The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-12
The Fourth Invasion q Serbia.


OF late the neutral world has been
81 deeply Interested in the Franco
British offensive in Flanders and In
the invasion Of west Russia BY Aus
tro-t'erman armies that It 10 neces-
sary TO refresh the memory with the
achievements Of the Serbians in driv.
ing the .Austrians three times over
the Drina and Danube Mt fearful cost
to the invaders to realize that the
Serbians, Reinforced by French and
British armies, are capable Of de-
Tending their mountain territory OBJ
%stinately and perhaps successfully
against the new peril in the north and
the in the east. The fighting
now going on Mt the Drina and Dan
ube crossings Is preliminary and on
the part Of the Serbians carried on BY
rear guards. II Is in the mountains
Of the interior that the battle for the
possession Of the railway junction OF
Nish will ne fought.
The troops encountered by the Aus
TRANS when they invaded Serbia in
August OF last year were veterans Of
Kumanova. where the Turks were
routed In the first Balkan war. and
Of the Bregalnitza. on which field a
decisive victory was won v e the
Bulga rians in the second Balkan war.
Considering their meagre railway IA
c~ilities. the mobilization Of the Ser.
bians called to the colors TO resist the
Austrians was amazingly rapid. 1t
was n fatal mistake Of the invaders
to assume that they would take the
war, worn Serbians unawares and
sweep irresistibly on to valievo and
Nish. 1t was not the intention Of
the defenders To contest the passage
of the Drina. the Save and the Dan.
ube. Sound strategy demanded that
they should post their main army on
interior lines and accept battle. It
soon developed that the Austrians
would attack in force from the direc.
ton Of lOZnitZa and IRshnitza after
crossing the Drlna. The battle Of
the Jadar "a tributary Of the Drlna)
soon followed, and it ended the first
invasion. From the TIER Mountains
in the north to the Iverak Mountains
and south to Zavlaka and Krupani
the front Of thirty miles extended.
The Austrian casualties were from
5000 to 5000 killed and 10000
wounded. while the Serblans losses
were 5000 killed and 1900 wounded.
Four thousand prisoners. forty.six
cannon. thirty machine guns and 140
ammunition wagons together with a
great deal of much needed equipment.
were taken by the victors.
\ second Austrian invasion began
on September 3, and. as before. the
passage Of the Drina was forced, the
Serbians retiring to their mountains.
bloody campaign occurred about the
commanding position Of MatckO Ka.
men ,"the cats leg"), which was
taken and lost by the Serbians no
less than seven times before they
finally drove the Austrians from the
ridge. The invaders did not renew
the offensive. Their losses have not
been published: the Serbian casual
ties in killed, wounded and prisoners
were not less than 10000. It wal
demOnsa rated in this campaign that
the Serbian infantry was more mobile
and was superior in the shock " bat.
tie. but the Austrians had an advan-
,age in artillery. Had the campaign
been fought in an open country the
result would have been different
With Il great preponderance in men
and guns and well supplied with AM
munition the Austrians entered upon
their third campaign, drove the Ser
bians before them and forced the
evacuation of ValievO, on the road to
Nish. The Serbians elected to fight
a decisive battle on the Bukovi, Varda,
Jelova, Bukovic and IAska-Gore
ranges. which barred the way to the
western Morava Valley. 1t was moi
until about the middle Of December
after sharp minor engagements, that
the Serbians In a great battle nj
Suvobor overthrow the Austrian army
which WAS 100000 strong when II
crossed the Drina, and the third In
vasion ended. In the last thirteen
days of the campaign the defenders
captured 41,53S prisoners. 1873 can
non. n machine guns and 3S8 ammu.
milton wagons. The Austrian casual.
ties were 10000 in killed and wounded
so that less than 100000 officers and
men Of the original army r~etreated
across the frontier. Belgrade was
evacuated.
Since Suvobor the Serhians have
had nine months to recuperate and to
improve their equipment with spOils
taken in the third invasion and with
artillery and ammunition purchases
abroad. They are full Of what CLAUSE,
WITT calls "the military virtue OF
an army; that Is to say, the fighting
spirit and faith In Its star. But this
time the Serbians will have to face
the Germans as well as Austrians and
Bnlgn rians, and will have to deal In