The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE

bombardment of Belgrade, and it seemed as if the city would be completely ruined.

II.—Austria’s Third Invasion of Serbia

Six weeks after their second invasion was stopped, the Austro-Hungarians began their third and greatest offensive. They accumulated against Serbia five whole army corps, besides a division, operating around Visegrad, and one division operating against Belgrade. The Austrian forces at the beginning of November exceeded 320,000 men. They pressed most vigorously against the Serbian troops entrenched opposite Guéevo, and at Machva on the marshy plain between the Drina and the Save. At that moment the Serbian troops were in a most difficult position. They were far from their centre, and, owing to bad roads, provisioning was nearly impossible. Secondly, after repelling for six weeks the constantly repeated attempts of the Austro-Hungarians, the Serbians were exhausted and overstrained, especially in Machva, where, owing to the marshy ground, their trenches were full of water.

Moreover, they felt the lack of artillery ammunition which had largely been expended in the two previous wars, and could not be easily replenished from France or Russia, and headquarters considered it an urgent necessity to withdraw these troops nearer to the centre in

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