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The Serbian Army as a result of the Central Powers offensive faced destruction. The Allied relief column deom Salonika was turned back by the Bulgars. The Serbs facing total destruction executed a terrible winter retreat west over the Albanian mountains. The retreat began in mid-December 1915. They Serbian Army was accompanied by the King and many civilians. An American observer writes, "The stream of the refugees grew daily greater - mothers, children, bedding, pots and pans, food and fodder, all packed into the jolting wagons; wounded soldiers, exhausted, starving, hopeless men, and (after the first few days) leaden skies and pitiless rain, and the awful, clinging, squelching mud. The roads were obliterated by the passage of big guns - those guns served by that wonderful "Last Hope" of the Serbians, the old men, the Cheechas, the "uncles", who held the enemy for the priceless few days or even hours, and so saved the youth of the country. For every Serbian boy - every man-child over twelve - had to retreat. The Serbians had at last realized that the enemy were out to finish her as a nation, and the only way to save herself was to run away. And at first all those battalions of boys, gay with the coloured blankets they carried coiled across their backs, camping round the great camp-fires at night, were happy -- until the days grew into weeks, and the rain fell and fell and there was no bread anywhere. But the rain, which churned up the mud, and soaked the ill-clad people, was called by the Serbians "the little friend of Serbia", for it held up the Austrian advance, and consequently saved practically the whole of Serbia's remaining Army." The Serbs sought refuge on the island of Corfu. Allied naval power helped evacuate them and made it impossible for the Astrian-German forces to attack them. This meant, however, that Serbia itself was finally occupied by the Central Powers. Much of the Belgian Army after their country was occupied, sat out the war in the Netherlands. This was not the case of the Serbian Army.
The Serbs had fought off several Austrian offensives. The Central Powers in late-1915 prepared a final offensive to knock the Serbs out of the War. Field Marshal Mackensen commanded a force made up of the Bulgarian Army, a German Army, and an Austro-Hungarian Army, a force comprisding more than 300,000 men. The Austro-German forces attacked first in the north with a devestating artillery barage (October 6). Thgey then attacked acriss the Danube. The Bulgars in the south, then attacked into eastern Serbia towards Ni (October 11) and then further south towards Skopje into Macedonia (October 14). The Serbs had most of their army in the north fronting the Austrians and Germans. Thus inadequate forces were available to resist the Bulgars. The Bulgarian Army was fresh and well supplied. They overwealmed the Serbian defenders. The Bulgarian broke the Serbian front in a series of battles (Morava, Ovche Pole, and Kosovo). The western Allies attempted to assist Serbia. Greece was neutral, but Prime Minister Eleuthérios Venizélos favored the Allies and made the port of Salonika available. The Allies diverted troops from the Gallipoli campaign. Commanded by French General Maurice Sarrail the Allied troops arrived at Salonika (October 5). Venizélos under pressure from King Constantine resigned. Nevertheless the Allies pressed forward north up the Vardar into Serbian Macedonia. Bulgar forces, however, prevented them from linking up with the Serbs. The Allied forced fell back to Salonika (mid-December 1915).
The Serbian Army as a result of the Central Powers offensive faced destruction. The Allied relief column from Salonika was turned back by the Bulgars. It was clear that all of Serbia would fall into enemy hands. And if the Serbian Army did not retreat, so would the entire Army.
The Serbian Government made a stunning decession. They decided to evacuate the Army from Serbia. I can think of no other examoles in warfare where an Army retreated from its own country. There might be examples, but I can't think of one. I am not sure if this was discussed with the Allies. As far as I know, it was a decision the Serbs made on their own. They also decided to bring boys with them that would form the basis for a future Serb Army and nation. The Government ordered the Army and civilian boys to leave the country. There were boy soldiers in the regiments at this time. It is believed that an additional 30,000 civilian boys aged between 12 and 18 left Serbia with the military forces in the winter of 1915.
Albania was a new nation created following the Ottiman defeat in the Balkan War by the Great Powers at the London Conference (1912). A German aristocrat was appointed prince, but he had trouble establishing a government. He departed his new country when war broke out and joined the Germany Army. Albania was left virtually without a government. It was neutral in the War, but there wee symathies with the Ottoman Empire. The neigbboring states (Greece, Italy, Montenegro, and Serbia) occupied the country early in the War. This was an example of the Allies invading a neutral state.
Serbia wa a land-locked country. The Serbian Arny thus faced being surronded and totally destroyed. As a result of occuoying parts of Albania, however, they had a potential escape route. The Italians who had joined the Allies had also occupied parts of Albania. Thus the Serbs decided to retreat into Albania where Allied ships could transport them to safty.
The Allies controlled the Mediterranrean and all but the northern Adriatic where the Austrian fleet was bottled up. When the War broke out the French fleet was concentrated in the Mediterranean. The British Royal Navy was promarily deployed in the North Atlantic to blockade German ports and bottle up the German Highseas Fleet. It at first looked like the Allies would face the combined Austrian-Italian fleet in the Mediterranean. The Italians did not, however, join the Austrans and Germans when war broke out and eventually joined the Allies (May 1915). This meant the Mediterranean was controlled by the Allies. The Germany eventually deployed a few U-boats in the Mediterranean, but neither the Austrins or Turks could seriously challenge the French and Italian fleets supported by a few Royal Navy ships. Late in the War, the Japanese even deployed a destroyer force for anti-submarine warfare. Thus if the Serbs got to the coast, they could be evacuated by the Allies.
The winter of 1915-16 was dreadful. It was the coldest on record. And the route took them over the mountains of Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania. This meant tht they faced horendous confitions on the long march to the sea. The conditions were a challenge to the hearty Serbian soldiers. For the boys accompanying them it was too much.
The Serbs executed a winter retreat west over the Albanian mountains. Serbian commander
Marshal Putnik ordered a full retreat, south and west through Montenegro into Albania. The retreat began in mid-December 1915. The Allied relief column from Salonika had failed to link up with the Serbian Army and the Allies were falling bavk on Salonika. The only option was to move toward the Adriatic ports in Albania. The weather was terrible and the roads were primitive. Railroads which could have been used to effect a more orderly retreat. The rail lines, however, ran south to Greece and could have been cut off by the Bulgarians.
They Serbian Army was accompanied by King Peter, the royal family, and many civilians. An American observer wirking in Red Cross hospiyals writes, "The stream of the refugees grew daily greater - mothers, children, bedding, pots and pans, food and fodder, all packed into the jolting wagons; wounded soldiers, exhausted, starving, hopeless men, and (after the first few days) leaden skies and pitiless rain, and the awful, clinging, squelching mud. The roads were obliterated by the passage of big guns - those guns served by that wonderful "Last Hope" of the Serbians, the old men, the Cheechas, the "uncles", who held the enemy for the priceless few days or even hours, and so saved the youth of the country. For every Serbian boy - every man-child over twelve - had to retreat. The Serbians had at last realized that the enemy were out to finish her as a nation, and the only way to save herself was to run away. And at first all those battalions of boys, gay with the coloured blankets they carried coiled across their backs, camping round the great camp-fires at night, were happy -- until the days grew into weeks, and the rain fell and fell and there was no bread anywhere. But the rain, which churned up the mud, and soaked the ill-clad people, was called by the Serbians "the little friend of Serbia", for it held up the Austrian advance, and consequently saved practically the whole of Serbia's remaining Army." [Tatham]
The sadest aspect of the Great Retreat is the boys that accompanied the soldiers. Serbian officials not only ordered the Army to retreat out of Serbia, but also boys that could be future soldiers. I am not sure who ordered this. About 30,000 boys joined the retreat. I'm not sure if this was the number ordered. Nor do we know how the boys were selected or recruited. Nor do we know what the parents attitudes were. The boys were 12-18 years old. It soon became obvious that the younger boys did not have the strength or stamina to endure the orduous trek over mountains in winter conditions. Sadly the young boys found that the flight to safety was too difficult. About half the boys died in the Prokletije mountains from, cold, hunger, and disease. Many boys might have made it during the summer. But the combination of the long trek, poor food, and especially the bitter winter weather was too much. These stout hearted youngsters were beaten by the cold, hunger and the hardship of the journey and bandit attacks. An estimated 15,000 boys died in the Prokletije, the Hardship Mountains of Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania. The boys who made it over the mountains were in terrible condition. The supplies delivered by the Italians were inadequate. Another 6,000 boys died awaiting transport, primarily because they were in such poor condition after their winter trek. French transports took abour 24 housrs to move the boys from Avalona to Corfu. About 2,000 boys died during that short trip. Once on Corfu, the boys died at the rate of avout 100 a day. Only about 7,000 of the boys survived. They were eventually trasported to France and Britain.
Albanian tribesmen reportedly attacked The Serbs, especially stranglers and small units. These appear to have been marauding bands of bandits without any political motivation. We do not, however, have any detailed information on this.
The Serbs reaching the Albanian port of Avalona on the Adriatic. They were in terrible conditions. They were near starvation, ragged, and many were sick or wounded. And the suffering still was not over.
The Austrians began air attacks on the Serb camps. An estimated 125,000 Serbian soldiers reached Albanian Adriatic ports. Marshal Putnik was sick and had to be carried on the retreat. He subsequently died the following year in a French hospital.
The Serbs were refugees in Avalona. The Italians let them stay until other arrangements could be made. The Allies were not sure what to do with them. Unfortunately there was insufficient food and lodging for them. While the Allies studied the situation, more youngsters died.
The Italians who had joined the Allies rushed relief supplies to Albanian ports to assist the Serbs who reached the coast in terrible conditions. I am not sure how effective this effort was, but given the number of Serbs a substantial effort was required. Some of the relief ships were torpedoed. [Tatham] Austrians planes attacked the Serbs camps as hey waited to be evacuated.
The Allies eventually convinced the Greeks to allow the Serbs to go to to various Greek islands. primarily to Corfu. Allied naval power helped evacuate them and made it impossible for the Astrian-German forces to attack them. I am not sure why they could not have been evacuated to Italy. Greece at the time was still neutral. When ships arrived to take the Serbs o Corfu there were only 9,000 boys left. It would take 24 hours to reach this island from Avalona. On the voyage a further 2,000 died. Once on Corfu the situation was very grim. There was a lack of food and it is believed that a hundred boys died each day because of this. The survivors were eventually sent to England and France.
While the Central Powers did not destroy the Serbian Army, they did occupy all of Serbia. After Belgium in the west, Serbia was the second country occupied by the Central Powers. The Central Powers occupied Serbia during 1916, 1917, and most of 1918. I have no information at this time on the nature of the Austrian-German occupation. Serbian sources report that Croats and Muslims commited atrocities on Serb civilians. This is a highly politicized topic. I am not sure just what occurred in the wake of the Astrian-German-Bulgarian advance. This is a topic we need to persue. Serbia was liberated in late 1918 when an Allied advance from Greece broke through Bulgarian lines.
Much of the Belgian Army after their country was occupied, sat out the war in the Netherlands. This was not the case of the Serbian Army. The Serb Army was subsequently redeployed to Salonika after Greece entered the war on the Allied side.
A reader in Belgrade writes, "There is a monument to France in Belgrade. It honors the help the French gave Serbia doing World War I and I think it is about the Great Retreat. Certainly many thousands died on this retreat. It was the French that provided the transports needed to escape."
Tatham, M. I. "Memoirs & Diaries: The Great Retreat in Serbia in 1915," C. B. Purdom, ed. Everyman at War (1930).
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