The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe, S. 149

SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE

offensive against Serbia. Having no trust. in Austrian forces or leadership and perfectly aware of the resistance Serbia would offer, this time the new army of invasion consisted mainly of German troops and its command was entrusted to Mackensen, decidedly one of the ablest German generals. On their part the Entente Powers were misguided in their Balkan policy and totally failed to grasp the situation. Instead of reinforcing the Serbian front as the best means of inducing Roumania and Greece to side with the Allies and of preventing Bulgaria from joining the Central Powers, their diplomacy began the fruitless negotiations with Bulgaria which only accelerated the German offensive and the terrible disaster which befell Serbia. In September 1915 the Austro-German forces under the command of Field-Marshal Mackensen were massed on the Serbian front along the Save and the Danube. Meanwhile the negotiations undertaken by the diplomacy of the Entente Powers with Bulgaria were protracted without leading to any result. Bulgaria played her double game very adroitly. She could not move before the Austro-German forces were ready for co-operation with her. On the 19th of September the Germans opened the bombardment of the Serbian front. Four days later, on the 23rd of September, Bulgaria ordered the general mobilisation. The Serbian Headquarters entertained no doubt concerning the objective of the 133