aps, of such hideous atrocities committed by the
Magyars that henceforth the Serbians were to fight with an added
bitterness and hatred.

Allowing for a certain amount of exaggeration, there still seems to be
solid foundation for the reports of atrocities committed by the
Austrians in Serbia. But this seems to be a circumstance inseparable
from any war. And, naturally, the invaders are necessarily always the
guilty ones. The Serbians did not commit atrocities for the very simple
reason that they never had the opportunity to come in among the enemy's
villages. Had they invaded the Hungarian plains there would undoubtedly
have been atrocities committed on both sides. An army like the Austrian,
composed of so many different nationalities and races, would naturally
be more susceptible to such excesses.

Whatever their reasons for waiting so long before their next general
attack, the Austrians had, at any rate, played into the hands of their
enemy to the extent that they had allowed him to accumulate a plentiful
supply of ammunition. Moreover, more was coming, sent by the Allies and
this had a cheering effect on the men.

On the morning of November 15, 1914, the Austrians began their first
attack. It developed principally against the Second Army, south of
Lazarevatz, and against the Uzitsha detachment in the direction of
Kosjerichi. For five days the Austrians sent successive waves dashing
against the Serbian walls, but each was repelled, hurled back, with
comparatively little effort. How determined the Austrians were may be
judged from the fact that the Serbians now took more prisoners than they
had during all the previous operations.

Meanwhile the Austrians were also making a determined effort to take
Belgrade; an effort, as will be described later, which was also to have
an initial success. But, considering the unfamiliarity of even the best
informed with the Serbian country, it will, perhaps, be wiser to take
each theatre by itself. The operations before Belgrade, anyhow, were not
closely connected with those in the interior of the country.

It seemed as though during those first five days of fighting the
Austrians were merely testing the relative strength of the various
sections of the Serbian line. On November 20, 1914, a powerful force of
Austrians advanced and took possession of Milovatz, in close contact
with the right flank of the First Army. Another column drove at its
center at Ruda and successfully stormed