Page - 280 - in THE FIRST WORLD WAR - and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy, 1914 – 1918

280 Adjusting to a Longer War terrible sanitary conditions. Cholera, dysentery and typhus spread. Even so, the Serbs had succeeded in asserting themselves for now, and this had by itself created the image of David and Goliath. On the Austrian side, there was a change of commanders. Potiorek was dismissed and was sent into retirement. On 21 December, he received a letter from the Chief of the Military Chancellery of the Emperor that was rather cryptically worded. He then asked for clearer information. However, since he was most likely aware of his situa- tion, he already telegraphed the Military Chancellery on the 22nd and requested to be relieved of his duties and sent into retirement. However, before he was formally dis- missed, he was given the task of informing the Commander of the 5th Army, General Frank, that he would be relieved of his duties. Potiorek regarded his own dismissal as unreasonable, however, and noted in his diary : ‘I shall therefore not be granted the op- portunity of making good the misfortune myself, and it will remain associated with my name.’ He requested that he be sent to Klagenfurt as his place of residence. Aside from the supreme command of the Balkans, Potiorek had also commanded the 6th Army. This position had now also become vacant. Thus, the posts of both army commanders and that of the commander of the Balkan theatre of war were now unfilled. The question as to who should take over from Potiorek as Commander of the Balkan forces was however easier to answer than had been expected. On 21 December Arch- duke Eugen was called to the Emperor and immediately declared his willingness to take up the command. This time, health problems were not mentioned. Major General Alfred Krauß became chief of staff of the Balkan armed forces. Major General Stefan von Sarkotić became Commander, or military governor, in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Dalmatia. In this way, Potriorek’s power base was divided. This was not the only change. The Balkan High Command, which had become independent at the end of August, forfeited a part of its independence and became subordinate to the Army High Com- mand, which now commanded both the Russian and the south-eastern theatres of war from Cieszyn. This was no doubt sensible and necessary in terms of uniformity of the command. However, the matter of distance remained a cause for concern, although this would only apply if the Imperial and Royal troops would ever again be in a position to undertake another offensive, or whether a Serb offensive loomed. For now, neither was the case. The Serbs had utterly exhausted themselves. However, for the Austro-Hun- garian troops, a hierarchy of the theatres of war really did now apply for the first time. The Balkans had become a subsidiary, as should in reality have been the case right at the start of the war. The overall balance of the first months of the war was shocking and, in retrospect, it could be said that the terrible losses of 1914 were irreparable. Officers and soldiers had suffered the shock of realisation in discovering that they were not simply entering a war against an enemy who would be beaten after just one battle. Not even the effect of the