THE AUSTRO-SERVIAN CAMPAIGN

Declaration of War by Austria—Bombardment of Belgrade— Servian Capital Removed—Seasoned Soldiers of Servia Give a Good Account of Themselves—Many Indecisive Engagements—Servians in Austrian Territory.

Formal declaration of war against Servia was proclaimed by Austria on Tuesday, July 28. The text of the official announcement was as follows:

"The Royal Government of Servia not having given a satisfactory reply to the note presented to it by the Austro-Hungarian Ministry in Belgrade on July 23, 1914, the Imperial and Royal Government of Austria-Hungary finds it necessary itself to safeguard its rights and interests and to have recourse for this purpose to the force of arms. Austria-Hungary, therefore, considers itself from this moment in a state of war with Servia."

This declaration was signed by Count Berchtold, the Austrian minister for foreign affairs.

The events that immediately preceded the declaration of war, as summarized in a previous chapter, were as follows:

On June 28 a Slav student who thought he was a patriot killed the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, at Serajevo, the capital of Bosnia, which had been lately made a province of Austria. An inquiry was begun in which evidence was introduced to show that the assassin's work was part of a plot for the revolt of the Southern Slav provinces of Austria, and that it was instigated by Servians, if not by the Servian Government. On July 23, however, before the investigation was completed, Austria sent an ultimatum to Servia demanding that it use every means in its power to punish the assassins and also to stop all further anti-Austrian propaganda. Austria demanded that she be permitted to have representatives in the work of investigation in Servia.

The next day, July 24, Russia joined the little Slav country in asking for a delay. Austria refused to grant this.

On July 25, ten minutes before 6 p.m., the hour at which the ultimatum expired, the Servian premier, M. Pashitch, gave his reply to the Austrian ambassador at Belgrade. Servia agreed to all the conditions and apologies demanded by Austria, except the requirement that Austrian officials should be allowed to participate in the inquiry to be conducted in Servia into the assassination of the Archduke. Even this was not definitely refused.

On July 27 the Austrian foreign office issued a statement in which appeared these words:

"The object of the Servian note is to create the false impression that the Servian Government is prepared in great measure to comply with our demands.

"As a matter of fact, however, Servians note is filled with the spirit of dishonesty, which clearly lets it be seen that the Servian Government is not seriously determined to put an end to the culpable tolerance it hitherto has extended to intrigues against the Austro-Hungarian monarchy."

Russia at once notified Austria that it could not permit Servian territory to be invaded. It was then realized in Europe that the great Slav nation would support its little brother. Germany let it be known that no other country must interfere with the Austro-Servian embroglio, which meant that Germany was prepared to back Austria.

An eleventh-hour proposal by the British foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, that mediation between Servia and Austria be undertaken by a conference of the Ambassadors in London, was accepted by France and Italy, but declined by Germany and Austria. Then next day, July 28, came Austria's declaration of war, which soon made Europe the theater of the bloodiest struggle of all the ages.

SERVIA AND ITS ASPIRATIONS

Servians reply to the declaration of war was to concentrate a strong division of its forces in the Sanjak of Novi-Bazar, from which they would be in a position to threaten Bosnia and Herzegovina, the two Balkan provinces that Austria had lately annexed. It was also reported that Servia intended to invade Bosnia with the object of enlisting further support from the Bosnian Serbs, who were said to be on the point of rising against Austria-Hungary.

The country of the Servians being well suited for defense, they were never completely overrun by the Turks, as other Balkan states were, and as a consequence they still retain, like the Greeks, a native aristocracy of culture. Physically, they are fairer than most of the Balkan Slavs and more refined in appearance. By temperament they are light-hearted, joyous, frivolous, and charming to deal with.

In Servia itself, including territory acquired in recent wars, there are about 4,500,000 Serbs. In Austria there are about 3,500,000 Serbs, including Croats who belong to the Servian race.

The Servians have long dreamed and talked and written of a greater Servia, that should take in all the Servian race. They look back to the time of King Stephen Dushan, in the fourteenth century, when Servia was supreme in the Balkans and was nearly as advanced in civilization as the most advanced nations of Europe. The re-establishment of this ancient kingdom had become a passion with the Serbs—not only with those in Servia, but with many in Hungary as well. Hence, their animus against Austria and Austrian rule, while Austria's fight was, primarily, for the preservation and solidification of her heterogeneous dominions; secondarily, for revenge for the Archduke's death. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that the Archduke Francis Ferdinand was a close personal friend of the German Kaiser.

THE SERVIAN ARMY

The Servian forces under General Radumil Putnik, consist of ten divisions, divided into four army corps, with a peace footing of 160, and a war strength of over 380,000. Most of the men called to arms against Austria were veterans of the two recent Balkan wars, and hence probably the most seasoned troops in Europe.

The rifle of the Servian army is the Mauser, model of 1899, with a caliber of 7 millimeters, but it is doubtful if Servia possessed enough of them to arm the reserves. The Servian field piece is a quick-firing gun of the French Schneider-Canet system. The army has some 350 modern guns.

At the outbreak of the war Servia had ten of the most modern aircraft, but she had not developed their efficiency to a degree at which they would be of much material benefit to her in the struggle.

The extremely mountainous nature of Servia and of the adjacent territory of Bosnia make military movements somewhat slow and difficult, especially for troops unaccustomed to mountain warfare. Compared with this mountainous region, the district of Agram, where one Austrian army corps had its headquarters, is easy country to operate in, while the plain of Hungary on the opposite side of the Danube made the task of concentrating troops an easy one for the Austrians.

Another Austrian army corps had its base at Serajevo in Bosnia. A railway to the northeast from this Bosnian capital touches the Servian border at Mokragora. To the north of this point lies Kragujevac, the new capital of Servia, to which King Peter, his court and the Government repaired from Belgrade just before the declaration of war. Southeast of the new capital is the important Servian city of Nish.

The western frontier of Servia follows the windings of the Biver Drina, a tributary of the Danube. The Danube itself forms part of the northern boundary and the former capital. Belgrade, is picturesquely situated on the south bank of the Danube at its junction with a tributary. Two Austrian fortresses command the city from across the Danube. On the plain of Hungary to the north is Temesvar, an important point at which another Austrian army corps was located.

CHANCES AGAINST SERVIA

At the outset the chances of war were heavily against Servia. Such artificial defenses as she possessed were on the Bulgarian frontier. Many of her troops were engaged in endeavoring to establish Servian rule among the neighboring peoples in her new Albanian possessions. Austria was prepared to bring against her immediately the three army corps from Temesvar, Serajevo and Agram, and four more corps, from Hermanstadt, Budapest, Graz, and Kaschau, within a fortnight. Servians one hope appeared to be the difficulty of the country, otherwise she could not oppose for a moment the advance of 250,000 troops supported by pieces of artillery. Then, too, Austria had warships on the Danube and it was partly through this fact that it was decided by the Servian Government to evacuate Belgrade and to retire to Kragujevac, sixty miles southeast.

In spite, however, of the seeming futility of opposition, Servia, encouraged by Russian support, prepared for a strenuous campaign against the Austrian forces, and the first two months of the war ended without any decisive advantage to Austria. The Servians, on the other hand, claimed numerous successes. Their task was lightened by the Russian invasion of Austrian territory and the determined advance of the Czar's host, which demanded the fullest strength of the Austrian forces to resist. As the Russians hammered their enemy in Galicia the spirits of the Servians rose and their seasoned soldiers gave a good account of themselves in every encounter with Austrian troops. They crossed the Drina and carried the war into Bosnia, putting up a stiff fight wherever they encountered the enemy, and while they sustained severe losses in killed and wounded during August and September, the losses they inflicted upon the Austrians were still heavier.

AUSTRIANS BOMBARD BELGRADE

The Austrian troops on the banks of the Danube became active soon after war was declared. In the first few days they seized two Servian steamers and a number of river boats. Belgrade was bombarded from across the river and many of its public buildings, churches and private residences suffered damage.

The hostile armies came into contact for the first time on the River Drina, between Bosnia and Servia, and Vienna was compelled to admit defeat in this preliminary engagement of the war. The Servians forced a passage through the Austrian ranks, but only at the cost of many killed and wounded.

When Crown Prince Alexander of Servia began the invasion of Bosnia in earnest, in the middle of August, Austria found herself at a disadvantage because of the necessity of massing most of her forces against the Russians. Roumania and Montenegro were then preparing to join the Servians in the field against Austria.

Later in August the Servians captured several of the enemy's strongholds in Bosnia. After a four-day battle on the banks of the Drina the Austrians were defeated with heavy loss, a large number of guns and prisoners being captured by the Servians. The Montenegrin troops repulsed an Austrian invading force and took several hundred prisoners in an all-day battle on the frontier.

Early in September a heavy engagement was fought by the Servian and Austrian armies near Jadar, resulting in Servian victory. It was claimed that the Austrians left 10,000 dead on the field of battle. The Servians also successfully defended Belgrade, which had been bombarded on several occasions. Fifteen or twenty miles west of Belgrade on the Save River, an Austrian force was decisively defeated by the Servians, who then seemed to be duplicating the successes of the Russian army against Austria.

The attitude of Turkey was being closely watched at this time, Greece and Bulgaria being prepared to enter the war against the Ottoman Empire if the latter decided on belligerency, but on September 5 Turkey again declared her intention to remain neutral.

SERVIANS CAPTURE SEMLIN

Crossing the Save River into Hungary, the Servians scored a brilliant stroke in the capture of Semlin, an important Austrian city. They also reported continued successes in Bosnia. Reports of wholesale desertions of Slavs from the Austrian army were received daily and probably had considerable foundation in fact. It was said that the Servians were being received enthusiastically by the people of Hungary.

These Servian triumphs led to the reorganization of the Balkan League, including Servia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece.

On September 20 the Servian Government announced that an Austrian attacking army which attempted to cross the frontier near the Sabatz Mountains had been routed with a loss of 15,000 killed and wounded. The Servian losses in this and other engagements were claimed to have been small in comparison with those of the enemy.

Continuing their forward movement into Hungary, the Servians inflicted further losses on the Austrians near Noviapazow, while the Montenegrins reported a victory in the mountain slopes over their border.

On October 1 it was reported that the Servians had again repulsed an Austrian attempt at invasion and had driven the Austrians back across the Drina with loss. They had also checked another Austrian attempt to take Belgrade. The Servian war office claimed that the combined Servian-Montenegrin armies had made material progress in their invasion of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and that they were within striking distance of Serajevo, which they expected to capture. This, however, was denied by the Vienna ministry of war, which claimed that the Servian situation was entirely satisfactory to Austria.

On October 5 Servian troops were reported to have begun a northeast advance from Semlin, to effect a junction with two Russian columns advancing southward in Hungary. One of these columns was then assaulting a fortress in Northwest Hungary, sixty-six miles southeast of Olmutz, while the other was descending the valley of the Nagyan against Huszt in the province of Marmaros. This latter province or county, which the Russians invaded through the Carpathian passes, lies in the northeast of Hungary, bordering on Galicia, Bukowina and Transylvania. There was a legend that the eastern Carpathians are impregnable, but this legend was destroyed by the Russian invasion.

Before attaining Uzsok pass, in the Carpathians, the Russians successively captured by a wide flanking movement three well-masked positions which were strongly defended by guns. Each time the Russians charged the enemy fled and the Russians followed up the Austrian retreat with shrapnel and quick fire, inflicting heavy losses.

German troops joined the Austrian forces in Hungary and at some points succeeded in repulsing the invaders, though their general advance was not decisively checked and they continued the endeavor to effect a junction with the Servians to the south. Advices from Budapest, October 6, declared that the Russians had captured Marmaros-Sziget, capital of the county of Marmaros, necessitating the removal of the government of that department to Huszt, twenty-eight miles west-northwest of Sziget. A second Russian column was reported to be threatening Huszt and Austro-German reinforcements were being hurried up to check the Russian advance.