The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF

grade was the pride of the army and the nation. But it proved a most effective trap into which the enemy fell quite blindly.

The Austrians, like the Germans, have proved absolutely unable to understand the psychology of their adversaries. At the beginning they believed that the Serbians would not dare to resist, and the occupation of Belgrade would be a pleasant military walk. Impressed by the stubborn and effective defence of Belgrade, later on they believed that Belgrade was impregnable, as the Serbs defended it to their last man. Now, finding the gates of Belgrade thrown open before them, they at once imagined that the Serbian resistance was finally broken and waiting only for the last cowp de grace. The Austrians wanted to complete their invasion of Serbia by a master stroke of strategy. They threw precaution to the winds and began, in full view of the enemy, a most dangerous enveloping movement. Before making an advance from the west, they wished to strengthen their position in the valley of the lower Morava in order to cut the retreat of the Serbians to Nish by driving them up to the rocky fastnesses of the mountain of Kopaonick, or else to oblige them to surrender. In the execution of this plan they weakened their western front by transferring large forces through Belgrade down to the lower Morava. Serbian headquarters quickly took advantage of the enemy’s mistake. General Misié, who was second in command to

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