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if needed. A total of seven of the Austro-Hungarian army sixteen corps were therefore dedicated to attack Serbia. On 28 July 1914 Austria–Hungary officially declared war against Serbia, Conrad immediately instructed both
Minimalgruppe Balkan and B-Staffel to move south raising the strength to twenty
399:
At the start of the campaign, in August 1914, Balkanstreitkräfte's operational forces totalled 319½ infantry battalions (approximately 320,000 rifles), sixty cavalry squadrons, 744 cannons, 48 aircraft and 486 machine guns, while Serbia 250,000-strong operational army was woefully equipped with 200
444:
Starting on 24 October, the
Valjevo offensive enjoyed some success allowing the Balkan Army to reach deep into northern Serbia. At the beginning of November the Austro-Hungarians using their artillery superiority forced the Serbs to retreat. On 2 December the Fifith army managed to capture
469:
By the end of
December 1914, Balkanstreitkräfte losses reached 274,000 with almost 30,000 killed, over 122,000 wounded, and 75,000 missing or captured. Losses were so heavy that the Sixth Army was dissolved, and its remnants were subsumed into the Fifth Army. On 17 December 1914, General
436:
on 20 August. Before the end of the Summer all
Balkanstreitkräfte's units had retreated out of Serbia, the first Allied victory of the First World War On 8 September Potiorek launched a second invasion threatening Belgrade, however at the
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After three failed invasions of Serbia, the
Balkanstreitkräfte was decisively defeated by the army of the small Balkan kingdom, a spectacular humiliation for the Habsburg monarchy which resulted in the resignation in disgrace of
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and staying in touch with the 6th Army to the south. By contrast, the
Serbian Army was clearly prepared and skilfully drew the Habsburg forces deep into Serbia, fighting each armies individually defeating the 5th Army at the
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under the
Serbian onslaught. In the face of total annihilation the Balkanstreitkräfte was forced to evacuate Serbia yet again abandoning Belgrade which was recaptured by the Serbs on 15 December.
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the 5th Army was pushed back into Bosnia while the 6th was also force to retreat on 25 September to avoid encirclement from
Serbian and Montenegrin forces.
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Balkan Army was formed on 25 July 1914 after the chief of the general staff, Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, issued the mobilisation order joining
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The four corps of B-Staffel and the three corps of
Minimalgruppe Balkan, some 19 infantry divisions in all, assigned to the Balkan front were:
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started followed by the first invasion on 12 August. By 18 August, the 2nd Army minus the 8th Corps was redeployed to join the
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in complete disarray. The Serbs then turned their forces against the Fifth Army, which was driven back to
Western
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The Serbs suffered 163,000 casualties, including 69,000 fatalities from combat and sickness, and 19,000 captured.
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ready to be deployed against Serbia to assist Minimal Group but also to be deployed against the Russians in
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The forces sent against Serbia represented at that moment half of the Austro-Hungarian army strength.
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on 27 December 1914. The Balkanstreitkräfte was officially disbanded in May 1915 with the remaining
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assumed command of the remaining 5th Army. On 27 May 1915 it was relocated to the
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Tactics and Procurement in the Habsburg Military, 1866–1918: Offensive Spending
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while the 5th Army, unprepared for mountain warfare, struggled to bridge the
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Austro-Hungarian forces responsible for the offensive against Serbia of 1914
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Invasion: The Conquest of Serbia, 1915: The Conquest of Serbia, 1915
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On 7 August 1914 Balkanstreitkräfte was placed under the command of
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449:, a few days later a spectacular Serbian counteroffensive at the
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Serbia and the Balkan Front, 1914: The Outbreak of the Great War
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Caporetto and the Isonzo Campaign: The Italian Front, 1915–1918
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Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-1918
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forced the Austro-Hungarian Sixth Army to retreat back into
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Army units and formations of Austria-Hungary in World War I
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The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary 1914-1918
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Balkanstreitkräfte Supreme Commander and Commander of the
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machine guns, three aircraft and 180,000 modern rifles.
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Organisation and Command of the Austro-Hungarian Army
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Bischof, G.; Karlhofer, F.; Williamson, S.R. (2014).
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Armies to attack from the west while elements of the
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Military units and formations disestablished in 1915
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593:Potiorek had been responsible for the security of
226:(Balkan Minimal Group), a force consisting of the
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257:six divisions after ordering III Corps, part of
1022:Order of Battle Balkanstreitkräfte August, 1914
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8:
968:Thomas, N.; Babac, D.; Pavlovic, D. (2001).
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152:for Balkan Armed Forces), also known as the
566:Austro-Hungarian first occupation of Serbia
248:(B-Contingent), the reserve force, renamed
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869:. War, technology, and history. ABC-CLIO.
1245:1915 disestablishments in Austria-Hungary
782:Bischof, Karlhofer & Williamson 2014
767:Bischof, Karlhofer & Williamson 2014
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234:armies dedicated for operations against
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1240:1914 establishments in Austria-Hungary
890:. Modern Wars. Bloomsbury Publishing.
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848:. Springer International Publishing.
7:
950:World War One: The Global Revolution
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926:Macdonald, J.; Cimpric, Ž. (2011).
827:. University of New Orleans Press.
595:Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
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794:Thomas, Babac & Pavlovic 2001
160:for its offensive action against
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824:1914 Austria Hungary The Origins
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403:The invasion plan was using the
164:in August 1914, at the start of
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974:. Men-at-Arms. Bloomsbury USA.
1260:Army groups of Austria-Hungary
1209:Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry
953:. Cambridge University Press.
278:Austro-Hungarian General Staff
1:
971:Armies in the Balkans 1914–18
47:
665:Macdonald & Cimpric 2011
551:, Commander-in-Chief of the
532:, Commander-in-Chief of the
599:Duchess Sophie of Hohenberg
282:Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf
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216:2nd Army (Austria-Hungary)
212:6th Army (Austria-Hungary)
208:5th Army (Austria-Hungary)
205:
202:Formation and organisation
156:, was the force raised by
46:Austro-Hungarian officers
995:. Penguin Books Limited.
932:. Pen & Sword Books.
584:Peak strength Summer 1914
530:Liborius Ritter von Frank
333:Liborius Ritter von Frank
39:
33:k.u.k. Balkanstreitkräfte
30:
1214:Ukrainian Sich Riflemen
1072:Austro-Hungarian Forces
911:. Bloomsbury Academic.
549:Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli
417:bombardment of Belgrade
395:Serbian campaign (1914)
297:Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli
863:DiNardo, R.L. (2015).
842:Dredger, J.A. (2017).
276:, by the chief of the
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222:
947:Sondhaus, L. (2011).
884:Herwig, H.H. (2014).
393:Further information:
327:Minimalgruppe Balkan:
272:’s military governor
194:and relocated to the
182:(Lieutenant General)
1027:30 July 2012 at the
223:Minimalgruppe Balkan
989:Watson, A. (2014).
439:Battle of the Drina
384:Operational history
26:Balkan Armed Forces
451:Battle of Kolubara
270:Bosnia-Herzegovina
174:Balkanstreitkräfte
146:Balkanstreitkräfte
126:Commander in Chief
24:Imperial and Royal
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1002:978-0-14-192419-9
981:978-1-84176-194-7
960:978-0-521-51648-8
939:978-1-78159-930-3
918:978-1-4725-8003-0
905:Lyon, J. (2015).
897:978-1-4725-1081-5
876:978-1-4408-0093-1
855:978-3-319-57678-7
834:978-3-902936-35-6
421:Battle of Galicia
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719:Sondhaus 2011
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796:, p. 4.
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731:DiNardo 2015
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650:Dredger 2017
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638:DiNardo 2015
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603:assassinated
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480:Isonzo front
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425:Russian Army
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1090:Army groups
1076:World War I
755:Herwig 2014
743:Herwig 2014
707:Herwig 2014
553:Second Army
465:Disbandment
429:Drina River
250:Second Army
166:World War I
154:Balkan Army
108:World War I
104:Engagements
96:450,000 men
67:27 May 1915
59:August 1914
1229:Categories
626:References
534:Fifth Army
515:Sixth Army
320:Leitmeritz
291:B-Staffel:
263:B-Staffel.
240:Montenegro
206:See also:
176:commander
121:Commanders
695:Lyon 2015
680:Lyon 2015
259:A-Staffel
245:B-Staffel
64:Disbanded
1112:Boroević
1025:Archived
607:Sarajevo
560:See also
547:General
528:General
447:Belgrade
413:2nd Army
368:Sarajevo
313:Temesvár
306:Budapest
188:5th Army
1074:during
815:Sources
254:Galicia
242:, with
72:Country
56:Founded
1197:Others
1136:Armies
1122:Balkan
1117:Kövess
999:
978:
957:
936:
915:
894:
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852:
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455:Syrmia
389:Serbia
375:Ragusa
347:XIII (
340:VIII (
236:Serbia
214:, and
162:Serbia
150:German
81:
572:Notes
459:Banat
373:XVI (
311:VII (
232:Sixth
228:Fifth
997:ISBN
976:ISBN
955:ISBN
934:ISBN
913:ISBN
892:ISBN
871:ISBN
850:ISBN
829:ISBN
407:and
366:XV (
342:Prag
318:IX (
304:IV (
238:and
230:and
144:The
90:Size
50:1914
605:in
409:6th
405:5th
1231::
1188:12
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