Chapter 746 - 344: The Collapse of the Defensive Line (2)

However, the heroic counterattack of the Serbian army still caused massive casualties for the Austria-Hungary army. After the battle concluded, out of the 40,000 troops Austria-Hungary dispatched, less than 30,000 were able to continue fighting, while Serbia still had nearly 15,000 troops ready to engage further in the war.

After the loss of the border town Loznica, the Serbian army constructed a new defensive position approximately 10 kilometers to the east.

The drawbacks of being a small country are evident here. Serbia measures less than 300 kilometers at its longest and widest points from east to west and north to south, and the border town of Loznica is only about 100 kilometers from the capital, Belgrade.

This means the Serbian army’s ability to retreat is limited—they cannot retreat dozens of kilometers to establish positions, only making minor withdrawals to find defensible terrain for constructing improvised positions.

In this regard, Russia’s advantage of vast territorial space is displayed vividly.

In the first month of war, Russian forces experienced both victories and defeats in battles against the German-Austrian Alliance. Despite having more failed campaigns, fortunately, Russia’s expansive territory allowed them to retreat unscrupulously to form new defensive lines.

The German-Austrian Alliance could not effectively deal with such Russian forces, as their military mobilization was incomplete; penetrating dozens or hundreds of kilometers to pursue Russian forces was not possible.

If they recklessly advanced, they could end up encircled by Russian troops.

And because of this, the three nations—Germany, Austria, and Russia—fought in the Poland region for over a month, with the front line advancing only a paltry 30 kilometers.

It could even be said that the three sides were still in the probing stage, aware that each other’s main forces were intact, and without suitable combat opportunities, there was no reason to engage in decisive battles with main forces.

This made things difficult for Serbia, struggling in the south.

After capturing Loznica, the Austria-Hungary troops immediately pursued the retreating Serbian forces to the east.

Following several days of bitter fighting, realizing Serbia had well defended positions west of Belgrade, Austria-Hungary decisively shifted strategy, abandoning eastern advancement to turn southward to Valjevo.

If Loznica is west of Belgrade, then Valjevo is located to the south of Belgrade.

More importantly, Valjevo is a crucial transport hub. North leads to Serbia’s capital, Belgrade; south leads to the important town of Uric, and further south lies the border city of Priboy.

Even if they couldn’t penetrate north through Valjevo to conquer Belgrade, Austria-Hungary forces could still proceed south to occupy Serbia’s western frontier.

As long as the western frontier fell completely, whether Belgrade was conquered or not would become less significant.

Without the protection of the western frontier, Serbia’s small national territory would be at the mercy of Austria-Hungary’s troops.

Serbia and Austria-Hungary’s border is mainly divided by the Drina River, with Serbian forces primarily relying on this river for defense.

The capture of Loznica essentially opened a breach in this defense line. Subsequent Austria-Hungary forces could continuously enter through this gap, crossing the river unrestrainedly to attack Serbian land.

Aware of the western frontier’s importance, after Loznica was captured, Serbia redeployed nearly 20,000 troops aiming to reclaim this crucial border town from Austria-Hungary.

Coincidentally, Austria-Hungary was planning an assault from Loznica towards southeastern Serbia, targeting Valjevo.

This reorganized Serbian force met the well-prepared Austria-Hungary army, with Serbia’s attacking force numbering 35,000 and Austria-Hungary’s defending force totaling 50,000.

Just the difference in troop numbers highlights who holds a significant advantage. By now, a month and a half had passed since the war erupted, and Austria-Hungary had received substantial weapon supplies from Spain and Italy, with a considerable portion of rifles and artillery transported to the southern battlefield.

Serbia became an unfortunate victim of Spanish weaponry.

Upon the initial encounter, their commanders issued immediate orders to attack.

The collision of European armies was a contest of weaponry and also a challenge of logistics and supplies.

Austria-Hungary’s forces were equipped with diverse weaponry, including domestically produced arms and those supported by Germany, Italy, and Spain.

However, the domestic and German-supported equipment was used on the Polish battlefield, while the supplies from Italy and Spain, due to closer proximity, were deployed in the Serbian campaign.

Given that attacking Serbia was one of Austria-Hungary’s key plans, the armament of the assaulting troops was taken quite seriously by Austria-Hungary.

The entire 50,000-strong force was equipped with more advanced rifles, among which were the Maxim M1884 Rifles purchased by Austria-Hungary from Spain.

Because these rifles were designed based on Spain’s previous standard issue models, their usage remained compatible.

Austrian-Hungarian soldiers wielding such rifles quickly demonstrated to Serbian forces what true firepower suppression entailed.

Serbia, having recently gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, lacked a highly developed industrial and economic foundation.