Serbia The Defiant

August 1914: Austria Hungary is determined to punish Serbia for the assassination of the ArchDuke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Conrad von Hotzendorf, the Austro-Hungarian commander vows to attack and put the defiant Serbs in their place.

    With the mobilization of Russia, Serbia's great protector, the Austro-Hungarian army does not have adequate forces both to defend against the Russians and to conduct operations against Serbia.  Forces that Conrad wishes to use against the Serbians have to be moved north to the Russian frontier due to political pressures from a government that sees the all too real possibility of cossacks entering Budapest.  Conrad will not be dissuaded, and he orders the local commander, Potiorek, to go ahead with the invasion of Serbia with the two weak armies left in the theater.

    The initial Austro-Hungarian offensive goes poorly as the battle experienced, and well led, Serb army, together with their tough Montenegrin allies, throw the collection of invading Hungarian, Czech, Croatian, and Bosnian troops back across the frontiers.  Soon Serbia is in a position to counter invade Austria-Hungary.  Sarajevo itself comes close to being captured.  The Serbs even have the gall to conduct a crossing of the mighty Danube into the lowlands of southern Hungary.

    The Austro-Hungarians regroup and try again later in the year.  Massing to the northwest of Serbia, the re-enter the country and are successful in driving the Serbs to the south, even capturing the Serb capitol of Belgrade.  But the success is bought at a high price. Depleted Austro-Hungarian units with tenuous supply lines are now the only ones in contact with the Serb forces.  The Serbs now counter attack, Belgrade is retaken and the Austro-Hungarians are again driven from Serbian soil.

    October 1915: Germany had left Serbia to be dealt with by the Austro-Hungarians, but now the pressures of the British campaign in Gallipoli mandated the opening of supply lines through Serbia to the hard pressed Turks.  A German army is sent to assist the Austro-Hungarians with ending the Serbian problem once and for all. Promises are also made to the Bulgarian government for Serb territory in return for their participation.

    The combined weight of the additional enemies overwhelms the Serbs who have received little help from their allies.  But the Serb army refuses to collapse.  Taking their prisoners with them the retreat through the snow covered mountain passes into Albania, where they are moved by allied navies to the refuge of Corfu, where they can reorganize to fight again, even if not from their own territory.

This is your chance to prove that you could have done better, that you could change the course of history!

    This is the fourth of a series of simulations designed to interlock to allow you to simulate conflicts and campaigns from 1914 to the present across all of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Each simulation is self-contained. Yet, tied together, they allow you to control all aspects of land, sea, & air warfare.