Wednesday June 26th, 1918
Reveille 4:30, breakfast 5:15. Very hot again. Gun drill and gas drill. Warned for guard tomorrow. Serbian General at gun firing. Mail up, only one letter, this mail has been held up.
A Serbian Observer
Frank notes that a Serbian General attends the firing drill today. It is unclear who the General was. The Serbians had joined the Allies on the Macedonian Front in early 1916.
Full Circle
Austro-Hungary had declared war on Serbia in July 1914 and thus started what was to become WWI. Serbia was to pay a heavy price over the course of the war. By the end of 1918, it had lost over 25% of its citizens (over one million people) to war and disease, including ~60% of its male population. 500,000 children had been orphaned.¹
At first, with the full might of the Austro-Hungarian Empire focused upon it, the War went badly for Serbia. With Russia entering the war in support of Serbia, Austro-Hungary was forced to fight on two long fronts. In a bold move, Serbia managed to turn the tide in December 1914, even recapturing its capital, Belgrade. While the border between the countries had been virtually restored – each protagonist had suffered almost 200,000 casualties.
This ‘victory’ wasn’t to last. First, Serbia suffered the world’s worst ever typhus epidemic over the winter of 1914/15 with hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldier dying. Then in September 1915, Bulgaria, still smarting from the settlement of the Second Balkan War, threw in its lot with the Central Powers. In October 1915, Austro-Hungary and Bulgaria launched a two-pronged offensive upon Serbia.
France and Britain sent troops in autumn 1915, but it was too little, too late. By December, the battles were lost – French and British units were back in Greece, and the Serbian Army had retreated into Albania.
From Albania, the remnants of the Serbian Army evacuated to Corfu and then mainland Greece. After regrouping, they joined the French and British forces on the Macedonian Front in spring 1916. The photograph shows Serbian troops landing at Mikra near Salonika in mid-April 1916.*
From there, in September 1918, the French, together with the Serbs, will lead the charge that results in the defeat of Bulgaria and ultimately, brings an end to the War.
13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 26th June 1918 – Divisional Horse Show Ground, Cugunci
Fatigues and training as before. Fat returns for week ending 25-6-18 A Coy 23lbs, B 19, C 27, D 33 and HQ 15, Transport 14, Stores 6. Total – 137lbs.
References & Further Reading
¹Serbian Campaign of WWI on Wikipedia
² Serbia on International Encylopedia of WWI
* Q 31922 copyright Imperial War Museums