112TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF CER COMMEMORATED IN TEKERIŠ

TEKERIŠ, AUGUST 19 /SRNA/ - The 112th anniversary of the Battle of Cer, the first major Serbian victory in the First World War, which began on August 15, 1914, is being commemorated today in Tekeriš near Loznica. The Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia began on August 12 across the Drina River, under the command of Oskar Potiorek, who had previously served as the military commander of the Dual Monarchy in BiH. Potiorek was also one of the organizers of the visit by Crown Prince Archduke Franz Ferdinand to BiH in June 1914, on Vidovdan, which ended with the assassination of the high-ranking guest. After Vienna blamed Serbia for the assassination, war was imminent. Austria-Hungary had issued an ultimatum to Serbia, and five days later, on July 28, 1914, it declared war on Serbia by an open telegram, which was also an act of insolence. Artillery fire across the Sava and Danube rivers, as well as from the Austro-Hungarian warship Bodrog along the border, particularly targeting Belgrade, Smederevo, Veliko Gradište and Šabac, began simultaneously with the declaration of war, if not somewhat earlier. The response to the ultimatum that Baron Giesl, the Austro-Hungarian envoy in Belgrade, delivered on the evening of July 23 to Lazar Paču, then Minister of Finance and acting head of the Serbian Royal Government in the absence of Prime Minister Nikola Pašić, was extremely conciliatory, expressing deep regret over the tragedy that had occurred in Sarajevo. Giesl, however, left Belgrade before the deadline for the response had expired. The Serbian High Command was subsequently relocated to Kragujevac, while the Government and central state institutions of the Kingdom of Serbia were moved to Niš by order dated July 25. The assassination served as a justification, an excuse, since the authorities in Vienna had already been preparing for a confrontation with Serbia for some time. There was a widespread belief in Vienna and Berlin that Serbia would be quickly and easily defeated, which would also crush the Serbian, or Yugoslav, movement within Austria-Hungary, probably the most important objective for Vienna. The invasion of Serbia by the Austro-Hungarian Fifth and Sixth Armies from Bosnia under the command of Oskar Potiorek on August 12 was carried out in parallel with massive artillery attacks from Srem and Banat, where the Austro-Hungarian Second Army was stationed. The aim was to deceive the Serbian forces and divert their attention from the main axis of the invasion across the Drina. There was a dilemma within the Serbian High Command. The logic of military operations and previous war plans suggested that the main attack could be expected from the Sava and Danube towards Belgrade and the Morava Valley. The High Command in Kragujevac, however, soon realized that the main thrust was coming from the west, across the Drina, rather than from the north, prompting the concentration of Serbian troops in that area. Potiorek’s punitive expedition, consisting of approximately 200,000 troops, was opposed by forces commanded by General Stepa Stepanović, numbering up to 185,000 soldiers. After crossing the Drina near Lešnica, Austro-Hungarian troops captured Loznica, while part of the invading force crossed the Sava and occupied Šabac. The intention was to advance further towards Belgrade. Serbian troops were deployed to face them, forming a front line approximately 160 kilometres long. Duke Radomir Putnik, then Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, subsequently ordered a counterattack. General Stepa Stepanović played a key role. Recognizing the strategic importance of Mount Cer in the circumstances, he formed a strike force consisting of the Morava Division of the First Call-up and the Combined Division and sent it towards the Austro-Hungarian invading forces. General Stepanović’s initial objective was to seize the key positions on Mount Cer, including Trojan Hill and Kosanin Grad. The Serbian troops encountered Austro-Hungarian forces at around 11:00 p.m. on the slopes of Mount Cer, near Tekeriš. The battle that followed featured fierce fighting, including artillery duels and hand-to-hand combat. General Stepanović was in the village of Draginje during the battle, from where he directed the operations. The final outcome of the battle was a decisive Serbian victory over the Austro-Hungarian invading forces. In the following days, the Austro-Hungarian troops retreated, or rather, fled in panic, towards the Drina and beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Serbia. Their withdrawal was largely completed by August 20. The occupying forces finally withdrew from Šabac under cover of darkness on the night of August 23–24, following fierce fighting for the city in the preceding days. Thus, by the afternoon of August 24, the Serbian army had reached the border with Austria-Hungary along the Sava. The defeat of Potiorek’s invading forces was complete. It is estimated that the Serbs had more than 3,000 killed and approximately 15,000 wounded, while Austria-Hungary had around 8,000 dead and approximately 30,000 wounded. Some 4,500 Austro-Hungarian soldiers were taken prisoner. The Serbian triumph at Cer was the first Allied victory of the First World War, which was of enormous significance. The prestige of the Serbs rose considerably as a result of this victory, both among the Allies and the enemy. /end/msb/sg