The Kingdom of serbia : report upon the atrocities committed by the Austro-Hungarian Army during the first invasion of Serbia

PILLAGE 149

Shabatz the soldiers drank schnaps, and that a great number of barrels were found opened in the streets. The men had no bread, and were forbidden to open the tinned provisions. They bought prunes and apples.

No. 86, Sergeant in the 96th Infantry Regiment, 4th Battn., 3rd Coy. The following passages are excerpts from the diary kept by this soldier, and found upon him. It appears from the text of this diary that the sergeant is not in the least inspired by hatred against Austria-Hungary, but that, on the contrary, he is patriotic.

“Our transport has not arrived for two days (under the date of Aug. 18th, 1914), consequently we are short of provisions. The famishing men are dispersed throughout the occupied villages all over the plain of the Drina, and are frenziedly plundering everything they can lay hands on. They carry off everything, absolutely everything, but there was no bread, and without bread all that was worth nothing. All the fruit has been picked, the cattle are slaughtered, the poultry cleared out to such an extent that there is nothing but misery and desolation behind us. It is just as if the Turkish Army had passed. My Captain has forbidden our company to plunder, whereas others have omitted to do so. But the men, goaded by hunger, have dispersed in the neighbourhood and are indulging in unbridled pillage.”

“It is regrettable that our soldiers beat and maltreat the Serbian soldiers, even when they surrender. Our army treats its prisoners with excessive harshness. Houses are demolished, cattle slaughtered, orchards laid waste. Even the Albanians did not