Serbs take Zemun

On 10 September 1914 Serbian units crossed the Sava and took Zemun, called Semlin in German and British sources of the time. The town lay in Syrmia, at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, directly opposite Belgrade, and at that time belonged to Austria-Hungary. It was the most spectacular success of the Serbian offensive in Syrmia.

The town opposite the capital

Before the war Zemun was a border town of the Hungarian part of the monarchy, separated from the Serbian capital only by the width of the river. After the outbreak of war it became the base from which Austro-Hungarian artillery and river monitors had been shelling Belgrade since the last days of July. Taking Zemun therefore had not only military but also symbolic significance for the Serbs.

The Serbs march in

The main forces of the Serbian First Army of General Petar Bojović had crossed the Sava further west on 6 September and were advancing into Syrmia. On 10 September units defending Belgrade also crossed the river and entered Zemun. The same day the heir to the throne and regent, Alexander Karađorđević, rode into the town. The local Serbs greeted the soldiers with enthusiasm. At the same time the main forces of the First Army engaged the Austro-Hungarians in front of Stara Pazova and Golubinci.

The news of Serbs in Zemun alarmed the authorities of the monarchy, especially in Budapest. General Alfred Krauss, commanding in Syrmia, was ordered to drive them back across the Sava at any cost.

A brief success

The Serbs did not hold Zemun for long. Since 8 September Austria-Hungary had been conducting its second invasion of Serbia across the Drina, and Vojvoda Radomir Putnik needed all his forces to defend the country. The day after the town was taken he ordered the troops withdrawn from Syrmia, and by 13–14 September the last Serbian units had returned to the right bank of the Sava.