End of the first invasion of Serbia

A British chronology of the war records under 25 August 1914 the end of the first Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia. The Serbs recaptured Šabac, and the last enemy units withdrew across the border rivers, the Drina and the Sava. Most recent studies state that the Serbs entered Šabac as early as 24 August, after the Austrians had abandoned the town during the night. The difference may arise because the chronology records the day on which the last Austro-Hungarian units had already left Serbian territory.

Twelve days of war

The invasion began on 12 August. The Austro-Hungarian troops of General Oskar Potiorek crossed the Drina in the west (see The Austrians cross the Drina) and the Sava in the north, where they occupied Šabac. Potiorek wanted to deal with Serbia quickly and punish it for the assassination in Sarajevo. His armies, however, advanced slowly through mountainous, wooded terrain, in the heat and with poor supplies.

The Serbian commander-in-chief, Vojvoda Radomir Putnik, directed his main forces against the most dangerous thrust. On the night of 15–16 August the Battle of Cer began. After several days of fierce fighting the Austro-Hungarian troops broke, and from 19–20 August they fell back in disorder towards the Drina (see End of the Battle of Cer).

The fighting for Šabac

The Austrians held out longest in fortified Šabac on the Sava. From 21 August the Serbs attacked the town, and on 23 August they surrounded it and brought up their artillery. On the night of 23–24 August the Austro-Hungarian garrison withdrew across the Sava to the northern bank. In the morning the Serbs entered the ruined town. The inhabitants who had survived the occupation had been through two weeks of terror.

Crimes against the population

During the invasion Austro-Hungarian troops committed mass crimes against Serbian civilians, especially in the Mačva region and in Šabac itself. Soldiers, convinced that they were fighting partisans, shot and hanged villagers, including women, old people and children. According to various estimates, between about 3,500 and 4,000 civilians were killed in those dozen or so days. These crimes were investigated, at the invitation of the Serbian government, by the Swiss criminologist Archibald Reiss, whose reports shocked public opinion in the Entente countries.

Toll

The losses of both sides vary from source to source. According to frequently cited figures, Austria-Hungary lost about 23,000–24,000 men killed, wounded and missing during the first invasion, including about 4,500 prisoners. Some studies, however, give much higher figures, exceeding 40,000. Serbian losses are estimated at about 16,000–20,000 men. The Serbs also captured several dozen guns and machine guns.

Significance

The defeat in Serbia was a humiliation for Austria-Hungary. A great power that had intended to defeat its small neighbour in a few days was driven out of its territory in less than two weeks. For the Entente it was the first victory of the war, won at a time when on the Western Front the Allies were suffering defeats and retreating before the Germans.

Serbia, however, paid a high price, and its army, already weakened by the Balkan Wars, suffered from a shortage of ammunition and equipment. Potiorek did not give up. At the beginning of September he launched a second invasion, which led to the Battle of the Drina.