The Washington herald., 1922-06-25

Yet this second war, like the
first. failed to give Serbia the one
thing she most needed and desired.
an outlet on the sea. Her armies
had reached Durazzo and with the
Montenegrin taken Scutari and the
seacoast at the mouth Of the Drin.
but Austria Intervening. the state
OF Albania was created thus block
ing Serbian expansion to the sea.
For weeks the peace of Europe
turned upon the success of Sir Ed
ward Grey in reconciling Austrian
and Russian policies, for Russia
backed the Southern Slavs.
When the conference of London
and the assemblage of Bucharest
had restored peace In the Balkans.
Serbia had taken. with respect OF
the Southern Slav. the position
held by the Savoy kingdom toward
Northern Italy in the nineteenth
century. Henceforth II was plain
that every effort of the Serbs
would be directed toward rescuing
their brothers from the Austrian
and Magyar yokes and completing
the reintegration OF the Southern
Slav tribes. In blocking Serb ap-
proach to the sea, In backing Bull
garia in her wanton assault upon
Serbia and Greece, Austria had
only insured her own ruin.
First step of World War.
A few months after the signing
of the treaty of Bucharest the
crime of Serajevo launched the
world war. the first step in which
was the Austrian declaration of
war upon Serbia. For Austria the
problem was simple. Unless Serbia
could be crushed nothing was more
certain than that in a few years
history would repeat itself and the
Hapsburgs would be expelled from
the Balkans as they had been
driven out of Northern Italy. Not
only this, but the success of the
Southern Slavs had served to re-
animate the racial aspirations of
the Czechs and the Poles and the
whole Hapsburg edifice was In
peril.
Germany. too. saw her one GER
tain ally threatened with complete
ruin. with the loss of provinces
and power. and the ruin of Austria
would leave Germany alone in a
by the ever mounting power of
Russia and on the other by the i'm
placable hostility of France
which hsu been mutilated by Ger
man violence in 1871.
In the great struggle which fol-
lowed Serbia played a larger part
than has been appreciated gem
orally. Twice her veteran army
routed vast Austrian and Hunga-
rian hordes and sent them in wild
flight back, across the Danube and
the Drave. A third invasion, this
time led by German generals. sue
ceeded only because of German ar
tillery. to which the Serbs had no
answer. The folly of the British
and the French in falling to open
the Salonica road to Serbia and
hold IL against the Bulgarian at
tack. which came surely. sealed the
fate of the Serbs and the retreat
of the remnants of King Peters
army over the snow-clad Albanian
mountains is one OF the most fan
tastic and terrible stories OF the
whole world war.
Tide Turned In 1915.
Completely exhausted by this
terrible experience, the Serbs were
transported rst to Corfu and then
to Salonica, and presently, newly
equipped. took their place In the
battle line of the army of the
Orient, where they were from the
outset the finest soldiers and in the
end had the honor of striking the
blow which settled the fate of the
fighting in the Balkans. But for
the moment Serbia was overrun
with the enemy. by the Germans,
the Bulgarians and the Austro-
Hungarians, the country was raw
aged and pllaged and King Peter
and his son. the present King. were
exiles.
Not until late in the campaign ..
1918 did the tide turn. but then, at
a single bound the Serbian army
swept forward and in few brief
weeks reached the Danube, regained
the wrecked capital of Belgrade and
began to flow over into the South