corps were preoccupied by the activity of the Uzhitse army, 1
and the Montenegrins. 2
During the 12th and following days the Serbian headquarters became convinced that nothing was likely to come from the Dan- ube front, and shifted the centre of gravity of their forces towards the Upper Kolubara. The calvary division at Ub was ordered to reconnoitre towards Shabats and to separate the Shabats column of the enemy from the Drina columns. The II. Army was to push the right wing (Shumaja I.) against Shabats, and its centre and left along the Tser and Iverak ridges and the Yadar valley in conjunction with the III. Army, which concentrated forward from Valyevo to Zavlaka and Krupany to support its retiring outposts. The I. Army was to take over the whole northern front as far as Obrenovats. The Danube ist Div. was transferred to it, the II. Army receiving Timok I. in exchange. 3 These move- ments, in spite of forced marching, took time, and but for the difficulties which at once arose in the Austrian army the V. Army had only wheeled transport so forward a. concentration would have been impossible. As it was, the dispositions were practically realized by the night of Aug. 15-16, when the battle proper opened with the Austrians on the front Shabats-Slepce- vish (elements of IV. Corps, and 2Qth Div., X. Corps, both of II. Army) ; Bela Reka-Tser plateau and Lyeshnitsa valley (VIII. Corps) ; Iverak ridge and Yadar valley W. of Yarebitse (36th Div., XIII. Corps) ; W. of Krupany and N.E. of Lyuboviya (remainder of XIII. Corps).
During the night and the day following there was heavy fight- ing on this line. The Serbian cavalry division, supported by Shumaja I. of the II. Army, pushed up to and towards the left of the positions of the Austrians about Shabats. The II. Army arrived in sufficient strength to hold a line on Tser, in the Lye- shnitsa valley, and on Iverak, in touch with the right of the III. Army W. of Yarebitse. But the centre and especially the left of that army retired under severe pressure from the Austrians (right of XIII. Corps) who, in this case equipped for mountain warfare, were able to capture Krupany and enforce the swinging- back of the whole Serbian left wing. Yarebitse was given up and, pivoting on the right of the II. Army, the remainder of that army and the III. took up new positions in an arc about Zavlaka (night of 1 6-i 7th).
On the 1 7th the Serbian cavalry spread over the Machva, intercepting communications between the Austrian Shabats force and the columns working along Tser plateau. 4 But Shu-
1 On Aug. 2-4, Serbian forces captured Uvats, Rudo and Usti- var, and raided the Drina immediately below Vishegrad. Other raids were pushed, with Montenegrin cooperation, over the Metalka Saddle on Chaynicha (Cajnice), and towards Focha. On the 7th an Austrian advance from Vishegrad on Gradishte was checked by the Serbians. On the i6th a Serbian attempt to capture Vishegrad by forces from Uvats, Gradishte and the hills to the N.E. was repulsed. The Austrian XV. and XVI. Corps at the same time took the offensive on the front Vishegrad-Chaynicha. While the left flank was being cleared by sharp mountain fighting (igth) about Chelebish (S.E. of Focha), the Chaynicha force crossed the Metalka Saddle and moved on Plevlye, Pnyepolye, while the Rudo troops on the left forced the Serbian positions on the Lim at Uvats and Priboy (2Oth 22nd) and the Vishegrad troops repulsed a second attack on their stronghold (2Oth-2ist). But at this moment the collapse of the main offensive on the Drina compelled the Austrians to retreat to Vishegrad and Focha, whither they were followed by the Uzhitse army and the Montenegrin Plevlye group.
s On Aug. 71 1 Montenegrin forces raided Artovatz on the Gatsko road and Klobuchi on the Trbinye road. Cattaro was intermittently bombarded, and Budua raided, from Mount Lovchen. These raids were repelled by the Austrian 3rd Mountain Brigade and 47th Divi- sion. But on Aug. 15 the main body of the Montenegrins appeared before Bilek (Bileva) which they blockaded for some time. On the 25th-26th, however, a northward sortie of the garrison, coupled with a southward advance of the 3rd Mountain Brigade from Gatsko, caused the Montenegrins to give up the blockade, and on Aug. 30 Sept. 2, forces from Trbinye cooperating, the 3rd Mountain Brigade and the Bilek force drove back the invaders into their own terri- tory. A threat to the Montenegrin rear by part of the 3rd Moun- tain Brigade which advanced from Gatsko S.E. to Visznitsa Do largely contributed'to the result.
3 This distant division seems to have reached the front on the 1 8th.
4 The Austro-Hungarian force at Shabats was limited to pure self-defence by orders of the army command which was preparing
maja I., advancing from the S. on Shabats, was arrested by entrenched infantry some 3 m. short of its objective. The II. Army on Tser and Iverak and the right of the III. Army in the Yadar valley maintained an unbroken front, and on Tser in par- ticular carried out counter-attacks, but the continued pressure from the S.W. on the centre and left of the III. Army compelled a further retreat. Here the situation was becoming critical, the Austrian 42nd Div. threatening to seize the Valyevo road to Osechina behind the Serbian positions, while farther to the S.E. only third-ban troops stood between the Austrian mountain brigades and the Petska- Valyevo road. 6
On the 1 8th the fighting continued in front of Shabats, and Shumaja I. drew back to Slatina, while the cavalry division, meeting the Austrian 2ist Landwehr Div. about Lipolist, fell back to concentrate in line between Shumaja I. and the Tser ridge. On Tser and Iverak the day was a repetition of the i7th, with more pronounced counter-attacks on the front of the de- fence. On the right of the II. Army the strong position of Kozan- ingrad on Tser was stormed and held, in spite of the fact that reserves had been given up to strengthen the III. Army. On the critical wing of that army also the day was rather more favour- able, thanks to the arrival of the II. Army reserves alluded to above, which by counter-attacks prevented an imminent breach in the centre of the III. Army, now E. of Zavlaka, in the Yadar valley. Farther to the S.W., little ground was gained by the Austrian mountain troops, the Serbians still holding Rozan and Proslop at night.
The igth was destined to be the critical day. On the Serbian right, the Austrian Shabats force, now superior in numbers to Shumaja I., took the offensive and drove back the Serbs to the river Dobrava, while the 2ist Landwehr Div. from Lipolist pressed back the cavalry division a short distance. On the left of the general front, the III. Army and the left of the II. lost ground, both in the Yadar valley and on the extreme left where Rozan and Proslop and even Petska fell into the enemy's hands.
But in the centre, on Tser and Iverak, a definite change in the situation set in. Freed by the capture of Kozaningrad on the previous day, the Serbian " Combined " division on Tser pushed ahead rapidly along the ridge, although with every advance it was more and more ahead of the troops on either flank. This suc- cess not only imposed caution on the assailants of the cavalry division on the Machva plain, but, what was of decisive impor- tance, brought them into positions overlooking the Lyeshnitsa valley. Threatened in rear, and with their wheeled transport exposed to capture, the Austrians began to fall back not only in that valley but also on Iverak before Morava I., and General Stepanovich decided to ignore the grave position of affairs on his left and force victory in the Yadar valley. The " Combined " division and Morava I., therefore, always echeloned from right to left, drove along Tser and Iverak, Timok I. in the Yadar valley conforming. The battle of the Yadar was decided.
On the 2oth the drive along the ridges was accentuated more and more, and the Austrians fought no longer for victory, but for escape. So vigorous was the pursuit on Tser that a part of the " Combined " division outran all support and barely escaped destruction in the rear of the enemy's lines. Both along Tser and along Iverak, artillery was, with great efforts, pushed up behind the advancing infantry to shell the valleys below. In the Yadar valley Yarebitse was captured by 10 A.M. and the general pursuit ended near the Drina the same evening. The right wing of the Austrians, less hard pressed and better organized for movement in rough country, retired in good order. Morava II., from Valyevo, only reached Krupany on the 2ist. No attempt was made, however, by the Austrians either on the Lower or the
"or the move to Galicia. After crossing on the I2th, it was actually withdrawn again on the I4th, leaving only outposts on the hostile bank. At Potiorek's request, however, the 2gth Div. was again sent over the river on or about the I7th.
6 So serious was the situation that already on the l6th G.H.Q. bad ordered Morava II. of the I. Army, hitherto posted about Laza- revats to meet a possible attack by Obrenovats, to move by forced marches to a position astride the Petska Valyevo road. The divi- sion reached this position on the i8th.
