Serbian offensive in Syrmia

The offensive in Syrmia was the Serbian army’s first and only attempt in 1914 to carry the war onto Austro-Hungarian territory. In September 1914 Serbian troops crossed the Sava and entered Syrmia, a fertile region between the Sava and the Danube, which then belonged to the Hungarian half of the monarchy and was largely inhabited by Serbs. The operation lasted about a week and ended in retreat, because Austria-Hungary struck at Serbia from the west.

An unwanted offensive

After the victory on Mount Cer in August the Serbian army was tired and poorly supplied. It was short of artillery ammunition, bridging equipment and camp gear. Russia and France, however, pressed Belgrade to strike at Austria-Hungary and pin down its troops, which might otherwise be sent to Galicia. Prime Minister Nikola Pašić could not refuse Russia, from which Serbia received arms. The chief of staff, Vojvoda Radomir Putnik, therefore prepared a limited offensive from which it would be possible to withdraw quickly if danger arose.

The main blow was to be delivered by the First Army of General Petar Bojović, crossing the Sava west of Belgrade in the area of Kupinovo. Its ultimate objective was the distant fortress of Petrovaradin on the Danube. The Timok Division (first levy) of the Second Army of Vojvoda Stepa Stepanović was to make a subsidiary crossing at Sremska Mitrovica.

Defeat at Mitrovica (6–7 September)

The First Army’s crossing on the morning of 6 September went without great difficulty. The Danube and Šumadija Divisions seized bridgeheads, routed weak Landsturm units and occupied the surrounding villages at little cost.

At Mitrovica, by contrast, there was a disaster. The Timok Division received its orders too late, reached the Sava after an exhausting night march and began the crossing only at dawn. The pontoon bridge had not been completed, and the battalions that had crossed were sent off in several directions instead of strengthening the bridgehead. The Austro-Hungarians had a whole division nearby and quickly counter-attacked. The Serbian units were almost surrounded on the Leget field, and the retreat across the river turned into a rout. According to various sources the division lost about 6,000–6,500 men, most of them taken prisoner or drowned in the Sava, against Austro-Hungarian losses of around 2,000. Its commander, General Vladimir Kondić, was relieved and court-martialled.

The First Army’s advance and the capture of Zemun (8–10 September)

After the defeat at Mitrovica the left wing of the First Army was exposed, and Bojović advanced very cautiously. Both sides had scant information about the enemy. The Austro-Hungarians assembled two divisions in Syrmia and prepared to strike the Serbs in the flank. On 9 September the Danube Division clashed with the Austro-Hungarian 7th Division, which after heavy losses fell back towards Stara Pazova.

On 10 September units of the Belgrade defence crossed the Sava and occupied Zemun, the town opposite the Serbian capital from which Austro-Hungarian artillery and river monitors had been shelling Belgrade since the end of July. On the same day the heir to the throne and regent, Alexander, entered Zemun. The main forces of the First Army made contact with the enemy in front of Stara Pazova and Golubinci. The Serbian population of Syrmia greeted the troops with enthusiasm, and the news of Serbs in Zemun caused alarm in Budapest. General Alfred Krauss, commanding in Syrmia, was ordered to drive the Serbs out at any cost.

The retreat (11–14 September)

The fate of the offensive, however, was decided elsewhere. During the night of 7/8 September the Austro-Hungarian Fifth and Sixth Armies of General Oskar Potiorek crossed the Drina, and the second invasion of Serbia began, and with it the Battle of the Drina. Putnik needed every division to defend the country. On 11 September he ordered the First Army to end its operations in Syrmia and return behind the Sava.

The decision caused indignation among the Serbian leadership. It was opposed by military commanders, by Regent Alexander and by King Peter I, but Putnik did not give way. Bojović conducted the retreat skilfully. On 12 September Krauss went over to the attack, but the Serbian rearguards held up his troops. According to Serbian sources the last units left Syrmia on 13 September, according to other studies on 14 September.

Significance

The offensive in Syrmia brought Serbia no lasting gains. It did not stop the transfer of Austro-Hungarian troops to Galicia, because some of them had already left for the east, and it cost several thousand soldiers, mainly from the shattered Timok Division. Serbian historians stress that the First Army acted efficiently and withdrew in good order in time to take part in the defence of the country. On the other hand, the defeat at Mitrovica showed how difficult it was for a poorly equipped army to conduct offensive operations across a great river. In the following months Serbia fought only in defence of its own territory.