Serbian campaign

1914–1915 invasion of Serbia during WWI

Serbian campaign

Part of the Balkans theatre of World War I

Serbian infantry positioned at Ada Ciganlija.
| Date| 28 July 1914 – 24 November 1915
(1 year, 3 months, 3 weeks and 6 days)

|

Location|

Serbia, Montenegro, Albania

Result|

* Central Powers victory

* Serbian retreat through Albania
* Austro-Hungarian occupation
* Bulgarian occupation

Belligerents

* Central Powers:
* Austria-Hungary
* Bulgaria (from 1915)
* Germany (from 1915)

* Allied Powers:
* Serbia
* Montenegro

Casualties and losses

* 340,000+ battle and non-battle casualties

* 405,000+ battle casualties

450,000[1] to 842,000[2] Serbian civilians died of war-related causes from 1914 to 1918

* v
* t
* e

Serbian campaign

Serbian campaign (1914)

* 1st Belgrade
* Cer
* Srem
* Drina
* Kolubara

Serbian campaign (1915)

* 2nd Belgrade
* Morava
* Niš
* Ovče Pole
* Kosovo
* Great Retreat
* Montenegro
* Mojkovac
* Lovćen

Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian occupation

* Toplica Uprising

* v
* t
* e

Balkans theatre

Serbia

Serbian campaign (1914)

* 1st Belgrade
* Cer
* Srem
* Drina
* Kolubara

Serbian campaign (1915)

* 2nd Belgrade
* Morava
* Ovče Pole
* Kosovo
* Montenegro
* Mojkovac

Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian occupation

* Toplica Uprising

* * *

Albania

* Great Retreat
* Bulgarian occupation of Albania
* French and Italian occupation of Southern Albania

* * *

Greece (National Schism)

* Fort Roupel
* Thessaloniki
* Görlitz
* Noemvriana
* Katerini
* Thessaly

* * *

Macedonian front

* Krivolak
* Kosturino
* 1st Doiran
* Florina
* Struma
* Monastir
* Malka Nidzhe
* Kaymakchalan
* 1st Crna Bend
* 2nd Monastir
* 2nd Doiran
* 2nd Crna Bend
* Skra-di-Legen
* Vardar
* Dobro Pole
* 3rd Doiran
* Liberation of Serbia
* Niš
* Radomir Rebellion

The Serbian campaign was a series of military expeditions launched in 1914 and 1915 by the Central Powers against the Kingdom of Serbia during the First World War.

The first campaign began after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. The campaign, dubbed a "punitive expedition" (German: Strafexpedition) by the Austro-Hungarian leadership,[3] was under the command of Austrian General Oskar Potiorek. It ended after three unsuccessful Austro-Hungarian invasion attempts were repelled by the Serbians and their Montenegrin allies. The victory of the Royal Serbian Army at the battle of Cer is considered the first Allied victory in World War I, and the Austro-Hungarian Army's defeat by Serbia has been called one of the great upsets of modern military history.[4][5]

The second campaign was launched, under German command, almost a year later, on 6 October 1915, when Bulgarian, Austro-Hungarian, and German forces, led by Field Marshal August von Mackensen, successfully invaded Serbia from three sides, pre-empting an Allied advance from Salonica to help Serbia. This resulted in the Great Retreat through Montenegro and Albania, the evacuation to Greece, and the establishment of the Macedonian front.[6] The defeat of Serbia gave the Central Powers temporary mastery over the Balkans, opening up a land route from Berlin to Constantinople, allowing the Germans to re-supply the Ottoman Empire for the rest of the war.[7] Mackensen declared an end to the campaign on 24 November 1915. Serbia was then occupied and divided between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Bulgaria.[8]

After the Allies launched the Vardar Offensive in September 1918, which broke through the Macedonian front and defeated the Bulgarians and their German allies, a Franco-Serbian force advanced into the occupied territories and liberated Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro. Serbian forces entered Belgrade on 1 November 1918.[9]

The Serbian army declined severely from about 420,000[10] at its peak to about 100,000 at the moment of liberation. The estimates of casualties are various: Original Serb sources claim that the Kingdom of Serbia lost more than 1,200,000 inhabitants during the war (including both military and civilian losses), which represented more than 29% of its overall population and 60% of its male population.[11][12] More recent historical analysis has estimated that roughly 177,000 Serbian soldiers lost their lives or were not returned from captivity, while the civilian death toll is impossible to determine, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.[13] According to estimates prepared by the Yugoslav government in 1924, Serbia lost 265,164 soldiers or 25% of all mobilized troops. By comparison, France lost 16.8%, Germany 15.4%, Russia 11.5%, and Italy 10.3%.[14]

## Background

[edit]

Main articles: Causes of World War I and July Crisis

Austria-Hungary precipitated the Bosnian crisis of 1908–09 by annexing the former Ottoman territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which it had occupied since 1878. This angered the Kingdom of Serbia and its patron, the Pan-Slavic and Orthodox Russian Empire.[15] Russian political manoeuvring in the region destabilized peace accords that were already unravelling in what was known as "the powder keg of Europe."[15]

Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Young Bosnia, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne

In 1912 and 1913, the First Balkan War was fought between the Balkan League of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro and the fracturing Ottoman Empire. The resulting Treaty of London further shrank the Ottoman Empire by creating an independent Principality of Albania and enlarging the territorial holdings of Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece. When Bulgaria attacked both Serbia and Greece on 16 June 1913, it lost most of its Macedonian region to those countries, and additionally, the Southern Dobruja region to Romania and Adrianople (the present-day city of Edirne) to Turkey in the 33-day Second Balkan War, which further destabilized the region.[16]

On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb student and member of an organization of national revolutionaries called Young Bosnia, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo, Bosnia.[17] Though the political objective of the assassination was the independence of the southern Austro-Hungarian provinces mainly populated by Slavs from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it also inadvertently triggered a chain of events that embroiled Russia and the major European powers. This began a period of diplomatic manoeuvring among Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France, and Britain called the July Crisis. Austria-Hungary delivered the July Ultimatum to Serbia, a series of ten demands intentionally made unacceptable to provoke a war with Serbia.[18] When Serbia agreed to only eight of the ten demands, Austria-Hungary declared war on 28 July 1914.

The Austro-Hungarian government's declaration of war in a telegram sent to the government of Serbia on 28 July 1914, signed by Imperial Foreign Minister Count Leopold Berchtold.

The dispute between Austria-Hungary and Serbia escalated into what is now known as World War I, drawing in Russia, Germany, France, and the British Empire. Within a week, Austria-Hungary had to face a war with Russia, Serbia's patron, which had the largest army in the world at the time. The result was that Serbia became a subsidiary front in the massive fight that started to unfold along Austria-Hungary's border with Russia. Though Serbia had an experienced army, it was exhausted from the conflicts of the Balkan Wars and poorly equipped, which led the Austro-Hungarians to believe it would fall in less than a month. Serbia's strategy was to hold on as long as it could and hope the Russians could defeat the main Austro-Hungarian Army, with or without the help of other allies. Serbia constantly had to worry about its hostile neighbour to the east, Bulgaria, with which it had fought several wars, most recently in the Second Balkan War of 1913.

## Military forces

[edit]

### Austro-Hungarian

[edit]

See also: Alfred Redl

The standing peacetime Austro-Hungarian army had 36,000 officers, including non-commissioned officers and 414,000 enlisted personnel. During mobilization, this number could be increased to 3,350,000 men of all ranks. The operational army had over 1,420,000 men, while another 600,000 were allocated to support and logistic units (train, munition and supply columns, etc.). The rest (around 1,350,000) were reserve troops available to replace losses and form new units.[19] This vast military power allowed the Austro-Hungarian Army to replace its losses regularly and keep units at their formation strength. According to some sources, there were an average of 150,000 men per month during 1914 sent to replace the losses in the field army. During 1915 these numbers rose to 200,000 per month.[20][unreliable source?][better source needed] According to the official Austrian documents in the period from September until the end of December 1914, some 160,000 replacement troops were sent to the Balkan theatre of war, as well as 82,000 reinforcements as part of newly formed units.[21][unreliable source?]

The prewar Austro-Hungarian plan to invade Serbia envisioned the concentration of three armies (2nd, 5th and 6th) on Serbia's western and northern borders to envelop and destroy the bulk of the Serbian army. However, with the beginning of the Russian general mobilization, the Armeeoberkommando (AOK, Austro-Hungarian Supreme Command) decided to move the 2nd army to Galicia to counter Russian forces. Due to the congestion of railroad lines towards Galicia, the 2nd Army could only start its departure on 18 August, which allowed the AOK to assign some units of the 2nd Army to take part in operations in Serbia before that date. Eventually, the AOK allowed General Oskar Potiorek to deploy a significant segment of the 2nd army (around four divisions) in fighting against Serbia, which caused a delay in the transport of these troops to the Russian front for more than a week. Furthermore, the Austro-Hungarian defeats suffered during the first invasion of Serbia forced the AOK to permanently transfer two divisions from the 2nd Army to Potiorek's force. By 12 August, Austria-Hungary had amassed over 500,000 soldiers on Serbian frontiers, including some 380,000 operational troops. However on 16 August a significant part of the 2nd army was ordered to the Russian front, thus this number fell to some 285,000 active troops, including garrisons.[22] Apart from land forces, Austria-Hungary also deployed its Danube River flotilla of six monitors and six patrol boats.

Many Austro-Hungarian soldiers were not of good quality.[23] About one-quarter of them were illiterate, and most of the conscripts from the empire's subject nationalities did not speak or understand German or Hungarian. In addition, most of the soldiers — ethnic Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Romanians and South Slavs — had linguistic and cultural links with the empire's various enemies.[24]

### Serbian

[edit]

Uniform of Serbian soldiers from 1914

The Serbian military command issued orders to mobilize its armed forces on 25 July, and mobilization began the following day. By 30 July, mobilization was completed, and the troops began to be deployed according to the war plan. Deployments were completed by 9 August when the troops had arrived at their designated strategic positions. During mobilization, Serbia raised approximately 450,000 men of three age-defined classes (or bans) called poziv, which comprised all capable men between the ages of 21 and 45.

The operational army consisted of 11+1⁄2 infantry (six of 1st and five of the 2nd ban) and one cavalry division. Aged men of the 3rd ban were organized in 15 infantry regiments with about 45–50,000 men designated for use in rear and line of communications duties. However, some of them were by necessity used as part of the operational army as well, bringing its strength up to around 250,000 men.[25] Serbia was in a much more disadvantageous position when compared with Austria-Hungary concerning human reserves and replacement troops, as its only source of replacements were recruits reaching the age of military enlistment. Their maximum annual number was theoretically around 60,000 and was insufficient to replace the losses of more than 132,000 sustained during operations from August to December 1914. This shortage of military power forced the Serbian army to recruit under and over-aged men to make up for losses in the opening phase of the war.

Maxim МG 10 of Serbian Royal Army

Because of the poor financial state of the Serbian economy and losses in the recent Balkan Wars, the Serbian army lacked much of the modern weaponry and equipment necessary to engage in combat with their larger and wealthier adversaries. Only 180,000 modern rifles were available for the operational army, which meant that the Serbian military lacked between one-quarter to one-third of the rifles necessary to fully equip even their front-line units, let alone reserve forces.[26] Although Serbia tried to remedy this deficit by ordering 120,000 rifles from Russia in 1914, the weapons did not begin to arrive until the second half of August. Only 1st ban troops had complete grey-green M1908 uniforms, with 2nd ban troops often wearing the obsolete dark blue M1896 issue, and the 3rd ban had no proper uniforms at all and were reduced to wearing their civilian clothes with military greatcoats and caps.[27] The Serbian troops did not have service issued boots at all, and the vast majority of them wore everyday footwear made of pig skin called opanak.

Ammunition reserves were also insufficient for sustained field operations as most had been used in the 1912–13 Balkan wars. Artillery ammunition was sparse and only amounted to several hundred shells per unit. Because Serbia lacked a significant domestic military-industrial complex, its army depended entirely on imports of ammunition and arms from France and Russia, which were chronically short of supplies. The inevitable shortages of ammunition later would include a complete lack of artillery ammunition, which peaked during the decisive moments of the Austro-Hungarian invasion.

### Comparative strength

[edit]

These figures detail the number of all Austro-Hungarian troops concentrated on the southern (Serbian) theatre of war at the beginning of August 1914 and the resources of the entire Serbian army (however, the number of troops available for the operations on both sides was somewhat less):

Type | Austro-Hungarian[19] | Serbian

|
|

Battalions | 329 | 209
Batteries | 200 | 122
Squadrons | 51 | 44
Engineer companies | 50 | 30
Field guns | 1243 | 718
Machine guns | 490 | 315
Total combatants | 500,000 | 344,000
Montenegrin troops outside of Lovćen, October 1914.

Serbia's ally Montenegro mustered an army of about 45–50,000 men, with only 14 modern quick-firing field guns, 62 machine guns and some 51 older pieces (some of them antique models from the 1870s). Unlike the Austro-Hungarian and the Serbian armies, the Montenegrin army was a militia type without proper military training or a career officer's corps.

Note:

According to Austro-Hungarian military formation,[28] the average war strength of the following units was:

* Battalion: 1000 (combatants)
* Battery: 196
* Squadron: 180
* Engineer companies: 260

The strength of corresponding Serbian units was similar:

* Battalion: 1116 (combatants and non-combatants)
* Battery: 169
* Squadron: 130
* Engineer company: 250

Heavy artillery

Austro-Hungarian  | Serbian

|

12 mobile batteries:

* 4 305 mm mortars
* 5 240 mm mortars
* 20 150 mm howitzers
* 20 120 mm cannons

Additionally, Austro-Hungarian fortresses and garrisons near the Serbian and Montenegrin borders (Petrovaradin, Sarajevo, Kotor etc.) had about 40 companies of heavy fortress artillery of various models.

|  13 mobile batteries:

* 8 150 mm mortars Schneider-Canet M97
* 22 120 mm howitzers Schneider-Canet M97
* 20 120 mm Schneider-Canet M1897 long gun

### Order of battle

[edit]

#### Serbian army

[edit]

Main article: Order of battle of the Serbian Army in World War I

* First Army, commanded by general Petar Bojović; Chief of Staff colonel Božidar Terzić.
* Cavalry division, four regiments, Colonel Branko Jovanović
* Timok I division, four regiments, General Vladimir Kondić
* Timok II division, three regiments
* Morava II division, three regiments
* Danube II division (Braničevo detachment), six regiments
* Army artillery, colonel Božidar Srećković
* Second Army, commanded by general Stepa Stepanović; Chief of Staff colonel Vojislav Živanović
* Morava I division, colonel Ilija Gojković, four regiments
* Combined I division, general Mihajlo Rašić, four regiments, regiment commanders Svetislav Mišković, X, X and Dragoljub Uzunmirković
* Šumadija I division, four regiments
* Danube I division, colonel Milivoje Anđelković, four regiments
* Army artillery, Colonel Vojislav Milojević
* Third Army, commanded by general Pavle Jurišić Šturm; Chief of Staff colonel Dušan Pešić
* Drina I division, four regiments
* Drina II division, four regiments, regiment commanders Miloje Jelisijević, X, X and X
* Obrenovac detachment, one regiment, two battalions
* Jadar Chetnik detachment
* Army artillery, colonel Miloš Mihailović
* Užice Army, commanded by General Miloš Božanović
* Šumadija II division, colonel Dragutin Milutinović, four regiments
* Užice brigade, Colonel Ivan Pavlović, two regiments
* Chetnik detachments, Lim, Zlatibor, and Gornjak detachments
* Army artillery

#### Austro-Hungarian army

[edit]

August 1914:

* Balkan force
* 5th Army, commanded by Liborius Ritter von Frank
* 9\. infantry division
* 21\. landwehr infantry division
* 36\. infantry division
* 42\. Honvéd (Hungarian home guard) infantry division
* 13\. infantry brigade
* 11\. mountain brigade
* 104\. Landsturm infantry brigade
* 13\. march brigade
* 6th Army, commanded by Oskar Potiorek
* 1\. infantry division
* 48\. infantry division
* 18\. infantry division
* 47\. infantry division
* 40\. Honvéd infantry division
* 109\. Landsturm infantry brigade
* Banat Rayon and Garrisons
* 107\. Landsturm infantry brigade
* sundry units of infantry, cavalry and artillery
* Parts of the 2nd Army, commanded by Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli
* 17\. infantry division
* 34\. infantry division
* 31\. infantry division
* 32\. infantry division, commanded by Andreas von Fail-Griessler
* 29\. infantry division
* 7\. infantry division
* 23.infantry division
* 10\. cavalry division
* 4\. march brigade
* 7\. march brigade
* 8\. march brigade

## 1914

[edit]

Main article: Serbian campaign (1914)

## 1915

[edit]

Main article: Serbian campaign (1915)

## Aftermath

[edit]

### 1916–1918

[edit]

Main articles: Macedonian front and Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro (1918)

A 1976 Yugoslav postage stamp depicting the collapse of the Salonika front by war artist Veljko Stanojević

The Serbian army was evacuated to Greece and met with the Allied Army of the Orient. They then fought a trench war against the Bulgarians on the Macedonia Front, which was mainly static. French and Serbian forces re-took limited areas of Macedonia by recapturing Bitola on 19 November 1916 as a result of the costly Monastir Offensive, which brought stabilization of the front.

The Austro-Hungarian infantry and artillery did not participate with any significant forces in the combat operations on the Macedonian and Serbian front since late 1915. Their military efforts were concentrated on other fronts, leaving the defense and fighting in Macedonia and the Balkan war theater primarily to Bulgarian and German forces. However Austria-Hungary did deploy other essential support elements: Liaison officers and military observers played key roles in coordinating efforts among the Central Powers. Additionally, small technical detachments, logistical units, and laborers were present to maintain supply lines, manage transportation, and facilitate the unloading and movement of materiel. Austro-Hungarian aviation units also conducted limited reconnaissance and support missions in the area.[29][30][31][32]

French and Serbian troops finally made a breakthrough in the Vardar Offensive in 1918, after most German and Austro-Hungarian troops had withdrawn. This breakthrough was significant in defeating Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary, which led to the final victory of World War I. After the Allied breakthrough, Bulgaria capitulated on 29 September 1918.[33] Hindenburg and Ludendorff concluded that the strategic and operational balance had now shifted decidedly against the Central Powers and insisted on an immediate peace settlement during a meeting with government officials a day after the Bulgarian collapse.[34] On 29 September 1918, the German Supreme Army Command informed Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Imperial Chancellor Count Georg von Hertling, that the military situation facing Germany was hopeless .[35]

German Emperor Wilhelm II in his telegram to Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I stated: "Disgraceful! 62,000 Serbs decided the war!".[36][37]

The collapse of the Macedonian front meant that the road to Budapest and Vienna was now opened for the 670,000-strong Army of General Franchet d'Esperey as the Bulgarian surrender deprived the Central Powers of the 278 infantry battalions and 1,500 guns (the equivalent of some 25 to 30 German divisions) that were previously holding the line.[38] The German high command responded by sending only seven infantry and one cavalry division, but these forces were far from enough for a front to be re-established.[38] In September, Entente armies spearheaded by Serbian and French troops, broke through the remaining German and Bulgarians defense, forcing Bulgaria to exit the war and liberating Serbia two weeks before the ceasefire.[39]

### End of the War

[edit]

The ramifications of the war were manifold. When World War I ended, the Treaty of Neuilly awarded Western Thrace to Greece, whereas Serbia received some minor territorial concessions from Bulgaria. Austria-Hungary was broken apart, and Hungary lost much land to Yugoslavia and Romania in the Treaty of Trianon. Serbia assumed the leading position in the new Kingdom of Yugoslavia, joined by its old ally, Montenegro. Meanwhile, Italy established a quasi-protectorate over Albania, and Greece re-occupied Albania's southern part, which was autonomous under a local Greek provisional government (see Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus), despite Albania's neutrality during the war.

### Casualties

[edit]

The Entente casualties

Before the war, the Kingdom of Serbia had 4,500,000 inhabitants.[40] According to The New York Times, 150,000 people are estimated to have died in 1915 alone during the worst typhus epidemic in world history. With the aid of the American Red Cross and 44 foreign governments, the outbreak was brought under control by the end of the year.[41] The number of civilian deaths is estimated by some sources at 650,000, primarily due to the typhus outbreak and famine, but also direct clashes with the occupiers.[42] Serbia's casualties accounted for 8% of the total Allied military deaths. 58% of the regular Serbian Army (420,000 strong) perished during the conflict.[43] According to the Serb sources, the total number of casualties is placed around 1,000,000:[44] 25% of Serbia's prewar size, and an absolute majority (57%) of its overall male population.[45] L.A. Times and N.Y. Times also cited early Serbian sources which claimed over 1,000,000 victims in their respective articles.[46][47] Modern western and non-Serb historians put the casualties number either at 45,000 military deaths and 650,000 civilian deaths[48] or 127,355 military deaths and 82,000 civilian deaths.[14] These numbers would appear to be a low estimate, given that according to a study by Vemić of the 10 biggest concentration camps (out of more than 300) in Austria-Hungary the number of Serb dead comes to at least 59,524.[49] Vemić indicated that the number is likely higher than 64,597 victims, as some of the camp graveyards were not fully surveyed and excavated, as well as poor record-keeping in the camps and the destruction of some of the record-keeping books in the camps. This number combines POWs and civilian casualties, as the camps were often mixed, as well as people from Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, since they would be mixed in together in the camps.

The remains of Serbs killed by Bulgarian soldiers during the Surdulica massacre. It is estimated that 2,000–3,000 Serbian men were killed in the town during the first months of the Bulgarian occupation of southern Serbia.[50]

The extent of the Serbian demographic disaster can be illustrated by the statement of the Bulgarian Prime Minister Vasil Radoslavov: "Serbia ceased to exist" (New York Times, summer 1917).[51] In July 1918, the U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing urged the Americans of all religions to pray for Serbia in their respective churches.[52][53]

The Serbian army suffered a staggering number of casualties. It was significantly destroyed near the war's end, falling from about 420,000[10] at its peak to about 100,000 at the moment of liberation.

The Serb sources claim that the Kingdom of Serbia lost 1,100,000 inhabitants during the war. Of 4.5 million people, there were 275,000 military deaths and 450,000 among the ordinary citizenry. The civilian deaths were attributable mainly to food shortages and the effects of epidemics such as Spanish flu. In addition to the military deaths, there were 133,148 wounded. According to the Yugoslav government, in 1914, Serbia lost 365,164 soldiers, or 26% of all mobilized personnel, while France suffered 16.8%, Germany 15.4%, Russia 11.5%, and Italy 10.3%.[citation needed]

At the war's end, there were 114,000 disabled soldiers and 500,000 orphaned children.[54]

### Child guerrilla fighters

[edit]

During the Austro-Hungarian invasions of Serbia in 1914–1915, numerous irregular resistance operations were carried out not only by adult fighters but also by boys as young as twelve or thirteen. Many of these children were actively encouraged—sometimes persuaded or ideologically indoctrinated—by nationalist groups, local elders, or guerrilla leaders to support the Serbian cause. Their roles ranged from acting as couriers and lookouts to directly assisting in sabotage and ambushes alongside irregular četa fighters. Although not formally enlisted, their involvement blurred the lines between combatant and civilian, prompting severe reprisals from Austro-Hungarian forces, who increasingly viewed even minors as potential threats.[55][56][57]

### Attacks against ethnic Serb civilians

[edit]

Main articles: Anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo and Schutzkorps

The assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg was followed by violent anti-Serb demonstrations of angry Croats and Muslims[58] in the city during the evening of 28 June 1914 and for much of the following day. This happened because most Croats and many Muslims considered the archduke the best hope for establishing a South Slav political entity within the Habsburg Empire. The crowd directed its anger principally at shops owned by ethnic Serbs and the residences of prominent Serbs. Two ethnic Serbs were killed on 28 June by crowd violence.[59] That night there were anti-Serb demonstrations in other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[60][61]

Incited by anti-Serbian propaganda and collusion with the command of the Austro-Hungarian Army, soldiers committed numerous atrocities against the Serbs in both Serbia and Austria-Hungary. According to the German-Swiss criminologist and observer R.A. Reiss, it was a "system of extermination." In addition to executions of prisoners of war, civilian populations were subjected to mass murder and rape. Villages and towns were burned and looted. Fruit trees were cut down, and water wells were poisoned in an effort on the Austro-Hungarian part to discourage Serb inhabitants from ever returning.[62][63][64]

* Austro-Hungarian propaganda postcard saying "Serbs, we'll smash you to pieces!"

* Anti-Serbian propaganda postcard

* Austro-Hungarian soldiers executing Serbian civilians during World War I (1916).[65]

* Austro-Hungarian firing squad executing Serbian civilians in 1917

* Memorial to military and the concentration camp victims in Jindřichovice

* Remains of the Štip massacre victims

## See also

[edit]

* Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia
* Bulgarian occupation of Serbia (World War I)
* World War I in Albania
* Momčilo Gavrić (soldier)
* Great Retreat (Serbia)
* World War I casualties

## Notes

[edit]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Urlanis, Boris (1971). Wars and Population. Moscow Pages 66,79,83, 85,160,171 and 268.
2. ^ Milošević 2008, p. 7.
3. ^ Merrill, C. (2001). Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars. G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated. p. 167\. ISBN 978-0-7425-1686-1.
4. ^ Schindler, John R. (2002). "Disaster on the Drina: The Austro-Hungarian Army in Serbia, 1914". War in History. 9 (2). Sage Publications, Ltd.: 159–95\. doi:10.1191/0968344502wh250oa. JSTOR 26014058. S2CID 145488166.
5. ^ Rose, R.A.D. (2018). History of Europe. EDTECH. p. 195\. ISBN 978-1-83947-278-7.
6. ^ Hughes & Philpott 2005, p. 48.
7. ^ Hart 2013, p. 325.
8. ^ DiNardo 2015, p. 117.
9. ^ Singleton, Fred (1985). A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples. Cambridge University Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-521-27485-2. "ww1 Serbian army entered belgrade."
10. ^ a b "Serbian Army, August 1914".
11. ^ Чедомир Антић, Судњи рат, Политика од 14. септембра 2008.
12. ^ Владимир Радомировић, Највећа српска победа, Политика од 14. септембра 2008.
13. ^ Bjelajac, Mile (2015). "Serbia". 1914-1918 Online: International Encyclopedia of the First World War.
14. ^ a b Tucker 2005, p. 273.
15. ^ a b Keegan, John (1998). The First World War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 48–49\. ISBN 0375400524.
16. ^ Willmott 2003, pp. 2–23
17. ^ Willmott 2003, p. 26
18. ^ Willmott 2003, p. 27
19. ^ a b Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914 - 1918, vol. 1, Wienn 1930, p68
20. ^ http://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/image/AC03568741/1/LOG_0003/ Die Entwicklung der öst.-ung. Wehrmacht in den ersten zwei Kriegsjahren, 10
21. ^ http://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/image/AC01351505/1/LOG_0003/ Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914 -1918, vol. 2 Beilagen, Wienn 1930, table I )
22. ^ http://honsi.org/literature/svejk/dokumenty/oulk/band1.html Archived 10 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914 - 1918, vol. 1, Wienn 1930, p68
23. ^ Jordan 2008, p. 20
24. ^ Willmott 2003, p. 69
25. ^ Lyon, James (1997). "A peasant mob: The Serbian Army in the eve of the Great War". JMH. 61: 501.
26. ^ Lyon 1997, p. 496.
27. ^ Thomas, Nigel (2001). Armies in the Balkans 1914-18. Bloomsbury USA. p. 38. ISBN 1-84176-194-X.
28. ^ Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914–1918, vol. 1, Wienn 1930, p.82
29. ^ Nigel Thomas and Dusan Babac (2001). The Macedonian Campaign 1915-1918. Osprey Publishing. pp. 14–16\. ISBN 9781841763000. `{{cite book}}`: Check `|isbn=` value: checksum (help)
30. ^ John Keegan (1999). The First World War. Vintage Books. p. 345\. ISBN 9780679450637. `{{cite book}}`: Check `|isbn=` value: checksum (help)
31. ^ Richard C. Hall (2012). Bulgaria in the First World War. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 89–91\. ISBN 9781474230026. `{{cite book}}`: Check `|isbn=` value: checksum (help)
32. ^ Norman Stone (1998). The Eastern Front 1914-1917. Penguin Books. p. 201\. ISBN 9780140267919. `{{cite book}}`: Check `|isbn=` value: checksum (help)
33. ^ Tucker, Wood & Murphy 1999, p. 120
34. ^ Doughty, Robert A. (2005). Pyrrhic Victory. Harvard University Press. pp. 491ff. ISBN 978-0-6740-1880-8.
35. ^ Axelrod 2018, p. 260.
36. ^ Lyon, James (12 October 2020). "The Battle of Dobro Polje – The Forgotten Balkan Skirmish That Ended WW1". Military History Now. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
37. ^ Schoppert, Stephanie (22 February 2017). "The Germans Could no Longer Keep up the Fight". History Collection. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
38. ^ a b Korsun, N. "The Balkan Front of the World War (in Russian)". militera.lib.ru. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
39. ^ Moal, F.L. (2008). La Serbie: du martyre à la victoire, 1914-1918. Collection "Les nations dans la Grande Guerre." (in French). 14-18 Éditions. ISBN 978-2-9163-8518-1.
40. ^ Chris (22 March 2024). "Serbia in 1914". Spartacus.
41. ^ "$1,600,000 was raised for the Red Cross" (PDF). The New York Times. 29 October 1915.
42. ^ "The Minor Powers During World War One - Serbia". First World War.com.
43. ^ Serbian army, August 1914
44. ^ "Политика Online". www.politika.rs.
45. ^ Тема недеље: Највећа српска победа: Сви српски тријумфи: ПОЛИТИКА (in Serbian)
46. ^ "Fourth of Serbia's population dead". Archived from the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
47. ^ "Asserts Serbians face extinction" (PDF).
48. ^ Sammis 2002, p. 32.
49. ^ Vemić, Mirčeta (2014). "The Pomor of Serb POWs and Civilians in Austro-Hungarian camps during WWI 1914-1918, SUMMED NUMBERS". Books of Jeremiah.
50. ^ Mitrović 2007, p. 223.
51. ^ "Serbia restored" (PDF).
52. ^ "Serbia and Austria" (PDF). New York Times. 28 July 1918.
53. ^ "Appeals to Americans to pray for Serbians" (PDF). New York Times. 27 July 1918.
54. ^ Banac, Ivo (1988). The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics. Cornell University Press. p. 222\. ISBN 978-0-8014-9493-2. "its postwar population included some 114,000 invalids and over half a million orphans"
55. ^ Alan Kramer (2007). Dynamic of Destruction: Culture and Mass Killing in the First World War. Oxford University Press. pp. 55–57\. ISBN 9780192803429.
56. ^ John R. Lampe (2006). Balkans into Southeastern Europe: A Century of War and Transition. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 123\. ISBN 9781403964175.
57. ^ Report of the International Commission to Inquire into the Causes and Conduct of the Balkan Wars (Report). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 1914. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
58. ^ Christopher Bennett (1995). Yugoslavia's Bloody Collapse: Causes, Course and Consequences. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 259\. ISBN 978-1-85065-232-8. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
59. ^ Robert J. Donia (2006). Sarajevo: A Biography. University of Michigan Press. pp. 123–. ISBN 0-472-11557-X.
60. ^ Joseph Ward Swain (1933). Beginning the twentieth century: a history of the generation that made the war. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
61. ^ Christopher Bennett (January 1995). Yugoslavia's Bloody Collapse: Causes, Course and Consequences. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. pp. 31–. ISBN 978-1-85065-232-8.
62. ^ How Austria-Hungary waged war in Serbia (1915) German criminologist R.A. Reiss on atrocities by the Austro-Hungarian Army
63. ^ Augenzeugen. Der Krieg gegen Zivilisten. Fotografien aus dem Ersten Weltkrieg Anton Holzer, Vienna
64. ^ "Executions, various". www.ww1-propaganda-cards.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2001.
65. ^ Honzík, Miroslav; Honzíková, Hana (1984). 1914/1918, Léta zkázy a naděje. Czech Republic: Panorama.

### Sources

[edit]

* Axelrod, Alan (2018). How America Won World War I. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-3192-4.
* DiNardo, Richard L. (2015). Invasion: The Conquest of Serbia, 1915. Santa Barbara: Praeger. ISBN 978-1-4408-0093-1.
* Hart, Peter (2013). The Great War: A Combat History of the First World War. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1999-7627-0.
* Hughes, M.; Philpott, W. (29 March 2005). The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the First World War. Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 978-0-2305-0480-6.
* Jordan, David (2008). The Balkans, Italy & Africa 1914–1918: From Sarajevo to the Piave and Lake Tanganyika. London: Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-9066-2614-3.
* Milošević, Krsman (2008). Србија у великом рату (in Serbian). Народна Библиотека Србије, Београд: CIP. ISBN 978-86-82777-16-8.
* Mitrović, Andrej (2007). Serbia's Great War 1914-1918. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press. ISBN 978-1-5575-3476-7.
* Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914 - 1918, vol. 1, Wienn 1930 [1]
* Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914 - 1918, vol. 2 Beilagen, Wienn 1931 [2]
* Sammis, Kathy (2002). Focus on World History: The Twentieth Century. Vol. 5\. Walch Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-8251-4371-7.
* Silberstein, Gerard E. "The Serbian campaign of 1915: Its diplomatic background." American Historical Review 73.1 (1967): 51-69 online
* Tucker, Spencer; Wood, Laura M.; Murphy, Justin D. (1999). The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-8153-3351-7. OCLC 40417794.
* Tucker, Spencer (2005). World War I: Encyclopedia, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-8510-9420-2.
* Willmott, H. P. (2003). World War I. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-7894-9627-0.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Babac, Dušan M. (2016). The Serbian Army in the Great War, 1914-1918. Solihull: Helion. ISBN 978-1-9107-7729-9.
* Bataković, Dušan T., ed. (2005). Histoire du peuple serbe [History of the Serbian People] (in French). Lausanne: L’Age d’Homme. ISBN 978-2-8251-1958-7.
* Buttar, Prit (2014). Collision of Empires: The War on the Eastern Front in 1914. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-7820-0972-6.
* Buttar, Pritt (2015). Germany Ascendant: The Eastern Front 1915. Osprey Publishing/Bloomsbury. pp. 361–388\. ISBN 978-1-4728-0795-3.
* Ćirković, Sima (2004). The Serbs. Malden: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4051-4291-5.
* Cox, John K. (2002). The History of Serbia. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-3133-1290-8.
* Đorđević, M. P.; Živojinović, D. R. (1991). Srbija i Jugosloveni za vreme rata 1914-1918. Vol. 5\. Beograd: Biblioteka grada Beograda.
* Dragnich, Alex N. (2004). Serbia Through the Ages. Boulder: East European Monographs. ISBN 978-0-8803-3541-6.
* Falls, Cyril, The Great War (1960) 978-1440800924
* Fryer, Charles (1997). The Destruction of Serbia in 1915. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-8803-3385-6.
* Gumz, Jonathan E. (2009). The Resurrection and Collapse of Empire in Habsburg Serbia, 1914-1918. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-5218-9627-6.
* Hadži-Vasiljević, Jovan (1922). Bugarska zverstva u Vranju i okolini, 1915-1918. Zastava.
* Larned, Josephus Nelson (1924). The New Larned History for Ready Reference, Reading and Research: The Actual Words of the World's Best Historians, Biographers and Specialists; a Complete System of History for All Uses, Extending to All Countries and Subjects and Representing the Better and Newer Literature of History. C.A. Nichols.
* Lyon, James B. (2015). Serbia and the Balkan Front, 1914: The Outbreak of the Great War. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-4725-8005-4.
* Pavlowitch, Stevan K. (2002). Serbia: The History behind the Name. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 978-1-8506-5477-3.
* Pisarri, Milovan (2013). "Bulgarian Crimes Against Civilians in Occupied Serbia during the First World War". Balcanica (44): 357–390\. doi:10.2298/BALC1344357P.
* Radić, Radmila (2015). "The Serbian Orthodox Church in the First World War". The Serbs and the First World War 1914-1918. Belgrade: Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. pp. 263–285\. ISBN 978-8-6702-5659-0.
* Radojević, Mira (2015). "Jovan M. Jovanović on the outbreak of the First World War". The Serbs and the First World War 1914-1918. Belgrade: Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. pp. 187–204\. ISBN 978-8-6702-5659-0.
* Strachan, Hew (1998). World War I: A History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1982-0614-9.
* Temperley, Harold W. V. (1919) [1917]. History of Serbia (PDF) (2 ed.). London: Bell and Sons.
* Tomac, Petar; Đurašinović, Radomir (1973). Prvi svetski rat, 1914-1918. Vojnoizdavački zavod.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serbia in World War I.

* Bjelajac, Mile: Serbia, in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War.
* Tasić, Dmitar: Warfare 1914-1918 (South East Europe), in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War.
* Years which changed the war - WWI in documents from Archive of Serbia
* "Jugoslovenska kinoteka" (in Serbian). Kinoteka.
* Popović, Andra (1926). Збирка књига Универзитетске библиотеке у Београду Ратни албум : 1914-1918 (in Serbian). Digital National Library of Serbia. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015.
* W. H. Crawfurd Price (1918). Serbia's Part in the War ... Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Company. (Public Domain)

* v
* t
* e

World War I

* Outline
* Military engagements
* Aftermath
* Economic history
* Geography
* Historiography
* Home fronts
* Memorials
* Opposition
* Popular culture
* Propaganda
* Puppet states
* Technology

Theatres|

| European|

* Balkans
* Serbia
* Western Front
* Eastern Front
* Romania
* Italian Front

|

Middle Eastern|

* Gallipoli
* Sinai and Palestine
* Caucasus
* Persia
* Mesopotamia
* Hejaz & Levant

African|

* South West
* East
* Kamerun
* Togoland
* North

Asian and Pacific|

* Tsingtao
* German Samoa
* German New Guinea

Naval warfare|

* U-boat campaign
* North Atlantic
* Mediterranean

Principal
participants

| Entente Powers|

* Leaders
* Belgium
* Brazil
* China
* France
* French Empire
* Greece
* Hejaz
* Italy
* Japan
* Empire of Japan
* Montenegro
* Portuguese Empire
* Romania
* Russia
* Russian Empire
* Russian Republic
* Serbia
* Siam
* United Kingdom
* British Empire
* United States

|

Central Powers|

* Leaders
* Germany
* Austria-Hungary
* Ottoman Empire
* Bulgaria
* Senussi
* South African Republic
* Darfur

Timeline|

| Pre-War conflicts|

* Franco-Prussian War (1870–71)
* Scramble for Africa (1880–1914)
* Russo-Japanese War (1905)
* Tangier Crisis (1905–06)
* Bosnian Crisis (1908–09)
* Agadir Crisis (1911)
* Italo-Turkish War (1911–12)
* First Balkan War (1912–13)
* Second Balkan War (1913)

|

Prelude|

* Origins
* Historiography
* Sarajevo assassination
* Anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo
* July Crisis

1914|

* German invasion of Belgium
* Battle of the Frontiers
* Battle of Cer
* Battle of Galicia
* Russian invasion of East Prussia
* Battle of Tannenberg
* Siege of Tsingtao
* First Battle of the Masurian Lakes
* Battle of Grand Couronné
* First Battle of the Marne
* Siege of Przemyśl
* Race to the Sea
* First Battle of Ypres
* Black Sea raid
* Battle of Kolubara
* Battle of Sarikamish
* Christmas truce

1915|

* Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes
* Battle of Łomża
* Second Battle of Ypres
* Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
* Battle of Gallipoli
* Second Battle of Artois
* Battles of the Isonzo
* Gorlice–Tarnów offensive
* Great Retreat
* Bug-Narew Offensive
* Siege of Novogeorgievsk
* Vistula–Bug offensive
* Second Battle of Champagne
* Kosovo offensive
* Siege of Kut
* Battle of Loos
* Battle of Robat Karim

1916|

* Erzurum offensive
* Battle of Verdun
* Lake Naroch offensive
* Battle of Asiago
* Battle of Jutland
* Battle of the Somme
* first day
* Brusilov offensive
* Baranovichi offensive
* Battle of Romani
* Monastir offensive
* Battle of Transylvania

1917|

* Capture of Baghdad
* February Revolution
* Zimmermann telegram
* Second battle of Arras
* Second battle of the Aisne
* Kerensky offensive
* Battle of Mărăști
* Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele)
* Battle of Mărășești
* Third Battle of Oituz
* Battle of Caporetto
* Southern Palestine offensive
* October Revolution
* Battle of La Malmaison
* Battle of Cambrai
* Armistice of Focșani
* Armistice between Russia and the Central Powers

1918|

* Operation Faustschlag
* Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
* German spring offensive
* Zeebrugge Raid
* Treaty of Bucharest of 1918
* Battle of Goychay
* Second Battle of the Piave River
* Second Battle of the Marne
* Hundred Days Offensive
* Vardar offensive
* Battle of Megiddo
* Third Transjordan attack
* Meuse–Argonne offensive
* Battle of Vittorio Veneto
* Armistice of Salonica
* Armistice of Mudros
* Armistice of Villa Giusti
* Second Romanian campaign
* Armistice with Germany
* Naval Victory Bulletin
* Armistice of Belgrade

Co-belligerent conflicts|

* Somaliland campaign (1900–1920)
* Mexican Revolution (1910–1920)
* Maritz rebellion (1914–15)
* Muscat rebellion (1913–1920)
* Zaian War (1914–1921)
* Kurdish rebellions (1914–1917)
* Ovambo Uprising (1914–1917)
* Kelantan rebellion (1915)
* Senussi campaign (1915–1917)
* Volta-Bani War (1915–1917)
* National Protection War
* Arab Revolt (1916–1918)
* Central Asian Revolt (1916–17)
* Invasion of Darfur (1916)
* Easter Rising (1916)
* Kaocen revolt (1916–17)
* Russian Revolution (1917)
* Finnish Civil War (1918)

Post-War conflicts|

* Russian Civil War (1917–1921)
* Ukrainian–Soviet War (1917–1921)
* Armenian–Azerbaijani War (1918–1920)
* Armeno-Georgian War (1918)
* German Revolution (1918–19)
* Revolutions and interventions in Hungary (1918–1920)
* Hungarian–Romanian War (1918–19)
* Greater Poland Uprising (1918–19)
* Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920)
* Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920)
* Lithuanian Wars of Independence (1918–1920)
* Polish–Ukrainian War (1918–19)
* Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919)
* Egyptian Revolution (1919)
* Polish–Lithuanian War (1919–1920)
* Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921)
* Irish War of Independence (1919–1921)
* Turkish War of Independence
* Anglo-Turkish War (1918–1923)
* Franco-Turkish War (1918–1921)
* Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)
* Turkish–Armenian War (1920)
* Iraqi Revolt (1920)
* Vlora War (1920)
* Franco-Syrian War (1920)
* Soviet–Georgian War (1921)

Aspects|

| Warfare|

* Aviation
* Strategic bombing
* Chemical weapons
* Cryptography
* Horses
* Logistics
* Naval warfare
* Convoy system
* Trench warfare

| Conscription|

* Australia
* Canada
* Ottoman Empire
* United Kingdom
* Ireland
* United States

|

Casualties /
Civilian impact

* British casualties
* Parliamentarians
* Ottoman casualties
* Sports
* Rugby
* Olympians

| Disease|

* 1899–1923 cholera pandemic
* 1915 typhus epidemic in Serbia
* Spanish flu

|

Occupations|

* Austro-Hungarian occupations
* Serbia
* Montenegro
* Bulgarian occupations
* Albania
* Serbia
* German occupations
* Belgium
* Luxembourg
* Northeast France
* Ober Ost
* Occupied Enemy Territory Administration
* Russian occupations
* Eastern Galicia
* Western Armenia

POWs|

* Germans
* in the United States
* Italians
* POW locations
* Canada
* Germany / camps
* Switzerland

Refugees|

* Belgian refugees
* Netherlands
* United Kingdom

War crimes|

* Allied blockades
* Eastern Mediterranean
* Mount Lebanon famine
* Germany
* Deportations from East Prussia
* Destruction of Kalisz
* Sack of Dinant
* Late Ottoman genocides
* Armenian genocide
* Assyrian genocide
* Pontic Greek genocide
* Rape of Belgium
* Urkun (Kyrgyzstan)
* Massacres of Albanians
* Internment of Ukrainian Canadians

Diplomacy

| Entry into the war|

* Austria-Hungary
* France
* Germany
* Italy
* Japan
* Ottoman Empire
* Russia
* United Kingdom
* United States

|

Declarations of war|

* Austria-Hungary against Serbia
* UK against Germany
* Ottomans against the Triple Entente
* Jihad
* USA against Germany
* USA against Austria-Hungary

Agreements|

* Constantinople Agreement
* Treaty of London
* Damascus Protocol
* Bulgaria–Germany treaty
* Treaty of Darin
* Sykes–Picot Agreement
* Sazonov–Paléologue Agreement
* Paris Economy Pact
* Treaty of Bucharest
* Agreement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne

Peace treaties

* Modus vivendi of Acroma
* Treaties of Brest-Litovsk
* Russia–Central Powers
* Ukraine–Central Powers
* Treaty of Bucharest
* Paris Peace Conference
* Treaty of Versailles
* Treaty of St. Germain
* Treaty of Neuilly
* Treaty of Trianon
* Treaty of Sèvres
* Treaty of Lausanne

Other|

* Arrest of a Suspect in Sarajevo
* Mutilated victory
* The Golden Virgin
* They shall not pass

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Bulgaria during World War I

| Prelude  | South-western front
Serbian campaign, Macedonian front | Romanian front • Outcome • Others  | Important persons

|
|
|

Balkan Wars

1912–1913

* First Balkan War

1913

* Treaty of London
* Second Balkan War
* Treaty of Bucharest
* Treaty of Constantinople

Neutrality

1914

* Ottoman–Bulgarian alliance

1915

* Negotiations of Bulgaria with the Central Powers and the Entente
* Bulgarian–German treaty
* Secret Bulgarian–German agreement
* Military convention between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria
* Bulgarian–Ottoman convention
* Mobilization

Commanders

Bulgaria

Nikola Zhekov • Kliment Boyadzhiev • Dimitar Geshov • Georgi Todorov • Ivan Lukov • Stefan Nerezov • Vladimir Vazov

Entente:

Serbia: Radomir Putnik • Živojin Mišić • Stepa Stepanović • Petar Bojović • Pavle Jurišić Šturm;
France: Maurice Sarrail • Adolphe Guillaumat • Louis Franchet d'Espèrey;
United Kingdom: Bryan Mahon • George Milne;
Kingdom of Greece: Panagiotis Danglis

Field Armies

* + Eleventh Army
* First Army
* Second Army
* Fourth Army

Battles

1915

Morava Offensive • Ovče Pole Offensive • Kosovo offensive (1915)  • Battle of Krivolak

1916

First battle of Doiran • Battle of Florina (Lerin) • Struma operation • Monastir offensive

1917

Second battle of Doiran • 2nd Crna Bend • Second battle of Monastir

1918

Battle of Skra-di-Legen • Battle of Dobro Pole • Third battle of Doiran

Commanders

Bulgaria

Nikola Zhekov • Panteley Kiselov • Stefan Toshev • Todor Kantardzhiev • Ivan Kolev

Entente:

Romania: Constantin Prezan • Alexandru Averescu;
Russia: Andrei Zayonchkovski • Vladimir Sakharov

Field Armies

* Third Army

Battles

1916

Battle of Turtucaia • Battle of Bazargic • First Cobadin • Flămânda Offensive • Second Cobadin • Battle of Bucharest

Outcome

1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk • Armistice of Focșani • Treaty of Bucharest • Protocol of Berlin

Outcome

* Armistice of Salonica
* Radomir Rebellion
* Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine

Others

* Bulgarian administration in Kosovo
* Anti-military propaganda

* Ferdinand
* Vasil Radoslavov
* Aleksandar Malinov
* Aleksandar Stamboliyski
* Aleksandar Protogerov
* August von Mackensen
* Boris Drangov
* Vladimir Vazov
* Georgi Todorov (general)
* Ivan Kolev
* Kliment Boyadzhiev
* Dimitar Geshov
* Ivan Lukov
* Konstantin Zhostov
* Krastyu Zlatarev
* Nikola Zhekov
* Panteley Kiselov
* Stefan Toshev
* Stefan Nerezov
* Todor Kantardzhiev

* v
* t
* e

Wars and battles involving Serbs

Medieval|

| Serbian–Bulgarian|

* Bulgar–Serb War (839–842)
* Bulgar–Serb War (853)
* Bulgarian–Serbian wars of 917–924
* Bulgarian–Serbian border revolt
* Bulgarian-Serb War (998)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1202)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1203)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1290)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1291)
* Bulgarian-Serbian War (1330)
* Battle of Velbazhd

|

Serbian–Ottoman|

* Early skirmishes
* Battle of Gallipoli
* Battle of Stephaniana
* Battle of Demotika in 1352
* Battle of Sırp Sındığı in 1364
* Fall of the Serbian Empire
* Battle of Maritsa in 1371
* Battle of Dubravnica in 1381
* Battle of Savra in 1385
* Battle of Pločnik in 1386
* Battle of Kosovo in 1389
* Serbian Despotate
* Battle of Karanovasa
* Battle of Tripolje in 1402
* Siege of Novo Brdo in 1412
* Battle of Vitosha Pass in 1413
* Battle of Carmorlu
* First Scutari War
* Second Scutari War
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1425
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1427
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1437
* Battle of Trnava (1430)
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1438
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia (1439–1444)
* Crusade of Varna
* Battle of Nish (1443)
* Battle of Zlatitsa in 1443
* Battle of Kunovica in 1444
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia (1454–1455)
* Battle of Kruševac in 1454
* Battle of Leskovac in 1454
* Ottoman invasion of Serbia in 1456
* Siege of Belgrade
* Siege of Smederevo
* Ottoman invasion and conquest of Serbia in 1459
* Battle of Breadfield in 1479
* Ottoman conquest of Zeta in 1499

Serbian–Byzantine|

* Serb Uprising of 1038–1042
* Battle of Bar
* Slav Uprising in Pomoravlje
* Battle of Zvečan (1094)
* Battle of Haram
* Siege of Ras (1127)
* Battle of Tara (1150)
* Byzantine–Hungarian War (1149–1155)
* Siege of Braničevo (1154)
* Battle of Pantina
* Byzantine–Hungarian War (1127–1129)
* Byzantine civil war of 1321–1328
* Serbian invasion of Macedonia led by Syrgiannes Palaiologos (1334)
* Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347

Other|

* Hungarian invasions of Europe
* Magyar–Serb conflict
* Byzantine–Hungarian War (1127–1129)
* Battle of Sirmium
* Battle of Gacko
* Serbian conflict with the Nogai Horde
* Mongol invasion of Bulgaria and Serbia
* Mačva War
* Hungarian–Serbian War (1321-1324)
* War of Hum (1326–1329)
* Serbian civil war of 1331
* Serbian nobility conflict (1369)
* Battle of Rovine
* Battle of Nicopolis
* Battle of Ankara
* Battle of Kosmidion
* Battle of Çamurlu
* Battle of Despotovac
* Siege of Belgrade (1440)
* Battle of Kosovo (1448)
* Fall of Constantinople

Foreign rule|

| Habsburgs|

* Jovan Nenad's uprising
* Hungarian campaign of 1527–1528
* Battle of Gorjani
* Battle of Szőlős
* Battle of Sződfalva
* Battle of Keresztes
* Great Turkish War
* Siege of Belgrade (1688)
* Battle of Batočina
* Battle of Niš (1689)
* Siege of Belgrade (1690)
* Battle of Lugos
* Rákóczi's War of Independence
* Battle of Saint Gotthard (1705)
* Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718)
* Siege of Belgrade (1717)
* Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739)
* Battle of Zsibó
* Battle of Trenčín
* Battle of Petrovaradin
* Battle of Banja Luka
* Austro-Turkish War (1788–1791)

|

Ottomans|

* Long War (Ottoman wars) (1593–1606)
* Banat Uprising (1594)
* Serb Uprising of 1596–1597
* Battle of Mohács (1687)
* Uprising in Vučitrn
* Serb uprising of 1737–1739
* Kočina Krajina Serb rebellion
* Battle of Martinići (1796)
* Battle of Krusi
* Battle of Lopate

Venice|

* Morean War
* Cretan War (1645–1669)
* Great Turkish War
* Battle on Vrtijeljka
* Battle of Slankamen
* Battle of Senta

Russia|

* Serbian Hussar Regiment
* Pruth River Campaign
* War of the Polish Succession
* Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743)
* Seven Years' War

19th century|

| Serbian Revolution|

* First Serbian Uprising
* Vračar
* Rudnik
* Svileuva
* Batočina and Jagodina
* Kragujevac
* Drlupa
* Čokešina
* Šabac
* Požarevac
* Karanovac
* Adakale
* Ivankovac
* Rudnik
* Vrbica
* Mišar
* Deligrad
* Belgrade (1806)
* Liberation of Belgrade
* Loznica
* Malajnica and Štubik
* Čegar
* Jasika
* Prahovo
* Suvodol
* Drina
* Varvarin
* Loznica
* Mačva
* Ravnje
* Hadži Prodan's Revolt
* Second Serbian Uprising
* Ljubić
* Čačak
* Palež
* Požarevac
* Rudnik
* Družetić
* Kragujevac
* Jagodina
* Karanovac
* Batočina
* Užice
* Valjevo
* Batočina

|

Ottoman|

* Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–1853)
* Battle of Grahovac
* Battle of Kolašin
* Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–1862)
* Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–1878)
* Battle of Vučji Do
* Battle of Fundina
* Battles for Plav and Gusinje
* Velika attacks
* Battle of Novšiće
* Battle of Murino

Other|

* Kumanovo uprising
* Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814
* Jančić's rebellion
* Priest Jovica's Rebellion
* Several battles of Hungarian Revolution of 1848
* Battle of Vršac (1849)
* Serbian-Turkish Wars (1876–1878)
* Battle of Vranje
* Siege of Cattaro
* Herzegovina uprising (1852–1862)
* Krivošije uprising (1869)
* Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)
* AU-BiH War
* Battle of Jajce (1878)
* Battle of Vitez (1878)
* Battle of Sarajevo (1878)
* Serbo-Bulgarian War
* Battle of Pirot
* Battle of Slivnitsa

20th century|

| Macedonian Struggle|

* Fight on Šuplji Kamen
* Fight on Čelopek
* Fight in Tabanovce
* Fight in Velika Hoča
* Fight on Čelopek (1906)
* Battle of Pirot (1913)

|

Balkan Wars|

* First Balkan War
* Battle of Kumanovo
* Battle of Prilep
* Battle of Monastir
* Siege of Scutari
* Siege of Adrianople
* Siege of Odrin (1912–1913)
* Second Balkan War
* Battle of Bregalnica
* Battle of Kalimanci
* Battle of Knjaževac
* Siege of Vidin (1913)
* Ohrid–Debar uprising

World War I|

* Montenegrin campaign
* Battle of Mojkovac
* Battle of Lovćen
* Serbian campaign
* Battle of Cer
* Battle of the Crna Bend (1916)
* Battle of Bazargic
* Battle of Dobro Pole
* Battle of the Drina
* Battle of Florina
* Battle of Kaymakchalan
* Battle of Kolubara
* Kosovo offensive (1915)
* Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro (1918)
* Battle of Malka Nidzhe
* Macedonian front
* Monastir offensive
* Morava Offensive
* Ovče Pole Offensive
* Vardar offensive
* Srem Offensive
* Toplica Uprising

Interwar|

* Carinthia War
* Uprising in Drenica
* Christmas Uprising
* Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
* Albanian-Yugoslav Border War (1921)
* Drenica-Junik Uprising

World War II|

* Invasion of Yugoslavia
* Uprising in Serbia (1941)
* Uprising in Montenegro (1941)
* June 1941 uprising in eastern Herzegovina
* Battle of Novi Pazar
* Battle of Pljevlja
* Battle of Kozara
* Battle of Loznica (1941)
* Battle of Livno
* Battle of Neretva
* Battle of the Sutjeska
* Raid on Drvar
* Battle of Knin
* Battle of Mostar
* Battle of Lijevče Field
* 1942 Montenegro offensive
* Bihać Operation
* Battle of Batina
* Belgrade Offensive
* Capture of Banja Koviljača
* Case Black
* Case White
* Operation Draufgänger
* Kozara Offensive
* Battle of Kupres (1942)
* Battle of Višegrad
* Mostar operation
* Nagykanizsa–Körmend Offensive
* Niš operation
* Battle of Odžak
* Capture of Olovo (1941)
* Operation Alfa
* Operation Delphin
* Operation Kopaonik
* Operation Kugelblitz
* Operation Mihailovic
* Operation Southeast Croatia
* Operation Trio
* Operation Uzice
* Battle of Poljana
* Operation Prijedor
* Siege of Rogatica (1941)
* Operation Rösselsprung (1944)
* Kosovo Operation (1944)
* Operation Spring Awakening
* Srb uprising
* Stratsin-Kumanovo operation
* Syrmian Front
* Battle of Zvornik
* Battle of Sarajevo (1945)
* Battle of Zelengora

Croatian War|

* Pakrac clash
* Plitvice Lakes incident
* Battle of Borovo Selo
* Operation Stinger
* 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia
* Battle of Osijek
* Battle of Vukovar
* Battle of Gospić
* Battle of Šibenik
* Battle of Zadar
* Battle of Kusonje
* Battle of the Barracks
* Siege of Varaždin Barracks
* Siege of Bjelovar Barracks
* Battle of the Dalmatian Channels
* Siege of Dubrovnik
* Operation Otkos 10
* Operation Orkan 91
* Operation Whirlwind
* Operation Baranja
* Operation Jackal
* Battle of the Miljevci Plateau
* Operation Tiger
* Operation Maslenica
* Operation Medak Pocket
* Operation Winter '94
* Operation Flash
* Operation Summer '95
* Operation Storm

Bosnian War|

* Battle of Bosanski Brod
* Battle of Kupres
* Siege of Sarajevo
* Siege of Srebrenica
* Siege of Goražde
* Siege of Doboj
* Operation Jackal
* Siege of Bihać (1992–95)
* Operation Vrbas '92
* Operation Corridor 92
* Operation Bura
* Kravica attack
* Siege of Mostar
* Operation Irma
* Operation Bøllebank
* Operation Tiger
* Battle of Kupres
* Operation Amanda
* Operation Spider
* Operation Winter '94
* Battle of Vlašić
* Operation Leap 1
* Battle of Orašje
* Operation Leap 2
* Operation Summer '95
* Battle of Vrbanja Bridge
* Battle of Vozuća
* Operation Miracle
* Operation Mistral 2
* Operation Sana
* Operation Una
* Operation Southern Move
* NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina
* 1995 Pale air strikes
* Operation Deny Flight
* Operation Deliberate Force
* Operation Maritime Monitor

Kosovo War|

* Insurgency in Kosovo
* Albanian–Yugoslav border incident (December 1998)
* Albania–Yugoslav border incident (April 1999)
* April 23, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border ambush
* Attack on Orahovac
* Attack on Prekaz
* Battle of Lođa
* Battle of Oraovica
* Battle of Belaćevac Mine
* Battle of Podujevo
* December 14, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border ambush
* Battle of Glođane
* July 18, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes
* Battle of Junik
* Battle of Košare
* Insurgency in the Preševo Valley
* Prizren incident (1999)
* NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
* Dubrava Prison bombings and executions
* 1999 F-117A shootdown

21st century|

| Peacekeeping|

* Central African Republic
* Cyprus
* DR Congo
* Ivory Coast
* Lebanon
* Liberia
* Mali
* Somalia

|

Authority control databases

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

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