Page - 277 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

Belgrade and the Failure in the Balkans 277 higher places for victory.’ Sunday, 29 November : ‘During the evening, I slept in one of the typical Rakia barns with two infantrymen. To my left lay H., an official representa- tive of a large spinning factory in Vienna and a qualified economist, while to my right was D., doorman of a brothel in the Lesser Town in Prague with a violent burglar, who was serving his seventh year in the infantry. It was cold and we pressed tight against each other […].’ 30 November : ‘Due to the lack of a suitable cold store, we have already begun consuming the champagne, being unable to wait until the final victory. Today, when the news came that the Russians had advanced across the Carpathians for the second time, the ten […] bottles were drunk empty […].’ Tuesday, 1 December 1914 : ‘The last month of this most terrible of all years begins. Will this be the last month of the war ? Many millions wish it with all the fibres of their heart […]. Nowhere is an end in sight. Tomorrow, we march via Lazaravac [sic] […] hard to the north-west, which gave strength to the rumour that together with the 13th Corps and the Krauss Army, we will march towards the city and fortress of Belgrade […].’670 There were many reasons for the over-extension of the supply lines, the penetration into old Serbian territory and the military risk of an advance with so little backup sup- port. On the one hand, there was a feeling that now, with the third offensive, success was within reach. Clearly, only one last effort was needed to defeat Serbia. Ambition and the element of personal revenge may still also have played a role for Potiorek. In addition, a vague hope was still prevalent : since for a long time Romania could no longer be counted upon, all attention focussed on Bulgaria. If Bulgaria were to inter- vene against Serbia in the war, the outcome of the campaign would be assured. With this in mind, the almost defeated remnants of the Serbian Army were driven towards the Bulgarians. However, Radoslavov, the Bulgarian Prime Minister, did all he could to prevent Bulgaria from siding with the Central Powers. It could also not be foreclosed that Ferdinand, the Bulgarian Tsar, did not still harbour long-held resentment against Austria-Hungary and against Emperor Franz Joseph in particular.671 For this reason, the Bulgarian Army made no attempt to move closer to General of Artillery Potiorek’s troops. Austria-Hungary was forced to find out on its own whether the third offensive against Serbia would be a success  – or whether it would fail. However, hardly anyone doubted that the campaign against Serbia would end in victory for the Imperial and Royal Army. Emperor Franz Joseph sent the Deputy Chief of his Military Chancellery, Major General Marterer, to Potiorek with the express ob- ject of conveying his heartfelt greetings to the General of Artillery and also to say to all the others that the Emperor was gladdened by the successes. Marterer met Potiorek in Tuzla. He was ‘moved to tears’ by the imperial greetings. The planned operations were then discussed. First, the Imperial and Royal formations would advance to the Kolubara River and take Belgrade. Then, the troops were to swerve to the right. After Kragujevac had been taken, the Serbian campaign would in effect be at an end.672 Po-