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First Years of the World War (1914-1916} 625 by purchases in the United States. They therefore resolved upon a drive northeast of Arras. After a period of terrific fighting they succeeded in forcing back the German lines two or three miles on a front of fifteen or twenty miles. This gave the world some notion of the difficulty the Allies would have to meet in their attempt to oust the German armies from France and Belgium. 1132. Serbia Overwhelmed; Entrance of Bulgaria into the War. In spite of the English drive, the Germans, who had suc- ceeded in forcing back the Russians in Galicia, now undertook the invasion of Serbia. This encouraged Serbia's bitter enemy, Bulgaria, to declare in favor of the Central Powers and join vigorously in the cruel punishment of her neighbor. In spite of heroic resistance on the part of the Serbians, their country, at- tacked on two sides, quickly fell into the hands of their enemies. The British and French had landed troops at the Greek port of Salonica but were unable to prevent the disaster. There was a grave difference of opinion in Greece as to the proper attitude for the government to take. The royal family was regarded as pro-German, but many, especially Greece's chief statesman, Veni- zelos, favored siding with the Allies. King Constantine managed to maintain the nominal neutrality of his country until the year 1917, when his policies led to his expulsion from Greece. III. THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1916 1133. The Germans attack Verdun. After the slight success of the British drive the Germans got together a great army under the crown prince and attempted to take the famous fortress of Verdun. The friends of the Allies held their breath as it seemed as if the enemy were going to crush the French and advance once more on Paris. But after months of terrible fight- ing, February to July, 1916, General Joffre was able to push the Germans back and put an end to the threatened danger. At the opening of the war England had an available force of less than a hundred thousand men, "a contemptible army," as the kaiser is reported to have scornfully called it. Germany, Russia,