Nelson's history of the war. Vol. XI., The struggle for the Dvina, and the great invasion of Serbia

BULGARIA ENTERS THE WAR. 13

afternoon, the first enemy batteries opened against the Serbian capital.

We must leave the details of the campaign for another chapter, and consider the events which brought in Bulgaria on the Teutonic side. We were not aware at the time of the secret treaty of 17th July, but by the end of August there was ample ground for suspicion. Peripatetic German agents—Prince Hohenlohe-Langenburg in July, Duke John of Mecklenburg and Dr. von Rosenburg in August—were welcomed at Sofia. In September General Liman von Sanders paid a visit from Constantinople. For some reason the Allied Governments were loth to trust the evidence of their experts. They had talked themselves into believing that Bulgarian interests must be hostile to the Powers which meditated a Drang nach Osten, and on the face of it there were good reasons for this belief. They received all rumours, therefore, with incredulity, and, in spite of Serbia’s warnings, continued to cultivate the goodwill of Sofia, and believe the protestations of King Ferdinand. Had the activity in the Bulgarian army about this time been realized in the West it might have broken into our pleasant dreams.

The Bulgarian military system demands a brief notice. Its working unit was a strong division of sixteen battalions, or about 24,000 men. There were nominally fifteen divisions, ten of the first line and five of the second, but two new divisions of volunteers had been raised from the districts acquired in Macedonia and Thrace, bringing the field army up to about 300,000 rifles. She was weak in reserves, for behind this force she had only a Terri-