring troops to the Bulgarian border. At the same time, Serbia asked the Entente for help against the expected invasion, since one could not withstand a combined attack by the Central Powers and Bulgaria alone. Preparatory Austro-Hungarian troop transfers to the Temesvár area had been observed since the end of August. On September 7, 1915, one day after the final conclusion of the treaty with Bulgaria, General Tersztyánszky was informed of the planned deployment of troops against Serbia. Bulgaria mobilized on September 22nd, which led to the mobilization of Greece the next day . The Bulgarian government said soothingly that the measure served to defend the country's neutrality. On October 2, Prime Minister Venezielos formally custody of the Entente's violation of neutrality, but announced on October 4 that Greece would fulfill its alliance obligations towards Serbia. Kaiser Wilhelm II tried to exert all his influence over his brother-in-law Constantine, who ruled Greece . He personally guaranteed that no Bulgarian soldier would set foot on Greek soil. Prime Minister Venizelos was passed on October 5th, and the new government then denied any offer of assistance to Serbia. Greece promised to remain neutral, although the landings in Salonika were still tolerated.

Deployment of the Central Powers

Field Marshal von Mackensen was appointed as commander in chief of the troops deployed against the Kingdom of Serbia on September 18 . The Army Group Mackensen were initially for the Serbia campaign, the newly formed 11th Army under of Gallwitz and Austro-Hungarian army under Kövess subordinated to those in mid-October should be added nor the Bulgarian 1st Army.

Field Marshal von Mackensen arrived in Temesvár on September 20th. The deployment of the German 11th Army proceeded according to plan, with the commands of the IV. Reserve Corps and III. Army Corps , the 6th and 107th Divisions and the 25th Reserve Division were used. In the meantime, General of the Cavalry Tersztyánszky had been replaced by General of the Infantry von Kövess . The army command of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army initially received no operational orders from Temesvár except for the deployment instructions issued on September 21.

Mackensen and his chief of staff, Major General von Seeckt , had about 23 divisions (eight German, four Bulgarian and six Austro-Hungarian) with a total of about 495,000 men and 1,400 guns.

The Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army was assigned the main thrust against the Kolubara on Kragujevac with its right flank secured , while the 11th Army would advance into the Morava Valley. The Bulgarian 1st Army was to advance with its main forces against Nisch in the rear of the Serbs from the east, while the 2nd Army, which was directly subordinate to the Bulgarian Army Command, had to advance in the Vardar Valley to block the enemy from any possible retreat to the south and the railway line to it Cut off Salonika.

The kuk 3rd Army was deployed as a result of the setbacks on the Russian theater of war, where kuk VI. and the XVII. Corps continued to be detained, not so smoothly. This failure was compensated by the German army command through four divisions, with the XXII. Reserve Corps with the 43rd , 44th Reserve Division and 26th Division of the 3rd Army were subordinated. General of the cavalry Tersztyánszky let the Austro-Hungarian VIII Corps with the 57th and 59th Infantry Divisions gather in the Semlin area in order to be able to lead the attack on the capital Belgrade. Therefore the XXII. Reserve Corps moved west. After Lieutenant Colonel Hentsch informed the OHL that the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army had only a small attack force due to a high proportion of Landsturm troops, von Mackensen insisted that the kuk XIX. Corps also in Syrmia and not in northeastern Bosnia as planned. In addition, he moved to the three Landsturm Brigades located there (205th, 206th Landsturm Brigade and Brigade Schwarz) and the Imperial and Royal 53rd Infantry Division to Višegrad.

On September 29, the high command of Army Group Mackensen decided that the transition of the 11th Army between Semendria and Bazias should be scheduled.

The Mackensen Army Group had a total of 350 battalions and 1,400 artillery pieces, the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army around 120,000 men and 500 artillery pieces. The attack group against Belgrade had 66 battalions and 273 artillery pieces at its disposal, the one on the Drina 202 battalions (including 85 battalions Landsturm) and 990 artillery pieces.

General Kövess and the German Commander-in-Chief von Mackensen

Northern section

The Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army formed the right wing and marched in the area north of the Danube between Mitrowitza and Belgrade . The brigades Mrázek and Haustein standing in front of Belgrade were subordinated to the kuk VIII Corps. The 57th and 59th Infantry Troop Divisions (Imperial and Royal VIII Corps Command) were drawn from the Isonzo front. The Austro-Hungarian Army Command 3 was also responsible for the Danube flotilla with six monitors .

VIII Corps under Feldzeugmeister von Scheuchenstuel

• 57th Infantry Troop Division (FML Goiginger ) (2nd and 6th Mountain Brigade)
• 59th Infantry Division (FML Snjaric ) (9th and 18th Mountain Brigade)

German XXII. Reserve Corps under General of the Falkenhayn Cavalry

• 26th Infantry Division - Lieutenant General von Urach
• 43rd Reserve Division - Major General von Runckel
• 44th Reserve Division - Lieutenant General von Dorrer

General Max von Gallwitz

The Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army, together with the German 11th Army under General von Gallwitz, to be reinforced by two further divisions, formed the main offensive power of the Central Powers. The 11th Army formed the left wing and was deployed on the Danube between Pancsova and Ram .

• General Command III. Army Corps ( Lochow ) with the 6th Infantry Division and the 25th Reserve Division , opposite Semendria ;
• General Command IV Reserve Corps ( Winckler ) with the 11th Bavarian , 105th and 107th Infantry Divisions , opposite and on the island of Temessziget;
• General Command X Reserve Corps ( Kosch ) with the 101st and 103rd Infantry Divisions , opposite Ram and Veliko Gradište ;
• kuk landsturm troops (Banat border guards), which had previously provided border guards on the Danube, were moved as FML Fülöpp group to the far left wing of the 11th Army to secure from Veliko Gradište to Orsova .

At the end of October, the German Alpine Corps under Krafft von Dellmensingen was also added to the army .

Eastern section

The Bulgarian 1st Army under General Kliment Bojadschiew marched on the Bulgarian western border east of the lower Timok and in the Caribrod area with the 4th, 6th, 8th and 9th divisions and, after the success of the northern group, should also attack from the east initiate and postpone the withdrawal of the Serbian enemy.

Western section

The Austro-Hungarian army group Sarkotic concentrated in the first phase of the attack on the Drina and in the final phase commanded the attack on the western front against Montenegro . For border protection in northeastern Bosnia, the plan was to combine the 53rd Infantry Troop Division and the 206th Landsturm Brigade, newly established in Syrmia at the beginning of August, with the Drina Security Group under Major General Streith. The strong divisional group of the FML von Sorsich as well as the Streith group and the 62nd Infantry Troop Division were later directly subordinated to the 3rd Army. General Sarkotic's border guards to the south were expected to bind the Montenegrin enemy to the extent necessary. The 206th Landsturm Infantry Brigade (Colonel von Szabo) was replaced shortly after the start of operations by the 10th Mountain Brigade (Major General von Droffa ) drawn from the Isonzo ; Major General Streith's group was absorbed into the Sorsich division after the first attacks, and The Haustein and Mrazek Brigades were attached to the VIII Corps.

XIX. Corps under Field Marshal Lieutenant Trollmann .

• 53rd Infantry Troop Division: Major General Heinrich von Pongrácz , with the 17th, 20th and 21st Landsturm Mountain Brigade
• Wilhelm von Reinöhl Group (205th Landsturm Brigade)
• Group Szabo (206th Landsturm Brigade)
• Independent Landsturm Brigade under Major General Karl Schwarz

Group of the FML Bela von Sorsich

• Major General Streith's group
• 62nd Infantry Troop Division: Lieutenant Field Marshal Franz Kalser von Maasfeld
• Landsturm Infantry Brigade under Major General Heinrich Haustein
• Landsturm Infantry Brigade under Major General August Mrazek

Deployment of the Serbs

Radomir Putnik

Živojin Mišić

Pavle Jurisic Storm

Stepa Stepanovic

In September 1915 the Serbian General Staff moved large parts of the army to the eastern border in order to secure a possible front against Bulgaria. At the turn of the month in October there were a total of 275 battalions and 654 guns on the Drina and Sava sections in northwest Serbia, and 143 battalions and 362 guns on the Danube section.

Northern front

1st Army under the command of General Živojin Mišić

• Sokol Brigade
• Danube Division II
• Drina Division II
• Morava Division II
• Army Group Usize (General Milos Bozanović )

Belgrade Army Group (General Mihailo Zifković ) between Osružnica and Grocka

• 20 battalions of the third contingent and 75 guns on a 50 km front. Downstream on the Danube from Grocka to Prahovo there were another 24 battalions.

3rd Army under General Pavle Jurišić Šturm

• distributed in a wide chain of posts, while at the entrance of the Morava valley two divisions stood between Semendria and Palanka:
• Danube Division I
• Drina Division I.

Eastern Front

Timok Army Group (General Illja Gojković ) near Knajaževac, Zaječar and Negotin

• Negotin group
• Combined division
• Šumadija Division II

2nd Army under General Stepa Stepanović marched on Nisch, Pirot and Vranje.

• Tumba group
• Morava Division I.
• Timok Division I.
• Šumadija Division I
• Cavalry Division
• Vlasina group

The eastern border of Macedonia was protected by 31 battalions under General Damnljan Popović at Egri-Palanka in the Bregalnica and Vardar valleys , while 13 battalions occupied north-east Albania between Prizren and Tirana .

Montenegrin army led by the chief of staff Serdar Janko Vukotic with four weak army groups.

• Lovćen group with 8000 men (General Mitra Martinovic )
• Herzegovina group with 15,000 men (General Janko Vukotic)
• Sandžak group with 6000 men (General Luka Gojnic)
• Albania group with 6000 men (General Radomir Vesevica)

Serbia had already tried since June 1915 to have at least the Montenegrin army units on the upper Drina subordinate, but this was rejected by the Montenegrin King Nikola . Only the Montenegrin brigade south of Višegrad was tactically subordinate to the Serbs. The Serbian army had split up into two army groups, one part had to defend the land in the north and northwest, the other part in the east.

The 1st Army under the Voivode Misic counted in the room Obrenovac - Sabac and the Save-section with the main attack of the Central Powers. Due to the strong natural barrier of the Danube, the Serbian General Staff lulled itself into a deceptive security, and the enemy march at the Morava Gate remained almost entirely undetected until the beginning of October. On the other hand, the army command estimated the strength of the enemy on the Drina and in Syrmia more accurately. Few landsturm brigades on the Drina and around four Austrian divisions were found in Syrmia, and reinforcement by strong German auxiliary troops was expected.

Beginning of the campaign

Fight for Belgrade

The Sava crossing near Belgrade

October 6th

On October 6th, the attack by the Central Powers on Belgrade against the Serbian army group under General Zifkovic began. While the 3rd Army attacked Belgrade, the 11th Army forced the Danube crossing between Ram and Semendria, and the kuk XIX. Corps began crossing the Sava at Kupinovo under the protection of the monitors. After the effective shooting began as planned, the gunfire against the Serbian bank positions was increased on the following day. Heavy bombardment began between Orsova and Višegrad , focusing on Belgrade and Semendria . Despite the constant fire on the opposing riverbanks, the Serbs did not escape from the ruins of their fortifications. The Austro-Hungarian VIII Corps (57th and 59th Divisions and Landsturm Brigade Haustein and Mrazek) marched up near Semlin on the Danube, the German 26th Division followed in the second meeting via Prhovo. The 57th Division followed behind as the second meeting from the Alt-Banovce area. The kuk VIII. Corps had a total of 70 heavy and more than 90 light guns at their disposal, as well as the XXII. Reserve Corps was supported in advance by 32 heavy and 170 light guns. The kuk Sappeur battalions No. 2 (Krems), No. 3 (Görz) and No. 14 (Trient) as well as the pioneer battalions No. 2 (Linz) and No. 3 (Pettau) were responsible for overcoming the flow obstacles .

The 53rd Division (Gmj. Pongracz) marched between Progar and Boljevci, on the left wing the 205th Landsturm Brigade was supposed to be at Boljevci. The Sava transition into the Macva did not take place until October 8th. At Jarak, on the other hand, the Sorsich group managed to cross under heavy enemy fire on the first day, they advanced to the causeway between Drenovac and Mitrovica and built a bridgehead there. The Streith group was stopped on the advance at Megjazi, while the Sorsich group reached via Save and advanced on the Drenovac - Mitrovitza line. The German XXII. Reserve Corps was assigned to the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army at the beginning of the operation. The Danube crossing of the Austro-Hungarian VIII Corps ( Scheuchenstuel ) took place not far from the old fortress of Belgrade . Although the artillery of the Austrian Danube monitors kept the Serbs at a distance, the weak bridgehead could not be reinforced due to the failure of more than two thirds of the available pontoons.

At the same time the German XXII. Reserve Corps translate west of Belgrade under strong artillery protection. Covered by machine gun fire and mine throwers, it was possible before dawn to bring the first units to the south bank and land ten companies on the large Gypsy island. On the northern edge of Belgrade it was more difficult to cross the Austrians because the artillery of the Austro-Hungarian VIII Corps could not intervene in the fighting. General von Falkenhayn made the decisive Danube crossing at Belgrade via the Great and Small Gypsy Island to the south. The 43rd Reserve Division crossed the river at Surcin and the 44th Reserve Division at Karlovic. The German troops fought a bridgehead between Zarkovo-Jajince southwest of the Slance sector. The Sorsich group had to attack at Jarak, Major General Streith came to Bijeljiva, and the bulk of the 62nd Division was assigned to cross the Drina at Visegrad. The Trollmann Corps made the transition on the Save, the 206th Landsturm Brigade (Gmj. Schwarz) at Subotiste and Ogar, the 205th Landsturm Brigade at Asanja. The 53rd Division was ordered from Bosnia to the Ogar-Platicevo- Tovarnik area as a deployment line. The planned mock movements of FML Fülöpp began at Orsova on October 6, under heavy infantry and artillery fire . Meanwhile, the German X. Reserve Corps began crossing the Danube at Palánk, which they could continue the next day without major resistance from the enemy. By evening Ram had occupied the Danube on both sides and took up positions on the Orlja massif, where a bridgehead had been built. Despite the low combat strength of the Kalser group, Army Command 3 did not want to forego the simultaneous crossing of the Drina near Višegrad and the further advance on Užice and did not consider October 7th.

October 7th

Early on October 7th, the artillery of the attacking German 11th Army opened heavy fire on the designated landing sites on the other side of the river. The transfer of the IV Reserve Corps (Winckler group) took place over the Temesinsel, the III. Army Corps (Lochow Group) crossed the river at Semendria. After the X. Reserve Corps (Kosch Group) forced the Danube crossing at Ram (about 20 kilometers north-east of Požarevac ), they proceeded over the Resava along the Morava to the south to Jagodina . The IV Reserve Corps with its subordinate 105th and 107th Infantry Divisions and the 213rd Brigade (Lieutenant General Heydebreck ) succeeded in crossing the Danube at Kostolac on October 7th and 8th between Dunadombo and Kevevara in the center of the 11th Army .

The decision in the 3rd Army in front of Belgrade brought the transition of the German XXII. Reserve Corps. The 43rd (General Runckel) and 44th Reserve Divisions (General Dorrer) were able to cross the Sava using the Great Gypsy Island and effectively intervened in the street fighting from the southwest. The group of the FML Sorsich put the Landwehr Brigades under Colonel Ybl and Major General Schiess at Sasinci and Hrtkovci across the Sava at Jarak and advanced on the Drenovac-Mitrovica line. At Višegrad the FML Kalser group should have taken offensive on the same day , but this could not yet be dared due to delays in the artillery and the reinforcements on the march. In the meantime, most of the kuk XIX. Corps (Trollmann) took up positions on the north bank of the Sava between Progar and Boljevici. Despite instructions to the contrary, Progar was chosen as the crossing point and not Kupinovo, where one could extensively attack the Saveschleife. Although the transition was proceeding according to plan and all battalions and the brigade artillery could be transferred by the afternoon , the Serbian defenders managed to bring in the second Drina division from Obrenovac . For the time being, the troops of the Central Powers were tied up in the saver loop by the enemy, but at least one bridge could be built over the Sava near Boljevci on October 7th in the evening and a second one near Progar on the night of the 8th.

In the morning hours of October 8, the advance guard of the 43rd Reserve Division was able to penetrate from the south to Belgrade without a fight, the Serbian General Živković had withdrawn his troops shortly after midnight. The residence of the Serbian kings was occupied while at the same time detachments of the Austro-Hungarian 59th Division took the fortress of Belgrade.

8th October

On the central Sava and the Drina, the troops of the Kalser group were still unable to master the transition. With heavy losses from strong Serbian defensive fire, troops of the 62nd Division that had already landed at Visegrad had to be withdrawn on October 8th. The Serbian bank positions could not be taken due to a lack of artillery support. The troops landed via the Drina were so pressured by the second Danube Division that they had to be withdrawn across the river. FML Kalser wanted to wait for a more favorable time for another attempt.

Major General Streith's group was only able to assert itself in the eastern arm of the Drina near Megjaši and held the bridgehead built there against Serbian advances from the Badovinci area. The Reinöhl group (205th Landsturm Brigade) and the 17th Mountain Brigade reached the Obrenovac - Skela line and secured a bridge at Boljevci. The German III at Semendria across the Danube. Army Corps transferred the 6th Division at the northern tip of the Danube Island to Kulic, the 25th Reserve Division followed behind. On October 8, the X Reserve Corps built a bridgehead position at Ram, the IV Reserve Corps crossed the river and fought for possession of the heights at Kostolac.

9th October

At the III. Army Corps, the crossing of the Danube, which had been heavily swollen by the previous heavy rainfall, was carried out on October 9th. The center and the left wing of the German 11th Army fought the line Dubravica - Patka - Klenovierk. Most of the pontoons were located downstream in the fire area of ​​the Serbian artillery and were driven to the north side of the Semendrian Island, only 150 men of the 25th Reserve Division were able to carry out the landing according to plan. After hard fighting, even hard-pressed troops west of Semendria had to be detached from the opposing firing line and brought back. The bulk of the 11th Army, however, advanced further south, despite strong opposing resistance. By the evening of the 9th, the divisions of IV Corps reached the Dubravica - Petka - Klenovik line, and the X Reserve Corps was able to hold its own in the Kličevac - Zatonje area.

In the section of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army, the 59th Division succeeded in taking the Kalimedgan fortress, and the German 43rd Reserve Division fought into the southern part of Belgrade. The two divisions of the XXII. Reserve corps won the Banovo brdo - Topčider line . The 43rd Reserve Division managed to advance via Topcider to the heights of Dedinje, and in the evening troops from the sister division reached the Zarkovo-Banjica line. The Trollmann group set up in the Drina section was stuck near Zabrež and Krtinka by the second Drina division in tough local fighting, the attackers had to advance here partly through flooded marshland. Nevertheless, the XIX. Corps storming the Zabrež train station by October 10, although the village itself remained in Serbian hands.

October 10th

In the 11th Army of General von Gallwitz, the Lochow group ( Gen. Kdo. III. AK) was able to continue its southward movement between Jezeva and Morava on October 10 and advance via the Batovac - Bradarci line. The Kosch group (Gen. Kdo. XRK), meanwhile, stormed the Anatemahöhe and advanced to the Kličevac heights north of Popovac. After crossing the Jezeva section, parts of the Lochow group advanced further and took Semendria. In a tough struggle, General Herhut von Rohden's 6th Infantry Division threw the Serbs back further, with the residents of the area also participating in the resistance against the allied troops.

In the course of October 10, the Serbian General Živković had ordered his units off Belgrade to retreat to the heights on both sides of the Slancebach - Ekmeluk - heights near Jajince - Petlovobrodo - Železnik - Ostružnica. The Serbs still held their positions, and the Dedinhe Heights was still effectively defended by good artillery cover. After bringing in heavy artillery, General ordered the Falkenhayn Cavalry not to continue the attack until sufficient fire was assured the next morning. After the bombing of the German field guns, the Serbs cleared the Dedinjehöhe, which was immediately occupied. Now the XXII. Reserve Corps immediately followed the retreating enemy and reached the line Žarkovo - Banjica by the evening of the same day.

In the meantime, the war bridge over the northern arm of the Save had been completed on the western section of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army and the heavy artillery began to be tracked. The 21st Landsturm Brigade (Gmj. Fischer von See ) was in the Zabrež bridgehead fighting for possession of the Saveschleife. During the fighting for Progar, FML Trollman ordered the attack on Krtinska to continue. The 2nd Mountain Brigade under Colonel Panzenböck stormed the heights on the lower Slancebach, the 6th Mountain Brigade under General Hellebronth reached the eastern slopes there. The Serbian counterattack on the 6th Mountain Brigade (57th Division) came to a halt around noon that day and finally ended in the retreat on Lipar. The 59th Division had already lost 1,000 men in combat since its first attacks.

October 11th, 12th and 13th

On October 11th the northern wing of the VIII Corps gained considerable ground at Lipar. The heights at Slancebach were stormed and the Ekmeluk could be climbed from the left wing of the 59th Division. The German 25th Reserve Division forced the Jezava crossing and took the fortress of Semendria, while the 6th Division advanced through Lipar. On October 11th, flood stopped the attack activities of the XIX. Corps, even on the following days, there were no significant successes. At the Belgrade bridgehead progress was slow, at the Kubara estuary the XIX. Corps held up by swampy area. On the night of October 13, remnants of the second Drina division threw advance landsturm units near Krtiska back to their original positions.

On October 12, the newly appointed French General Sarrail arrived in Salonika and prepared a relief offensive for the Serbs in Macedonia. The Serbian headquarters in Kragujevac learned from the French military attaché Colonel Fournier that the French had no plans to advance through the Vardar valley before their full deployment in Salonika. The left wing of the 6th Infantry Division reached the Morava at Brezani, where the Bavarian 11th Infantry Division of the IV Reserve Corps also intervened in the fighting. The 105th Infantry Division broke the Serbian resistance at Pozarevac , and the 107th Infantry Division behind it stormed the Serbian positions at Bubusinac. The X Reserve Corps penetrated Popovac via Pozarevac.

On October 13th, the 11th Army was in a heavy frontal attack between Semendria and Pozarevac. The right wing with the III. Army Corps got stuck, while the Serbs only cleared the elevation opposite the IV Reserve Corps on October 14th. On the northern edge of the Great Gypsy Island of Belgrade, a second war bridge was built by pioneers of the Imperial and Royal Third Army to secure supplies.

Bulgarian intervention from October 14th

General Kliment Boyajiev

The Central Powers received reinforcements on October 14, 1915 when Bulgaria entered the war. The Bulgarian 1st Army under General Kliment Bojadschiew was subordinated to Army Group Mackensen. In the south, the Bulgarian 2nd Army under General Georgi Todorov advanced south through the Vardar Valley to cut off the railway line to Saloniki . The second Sumadja division of the Serbian 2nd Army took over the defense of the Timok sector.

On October 15, the Bulgarian 1st Army forced the Timok crossing at Knjaževac and southeast of Pirot . It was not until October 16 that the timok was exceeded at Negotin . The Bulgarian 6th Division, east of the forts at Zaječar, encountered strong resistance from the Serbian Combined Division. In Macedonia , the Bulgarian 2nd Army made large gains and broke through the weak Serbian security lines at Vranje . The Bulgarian 3rd Division occupied Kriva Palanka , the 7th Division penetrated across the border mountains into the Bregalnica Valley and reached Pehcevo on October 16 . The Bulgarian cavalry division, which gathered near Küstendil , pushed behind the 7th division through the Vardar valley to Veles . The Bulgarian 1st Division took Pirot, the 6th Division invaded Zaječar, and a subsidiary group of Bulgarians was assigned to Negotin. The Bulgarian 8th and 9th Divisions advanced through Knjaževac against Niš .

The Serbian 1st Army had withdrawn its troops across the Kolubara to Aranđelovac . The Serbian army group Užice had continued to hold out in the Višegrad area to cover the retreat of the western troops. General Zivkovic had withdrawn the bulk of his Belgrade army group on the eastern Morava river in the direction of Natalinci. On the left wing of the Belgrade defenders, the second Morava division held out to cover at Železnik. General Živković had to surrender this division immediately to the almost unsecured Serbian Eastern Front in the Niš area.

The Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army (Kövess) with the 9th Mountain Brigade began the attack against the Avala Plateau, which was newly captured by the Serbs . The following German 26th Division took Železnik, and the 44th Reserve Division seized the heights of Petlovo Brdo and Rusanj. The 43rd Reserve Division won Pinsavac that morning and invaded the northern part of Jajince. The 18th Mountain Brigade advanced via Ekmekluk to the south-east, while the 57th Division was arrested by Serbian artillery fire on the southern elevation of the Slancetal. The 43rd and 44th Reserve Divisions both advanced through Petrov and Urcin. The line Avalahöhe east of Ripanj formed the corps border between the German XXXII. Reserve Corps and the Austro-Hungarian VIII Corps. The attack of the 59th Division on the Avala position was impeded by the sodden roads, and the 9th Mountain Brigade advanced on the northern slope of this position. The 26th Division secured the right flank of the XIX. Corps, on the left wing of the VIII Corps, the Austro-Hungarian 57th Division was drawn up. On the Savefront, the Reinöhl group (20th and 205th Landsturm Brigade) began to force the river near Surčin , and the accumulated bridge material was moved at Pancsova .

The west wing of the Serbian Belgrade Army Group - the second Morava Division - was relocated to the east on October 16 to reinforce the Timok section, which was under pressure from the Bulgarians. Only two battalions and half a battery were left behind by the Serbs in the Krajina , the Negotin group was disbanded and covered the retreat to Tekija. The southern Morava group tried meanwhile in the Vranje area to fight their way against the advancing Bulgarians in order to protect the threatened railway line to Saloniki. The Streith group, sealed off at Badovinci, had to demolish the war bridge over the Drina due to flooding. Major General Hrozny's Honved Brigade succeeded in storming the position of the Avala. The 57th Division tried to advance with the 2nd and 15th Mountain Brigade on the eastern wing of this altitude in the direction of Grocka , the 2nd Mountain Brigade met only weak resistance at Ritopek . General Goiginger pushed the 6th Mountain Brigade in the section of his 59th Division near Lestani to reinforce his attacking troops.

Second phase of the campaign

Persecution on both sides of the Morava

On October 17, the order of the Serbian 1st Army to withdraw from the Avala Line followed. General Misic ordered the Obrenovac group (Don-Div. II and Drina-Div. II) still holding in the Macva via the Kolubara to Lazarevac. In order to secure the retreat, the second Drina Division had to hold out on the Beljanica, with the Užice group the Sokal Brigade to the west of Valjevo held out. The German 11th Army advanced on the Ralja, the eastern wing of the Serbs was still standing on the Danube line before Grocka, where the Austro-Hungarian Haustein Brigade was now also deployed.

The advance of the German 11th Army on the Kosmaj and the Jasenica followed on October 18. The Bulgarian 8th Division was able to cross the swollen Timok north of Knjazevac, the Bulgarian 9th Division stood south of Kamenica, the 1st Division fought east of Pirot in the Leskovac area, and the Bulgarian 3rd Division took the Serbian heights at Kriva Palanka.

At the same time, the Austro-Hungarian VIII Corps was able to storm the Zigeunerberg south of Grocka and immediately made contact with the German troops already advancing on both sides of the Morava. With the active support of the Danube Flotilla, it was finally possible to take the heights at Grocka on October 18.

Further location on the western section

On October 19, the Serbian order to withdraw was issued for the Užice army group still stopping on the upper Drina and the Sokol brigade stopping at Valjevo. The Sorsich division and the Streith brigade unite in front of Šabac , the connection between the two inner army wings was established and the Danube bank from Belgrade to Bazias was brought under control. The 53rd Division reached the heights south of Obrenovac with the 20th and 21st Landsturm Brigade , and the 21st Landsturm Brigade stood in front of the town. The Sorsich group lost 760 men in the fighting for Drenovac, the Streith group 600 men near Badovinci.

The kuk units in the Sava loop had been decimated by cholera and dysentery, and the advance could not begin until October 17 after the Serbian order to withdraw. The XIX. Corps (Trollmann) took the place Vranic with the 53rd Division and entered with the right wing of the XXXII. Reserve Corps in contact. The Austro-Hungarian Black Brigade stayed at Progar to secure the Sava crossings. The German III. Army Corps forced the Ralja crossing at Kolari, the IV and X Reserve Corps fought for the Poljana-Kula line. After Obrenovac fell into the hands of the 21st Mountain Brigade on the night of October 19, an intermediate military objective was achieved. General of the Infantry von Kövess, who moved his headquarters to Belgrade on the 18th, ordered his 3rd Army to advance quickly.

On October 20th the capture of Šabac succeeded, this success marked the end of the conquest of the Mačva . The German 26th Division got south of Lisovic in the rear of the second Serbian Timok Division. The 44th and 43rd Reserve Divisions drove the Serbian rearguards out of Parcani, the Imperial and Royal 53rd Division advanced over the Tomnava to the Kolubara, the Schwarz Brigade advanced on Obrenovac. The right wing of the 3rd Army reached Lazarevac, the center was in front of Arangjelovac , and the left wing reached the area 10 km north of Petrovac . The 11th Army moved its headquarters to Kragujevac.

On October 21st, the XXII. Reserve Corps of the Serbian Timok Division took over the main positions and advanced on the Sibnica - Arapovac line. The kuk VIII. Corps was detained by Serbian troops on the heights east from Kosmaj to Dubona, to the left of them the German 25th Reserve Corps was able to advance to Azanja and occupy the village of Selevac. At Visegrad, the Austro-Hungarian Army Group Sarkotic and the newly assembled kuk 62nd Division (FML Kalser) finally managed to cross the Drina near Rogatica .

In the southeast of the Serbian theater of war, the Bulgarian 1st Army tried to push back the Serbs from the Timoctal and Pirot, while the Bulgarian 2nd Army had already reached the line Vranje – Kumanovo and Skoplje and their cavalry division was at Veles. The railway lines at Valjevo and Veles, which formed the most important supply line for the forces in central Serbia, could be interrupted until October 22nd.

On October 22nd, the 3rd Army had advanced with its right wing on Lazarevac, the center was 15 kilometers from Arangjelovac and the left wing about 10 km north of Kovačevac. While the German 11th Army under General Gallwitz was already fighting with its right wing in front of Palanka, its left wing was about 10 km north of Petrovac.

On October 23, the Central Powers made the crossing at Orsova across the raging wide Danube at three different points and after a few hours brought the Serbian bank under control. On October 25th, Austro-Hungarian cavalry entered Valjevo, which was evacuated by the Serbs almost without a fight .

On the Greek border

In connection with the Greek mobilization of September 23, the Prime Minister Venizelos made an appeal to the Allies to come to the aid of his country. According to the treaty of alliance with Serbia of 1913, Greece was obliged to provide assistance in the event of an attack. The French government responded immediately in the affirmative, and the British government also promised to send a unit.

On October 12th, General Sarrail landed in Saloniki and took command of the Armée d'Orient . His primary task was to shield the railway line from Saloniki to Skoplje against a Bulgarian attack. Due to the low strength of his forces at that time, he decided to let his troops advance only to Krivolak in the Tikveš region for the time being. The main part of his forces (156th Division) was supposed to defend the Valandovo area and the Demir Kapija gorge . To operate against the southern flank of the Bulgarians, 35,000 French and 15,000 English were initially landed in Salonika. The British 10th Division, which had already landed completely, had provisional orders not to cross the Greek border because of its neutrality. Bulgarian cavalry reconnaissance, which advanced south near Štip, reported the heads of the French 57th Division approaching Krivolak. After the troops of the Orient Army with around 50,000 men had spread out over a 70 km front line, a supply problem began to emerge. In the meantime the British had drawn one of their divisions, the 10th "Irish" Division under Bryan Mahon , from Gallipoli .

On October 22nd the Bulgarian 3rd Division was at Vranje and Skoplje , a brigade was advancing towards Bujanovec, and the 7th Division was at Strumica. The French 57th Division advanced on Krivoletz, on the right wing it covered the British 10th Division in the direction of Doiran. In order to prevent the withdrawal of the Serbs on Skoplje, the troops of General Todorow (Bulgarian 2nd Army) had meanwhile continued the rapid advance towards the west, while the 3rd Division occupied Kumanovo and Skoplje by October 28, and the 7th Division Veles reached. Bulgarian troops met at Gjevgjeli on the French 156th Division, which had advanced through the Vardar valley to the north. Behind it, three Greek corps (III., I. and IV. Corps) marched to protect their own national borders. When, on November 1, 1915, an advance news division broke into Kragujevac at 8 a.m. and a black and yellow flag was hoisted, there was almost an argument between the allies. A clash of the Bulgarians with the troops of the Entente was imminent.

The operations in late October

When General von Kövess had his main forces marched against the Rudnik Mountains on October 27th, after a four-day break, heavy rains had started again. Even small watercourses had now become considerable obstacles for the troops, while guns, ammunition and catering wagons got stuck in the mud on the soaked roads and paths. The armies Kövess and Gallwitz began from the north with a concentric advance on Kragujevac. The advance of the 3rd and 11th Armies from the north forced the Serbs to withdraw their rolled-up eastern front from October 27th. On the northern wing of the Bulgarian 1st Division, the Bulgarians could not immediately break the Serbian resistance at Negotin in order to establish the planned union with the kuk Orsova group under FML Fulüpp. The Serbian retreat then enabled General Ribarov's Bulgarian group to capture Zajecar and Pirot and move up the 1st Army on the Paracin-Nisch-Leskovac line.

The encirclement of the Serbian army by the western Morava valley became more and more important. So the XIX. Corps continued to advance on October 29th, although the supply situation had noticeably worsened and the troops were without sufficient supplies. The Bulgarian 1st Army advanced from the east in the direction of Paraćin and Niš, while the Bulgarian 2nd Army took a locking position in the southern Morava Valley between the Serbian army and the Entente troops in order to make their union impossible.

On October 28, the attack by the German 11th Army broke through the Serbian position between Golobok -Alexsandrovac-Orljevo and brought the heights northwest of Polanka into German hands. The Serbian cavalry division and the second Sumadja division retreated across the Jasenice. The XXII. Reserve Corps advanced further on Sibnica. General Zivkovic had to give up the Kosmaj position and go back to Kubrsnica. The Serbian 1st Army (2nd Drina and 2nd Danube Division) withdrew their bulk to Arangjelovac on the Jasenica, where a reception position was set up. On the right wing of the XXII. Reserve Corps (26th and 44th Reserve Divisions), the Serbian Sokol Brigade went from Rudnik to Green. Milanovac back.

On October 29th, the kuk XIX. Corps (Trollmann) with the 19th Mountain Brigade Planinica, followed by the 205th Landsturm Brigade. The 17th Mountain Brigade of the Imperial and Royal 53rd Division reached Banjani in a battle with the Sokol Brigade, which formed the rear guard of Serbia. On the right wing of the XIX. Corps meanwhile the 10th Mountain Brigade reached the area in front of Teocin, the 20th Landsturm Brigade threw the Serbian rearguard to Green. Milanovac back. The 43rd Reserve Division seized the heights east of the Rudnik Pass in battle with that of the second Drina Division. The Kuk VIII. Corps pushed the Serbs back on the upper Roca, strong Serb counterattacks threw back the right wing of the 59th Division, and the 57th Division was advancing on Kragujevac . The IV Reserve Corps crossed the Morava with the 105th Division at Markovac, the X Reserve Corps advanced to the heights of Troponje, and their left wing reached the Resava at Subotica .

On October 30, the right wing of the German 11th Army pushed the enemy on both sides of the Lepenica back to the main position of Kragujevac. The X. Reserve Corps pushed south between Morava and Resova, the Sorsich group covered the right wing of the 3rd Army at Posega and established the connection to the 62nd Division east of Visegrad. On October 31, the Serbian resistance on the Morava River collapsed, and on November 1, the 25th Reserve Division moved into Kragujevac. The fighting for Kragujevac, which began on October 29, ended on November 1.

Since October 30, the incoming German Alpine Corps intervened in the fighting, crossed the Danube at Gradište and followed the valley of the southwestern Morawa, the main stream of Serbia that rises on the Kara-Dagh. The Below group went further east at Orsova across the Danube and advanced towards Krusevac . Via Pozarevac , Kragujevac was reached by November 4th and Kraljevo on November 8th . However, the Serbs had already managed to retreat across the mountains south of it. On November 5, 1915, the strategic goal of the German army command, opening the Danube route and establishing a land connection with Turkey, was achieved, thus ensuring the supply of ammunition and weapons to the Ottoman Empire.

Persecution battles in Kosovo

The German and Bulgarian Supreme Command in Paracin. v. r. To the left: Erich von Falkenhayn, Crown Prince Boris of Bulgaria, Hans von Seeckt, Gerhard Tappen, the Bulgarian Generals Gantschew and Schekow, and August von Mackensen

Operations of the Bulgarian 2nd Army

The Serbs sought to retreat over the mountains to Montenegro. The hunters of the Alpine Corps should the XXII. Free reserve corps that were not adequately equipped for mountain warfare. From November 13th the further persecution through the mountains in Sanjak Novi Pazar began , on November 14th there was a battle on the Dedina Stolica during the southern advance. Colonel Below's group, along with parts of the 44th Reserve Division, occupied Raška . In the IV Reserve Corps, the 105th Division reached Nisch and established contact with the Bulgarians. The XXII. Reserve Corps was reinforced by the Alpine Corps , together with the 44th Reserve Division, the Ibar Valley was forced to cross east of Pavlica , and the Below group followed to the upper reaches of the Jošanica stream.

The persecution by the Bulgarian 2nd Army under General Todorow through Macedonia took place with the 2nd, 7th and 11th Divisions and the 1st Cavalry Division. Vranje was occupied on November 16, Veles on November 19 and Kumanovo on 20 . The 18th Mountain Brigade of the VIII Corps advanced to Kosutica. The 43rd Reserve Division, which was not equipped for the mountain war, was withdrawn via Kraljevo to Kragujevac. The Bulgarian 3rd Division occupied Prilep on November 16 , and the Bulgarian 1st Army (1st, 9th and parts of the 8th Division) pursuing Priština pursued the rearguard of the Serbian 2nd Army on the northern slope of the Goljak Planina.

On November 17th the Austro-Hungarian 18th Mountain Brigade advanced further in the area east of Kosutica, the bulk of the 57th Division reached the Topicatal and caught up with the Serbian rearguard at Lukovo. The German X. Reserve Corps pushed the army group Živković back to Prepolac, the 103rd Division occupied Kursumlija. The northern group of the Bulgarian 2nd Army stood at Kacanik and Gnjilac, and the Bulgarian 8th Division advanced through Kumanovo to Skoplje. The pursuit of the 11th Army through the mountains reached the Rudo - Priboj Novavaros-Sjenica-raske-Prepolac line on November 19, while the Serbian 1st Army had withdrawn via Novi Pazar and Kosovska Mitrovica .

On November 20, a meeting of the Central Powers took place at the headquarters in Teschen . Conrad wanted to continue the operations to Montenegro to secure the right flank of the Kövess army, and on November 23, Falkenhayn met with the Turkish generalissimo Enver Pascha to agree on how to proceed.

On November 22nd, the Blechinger group of the 62nd Division penetrated the Bosnian security (General Vučetić) south of Goražde . The following day, Kalser's division advanced at Priboj over the Uvac and Lim, the Reinöhl group advanced over this section at Prijepolje. On November 30th the Reinöhl group crossed the Lim River near Prijepolje , on December 1st the mass of the 62nd Division reached the destroyed bridge over the Čehotina , where the Montenegrin rear guards defend the other bank. On November 24th, the Ibar near Ribaric and the border with Montenegro were reached. The Montenegrins withdrew to the Lim, the heights of Pljevlja were held to the last. The Austro-Hungarian 62nd Division (FML Kalser) pursued the withdrawing enemy to Pljevlja and Prijepolje in grim cold.

On November 25, the Serbian 1st Army, the Živković group, the 3rd and 2nd Armies flooded back to Podgorica via the Metohien region, Andrijevica . The Serbian vanguard, which had gone back via Gjakova , Prizren, Spas and Skutari , had already reached the coast at Alessio. The retreat of the Timok group took place via Tirana to Elbasan . The pursuing Austro-Hungarian 59th Division cleared the heights south of Kosovska Mitrovica and established the connection to the German IV Reserve Corps in the area west of Pristina. The vanguard of the Blechinger group continued the pursuit on the road from Goražde to Čajniče until November 27th and was relieved by the 209th Landsturm Brigade at the beginning of December and cleared for other tasks.

The General Headquarters (GHQ) had set by the Kosovo Field (Kosovo Polje) further pursuing the escaped Serb army on 27 November. The Alpine Corps marched back to Kraljevo, and the 103rd Division marched off to Leskovac, where it was later followed by the 101st Division.

Formation of the Macedonian Front

→ Main article : "Saloniki Front"

On November 6, the two chiefs of the General Staff, Conrad von Hötzendorf and Falkenhayn, coordinated their future approach in the Serbian campaign in Pless . The offensive in the Balkans, which was started together with Bulgaria, was to be continued after the victory over Serbia against the Entente troops that had landed near Saloniki. Falkenhayn agreed to this procedure on the condition that it would be possible to destroy the Serbian army in the very near future and that the Allied landing in Greece would not take on the character of a large-scale Balkan operation by the Entente. The Bulgarian forces deployed in Serbia now totaled 264,000 soldiers, the German 11th Army with 116,000 men was in southern Serbia. After the fall of Nisch (November 5), the remnants of the Serbian army (around 150,000 men left) withdrew through the Beli Drin valley with around 20,000 prisoners of war over the Montenegrin and Albanian mountains. Mackensen's main forces pushed the Serbs back into the mountains south of the western Morava, but the expected counter-pressure from the 1st Bulgarian Army from the east was almost completely absent. Although General Bojadschiev's troops had already reached the southern Morava between Aleksinac and Niš on November 7th, they were tied up there by the strong resistance of the Serbian Timokarmes group and lack of bridge equipment and could only advance again on the 10th of the month. On the Serbian side, the fighting continued on the front line Aleksinac - Kruševac - Kraljevo in the Jastrebac Mountains against the slowly pressing enemy, because the Serbian leadership was still hoping for a saving advance by the Allied Army of the Orient. Since the French forces tried to advance north and try to bring help, the threat of cutting off all French troops was threatened by strong Bulgarian attacks on the right flank since November 3rd. As a result of this threat, Sarrail ordered an attack by the 156th Division to the east against the southern flank of the Bulgarian armed forces, while the railway line between the Tscherna and the Vardar should be cut off by the 57th and part of the 122nd Divisions.

On November 12th, the French Minister of War, Gallieni, ordered General Sarrail by telegram not to withdraw before November 23rd to cover the Serbian retreat. Bulgarian attacks already forced the withdrawal of the 122nd Division south of the Tscherna on November 20. By the end of November, weather conditions deteriorated and cold rain and the onset of snowstorms hampered operations. The Bulgarian 2nd Army now fought on two fronts, on the southern section with the 2nd Division against the units of the French advancing north from the Strumitzatal and on the other hand with the group set to the northwest, which was advancing against the disintegrating southern flank of the Serbian main army. On November 29th, Bulgarian troops occupied Prizren and took 17,000 prisoners. Shortly afterwards the connection with the Austrian 57th Division was established there. The right wing of the Bulgarian 1st Army started the attack against the flank of the Orient Army at the mouth of the Cerna near Demir Kapija with the 7th Division . Since November 27, the Bulgarian 3rd Division has been advancing from Prizren and Gjakova in the valley of the White Drin, pushing into the Serbian retreat columns the following day and again on December 3, and was able to take about 50,000 prisoners.

It was only after the Bulgarians received reinforcements on December 4th that they began to attack again. During the retreat the British 10th (Irish) Division, which covered the right flank of the Orient Army, was thrown between December 6th and 8th.

Conclusion and result

Retreat routes of the Serbian army, November 1915 to January 1916

On December 7th, the Serbian King Peter arrived in Scutari , closely followed by the bulk of the worn-out Serbian army under the Crown Prince Alexander. The total Serbian losses amounted to 94,000 dead and 70,000 wounded, 120 officers and 124,000 men fell as prisoners in addition to 397 artillery pieces, 48 ​​machine guns, 12 mortars and twelve ammunition wagons in enemy hands. The main column of the Serbian army retreating via Peć and Andrijevica to Skutari through Montenegro and Albania, on the other hand, had lost between 60,000 and 80,000 men who died from frostbite and starvation. 15,000 deaths were also recorded among the recruits of the government column, which included the Serbian King Peter I and the Voivode Putnik , who was carried in a sedan chair over the icy mountain paths due to his poor health , who made their way via Prizren and Debar to Valona had taken. The ports of Durrës and Valona still reached about 185,300 emaciated Serbian soldiers. After the end of the campaign, the German IV Reserve Corps was transferred to the new Macedonian front, where, after the 107th Division had been surrendered in the spring of 1916, it was in positional warfare against Sarrail's Orient Army in the area south of Prilep.

The Serbian army had melted from about 420,000 to 150,000 men since the beginning of the war. The Kingdom of the Serbs lost 1.1 million inhabitants, mostly due to the outbreak of epidemics. Assuming a population of 4.5 million, 275,000 deaths and 133,148 wounded were attributable to the military conflict, 450,000 civilians died due to food shortages and the outbreak of epidemics. According to the New York Times, 150,000 people died from the typhoid epidemic in 1915 alone. With the help of the American Red Cross and 44 foreign governments, this epidemic was brought under control before the end of the year.

According to the Yugoslav government in 1924, Serbia lost 365,164 soldiers, or 26% of all mobilized forces, during World War I, while France 16.8%, Germany 15.4%, Russia 11.5% and Italy 10.3% of their deployed troop power lost. At the end of the world war there were 114,000 disabled and 500,000 orphans in Serbia.

Follow-up operations

Final battles in North Macedonia

On December 4, the Bulgarian 2nd Army reached Monastir with the cavalry division and was able to cut off the Serbian southern group under General Vassic with about 35,000 Serbs from the main forces, who withdrew to the south via Ohrid . On December 6th there was a rearguard battle at Demirkapcu. Allied losses amounted to about 1,500 men and eight guns. On December 8th, the Bulgarian army launched a general attack. General Mahon tried to coordinate his defensive operations with the retreating French army on his left, but the opposing Bulgarian forces were four times superior to the British. After that the Irish division also went back in order.

By December 12, the Orient Army had withdrawn across the Greek border, and General von Falkenhayn ordered the pursuit to be discontinued in order to maintain Greek neutrality. In Thrace, the Turks raised a new army to secure Istanbul . On December 20, the Entente troops vacated the positions near Anaforta, and on January 9, 1916, the southern tip of the peninsula near Seddil Bahr. On December 21st the Alpine Corps marched out via Nisch; however, since the French remained a threat, the corps was retained and remained in readiness at Leskovac until the end of the year .

Follow-up: conquest of Montenegro

→ Main article : "Campaign in Montenegro"

The Montenegrin Commander in Chief Janko Vukotic

The Austro-Hungarian 3rd Army (about 101,000 men and 1170 horsemen) began another phase of attack on December 15, 1915 with the aim of conquering Montenegro. The small kingdom defended its northern and eastern borders with about 37,000 men.

The Austro-Hungarian VIII Army Corps ( Scheuchenstuel ) had to attack against the northern and eastern fronts , deployed in three columns from the Novi Pazar - Pristina - Prizren line , and the Serbian retreat via Podgorica to Skadar was forced. On the right wing, the 62nd Division (FML Kalser von Maasfeld) advanced against the Tara sector and against the heights of Pljevlja. The Imperial and Royal 57th Division pursued the Serbs via Pristina, and in the middle the 53rd (Major General Pongrácz) and 59th Divisions (FML Snjarić) were assigned to Berane and Ipek. The advance took place via Kraljevo to Raska, the 53rd Division advanced near Ivenjica, the 57th Division fought west of Rozaj against the Montenegrins, the 59th Division advanced with the 9th Mountain Brigade on Ipek.

The withdrawal of the defeated Serbian army, which was defeated by the army of Montenegro in the battle of Mojkovac on 6/7. January 1916 was covered against the Austro-Hungarian army, took place between November 25, 1915 and January 15, 1916 over the winter inaccessible mountains of Montenegro and Albania.

The main attack from the Bay of Kotor against the Montenegrin western front was the kuk XIX. To lead Army Corps under FML Trollmann, about 58,000 men were scheduled. The attack from the Bay of Cattaro was led by the group of FML Bela von Sorsich (later 63rd Division) with 6,150 men and the group of FML Braun (later 47th Division) with 16,500 men. Further north, Major General Zhuber's independent group operated with two brigades against Krivošije. Between January 8th and 11th the Bosniak regiments of the kuk XIX. Corps ( Trollmann ) conquered the Lovcen massif , which was considered insurmountable , on January 13th the 47th Division under General Weber von Webenau succeeded in occupying the opposing capital Cetinje . King Nikola I capitulated and fled.

Italy had to react and ordered the dispatch of troops to Albania in order to stop the further advance of the Austrians on the Adriatic coast. The further invasion of northern Albania was carried out by the 63rd Division under FML Sorsich, who brought Kruja into Austrian hands on February 6 and Tirana on February 9 . A rainy season, the Albanian guerrilla fighters under Essad Pasha and the landing of the Italian XVI. Corps under General Ferrero (later Bandini) in the Valona area brought the Austrian advance to a temporary standstill after the occupation of Durrës on February 27th.

literature

• War archive: Austria-Hungary's last war 1914-1918, Volume III, The year of war 1915, Austrian Federal Ministry for the Army, Verlag der Militärwissenschaftlichen Mitteilungen, Vienna 1930
• Anton Wagner: The First World War , Verlag Carl Ueberreuter, Vienna 1981 p. 117 f.
• Reichsarchiv: The World War 1914-1918 , Volume IX: The operations of 1915, published by ES Mittler und Sohn, Berlin 1933
• Janusz Piekalkiewicz: The First World War , Econ Verlag, Düsseldorf 1988
• Richard L. DiNardo: Invasion: The Conquest of Serbia, 1915. Praeger, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4408-0092-4 .

Web links

Commons : Invasion of Serbia 1915  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 200 f.
2. ^ Janusz Piekalkiewicz: The First World War, Econ Verlag, Düsseldorf 1988, p. 236
3. ↑ The World War from 1914 to 1918. Volume 9. The Operations of 1915. The Events in the West and the Balkans from Summer to the End of the Year. ES Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1933, p. 208
4. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 197
5. ^ Anton Wagner: The First World War, Verlag Carl Ueberreuter, Vienna 1981, p. 119
6. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 202 f.
7. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, pp. 215–218
8. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 217
9. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 216
10. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 225
11. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, pp. 227–228
12. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 239
13. ↑ Austria-Hungary's last war. Volume 3, Vienna 1930, p. 242.
14. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 307
15. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 566
16. ↑ Austria-Hungary's Last War, Volume III, Vienna 1930, p. 336
17. ↑ Austria-Hungary's last war. Volume 3, Vienna 1930, p. 575 f.