Secrets of the Balkans . ood artillerysupport, but this is essential since the infantry have analmost superstitious reverence for artillery fire. **The greatest deficiency in the Serbian army atpresent is in Vv^ar material. Two weeks ago, the Austrianmilitary attache at Belgrade estimated that there wereonly 150,000 rifles in good condition in the Serbians have received absolutely no war materialsince the war of last July, but they have the port ofSalonika, in the hands of their friends the Greeks, behindthem. An overwhelming success of Austro-Hungarywould threaten the Greeks in Sa
Secrets of the Balkans . ood artillerysupport, but this is essential since the infantry have analmost superstitious reverence for artillery fire. **The greatest deficiency in the Serbian army atpresent is in Vv^ar material. Two weeks ago, the Austrianmilitary attache at Belgrade estimated that there wereonly 150,000 rifles in good condition in the Serbians have received absolutely no war materialsince the war of last July, but they have the port ofSalonika, in the hands of their friends the Greeks, behindthem. An overwhelming success of Austro-Hungarywould threaten the Greeks in Salonika, and for thisreason the Serbians can probably count on gettingsupplies through Greek territory. Toward the conclusion of the 1913 war, Serbia wascalling to arms all men from twenty to fifty-five yearsof age, which brought from 50,000 to 80,000 additionalmen. These were each given a franc, a cap and a rifle,and told to go to it. They looked like bands of tramps,coming to the front, but they made excellent Queen ElisabethCarmen Sylva of Roumania CHAPTER IV EARLY SERBIAN TRIUMPHS ON BATTLEFIELDS —RAVAGES OF SICKNESS AT the beginning of the World War, Bucharestbecame the most important point in the Balkanpeninsula, because Roumania was neutral and sur-rounded by belligerent countries. As our governmenthad consented to take care of German and Austro-Hungarian interests in Serbia, I was instructed to takecharge. All letters, telegrams and money had to be trans-mitted from the countries at war through all belligerent countries had representativesthere. From the outset, none of the countries wereprepared to take care of the great number of prisonerstaken. I was receiving telegrams from the Serbiangovernment that the Austrians were making prisonersnot only of soldiers, but also of every civilian Serbianthey could take, women and children included. On theother hand, Coimt Czemin, the Austro-Hungarian Min-ister, complained to me that the Serbians
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjecteastern, bookyear1921
