On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife and ignited one of the most terrible wars in world history..
For decades, Austria-Hungary and Russia had been engaged in a thinly-veiled proxy war for control of the Balkans. When Austria-Hungary formerly annexed Bosnia in 1908, both Bosnians and Serbs gravitated even more toward Russia and became radicalized by the occupation. Upon the violent death of the Archduke, the European continent bifurcated into a pro-Austro-Hungarian/German camp and a pro-Franco-Russian camp. Some nations chose sides immediately. Others pragmatically withheld their hand until a likely winner could be deduced.
.
As Princip was tied to 'Young Bosnia', a small organization dedicated to Bosnian independence and the expansion of Serbia, Vienna declared war on Serbia one month later. Austria-Hungary had two distinct advantages. Unlike Serbia, it was highly industrialized and could place large numbers of men into battle due to its formidable population base. Nevertheless, its commanders, who were ill-prepared to construct a cohesive fighting-force from this loose confederation of ethnic peoples, found themselves on the short end against a unified and proud opponent in Serbia at the outset of hostilities.
.
In the early stages of the war, Serbia was able to inflict defeats on the poorly coordinated Austro-Hungarian armies. When the Bulgarians decided to ally with the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) in 1915, however, the Serbs were effectively surrounded. Serbia and Bulgaria had a longstanding rivalry. They had fought two wars in the previous thirty years (1885 and 1913), and neither country was prepared to allow the other to lead a pan-Slavic union in the Balkans. A deadly combination of ethnic hatred and ultra-nationalism on both sides would lead to yet another clash with greater stakes involved.
.
By the end of 1915, two Austro-Hungarian armies and one Bulgarian army, totaling nearly 700,000 men, stood poised to cross into Serbia. A sizable force, dispatched by the Allies to save Serbia, was successfully intercepted by Bulgarian units. Hence, the cavalry (literally) would not be able to save the day. In the face of overwhelming numbers and firepower, Serbian leaders held an ominous meeting to decide their fate. Rather than fight bravely yet vainly to the last man and risk utter annihilation, the entire army, along with every male over the age of twelve, was ordered to evacuate the country for the safety of a Greek island. Essentially, an entire nation had opted to live in exile.
.
In mid-December, hundreds of thousands of Serbians, which included the army, the royal family and tens of thousands of refugees, began a tragic trek though Montenegro and the mountains of Albania. The Serbian plight included days of incessant rain, mud, freezing temperatures and snow. Hunger was commonplace. Disease was rampant, and starvation was widespread.
.
By the time a few Serbians reached the Adriatic or the Mediterranean, most of their brethren had perished. Several hundred thousand (no exact figure is available - perhaps 600,000 or 700,000) had attempted to negotiate the climate and the terrain, but only 155,000 lived to tell the terrible tale of escape.
.
After the disastrous retreat, the nation of Serbia barely existed. Rather than succumb to the unspeakable travails of war, however, the remaining Serbs refused to surrender and went on to preserve themselves, their history and their honor. As the 'Great Retreat' of Serbia in 1915-16 is an indispensable part of the Serbian identity today, the event deserves a place in every European history textbook and every monograph focused on the history of WWI.
.
(Photo: Serbians retreating though the mountains of Albania, 1916. Click to enlarge)
.
J Roquen