The First World War began on 28 July 1914 when Austria-Hungary declared
war on Serbia. Most of the subsequent Balkan offensives occurred near
Belgrade. Austro-Hungarian monitors started shelling of Belgrade on 29 July 1914.
After a prolonged battle which destroyed much of the city, between 6 and
9 October 1915, Belgrade fell to German and Austro-Hungarian troops
commanded by Field Marshal August von Mackensen on 9 October 1915.
Courageous defense of the Serbian capital is remembered for the famous speech of Major Dragutin Gavrilović:
Soldiers, exactly at three o’clock, the enemy is to be crushed by your fierce charge, destroyed by your grenades and bayonets. The honor of Belgrade, our capital, must not be stained. Soldiers! Heroes! The supreme command has erased our regiment from its records. Our regiment has been sacrificed for the honor of Belgrade and the Fatherland. Therefore, you no longer need to worry about your lives: they no longer exist. So, forward to glory! For the King and the Fatherland! Long live the King, Long live Belgrade!
The desperate charge that followed, in which Gavrilović was badly wounded, failed to destroy the Austro-Hungarian bridgehead. But the charge and similar acts of bravery and self-sacrifice by Serbian troops and by the inhabitants of Belgrade during the battle earned deep respect from the invaders, who suffered around 10,000 casualties in the course of capturing the city. The German commander August von Mackensen himself erected a monument on the battleground commemorating the city’s zealous defenders; it still stands to this day and is inscribed with the words “Here Rest Serbian Heroes” in German and Serbian.
Gavrilović was awarded the Serbian war medal, Karađorđe’s star, the French Croix de guerre, and many other medals.
Courageous defense of the Serbian capital is remembered for the famous speech of Major Dragutin Gavrilović:
Soldiers, exactly at three o’clock, the enemy is to be crushed by your fierce charge, destroyed by your grenades and bayonets. The honor of Belgrade, our capital, must not be stained. Soldiers! Heroes! The supreme command has erased our regiment from its records. Our regiment has been sacrificed for the honor of Belgrade and the Fatherland. Therefore, you no longer need to worry about your lives: they no longer exist. So, forward to glory! For the King and the Fatherland! Long live the King, Long live Belgrade!
The desperate charge that followed, in which Gavrilović was badly wounded, failed to destroy the Austro-Hungarian bridgehead. But the charge and similar acts of bravery and self-sacrifice by Serbian troops and by the inhabitants of Belgrade during the battle earned deep respect from the invaders, who suffered around 10,000 casualties in the course of capturing the city. The German commander August von Mackensen himself erected a monument on the battleground commemorating the city’s zealous defenders; it still stands to this day and is inscribed with the words “Here Rest Serbian Heroes” in German and Serbian.
Gavrilović was awarded the Serbian war medal, Karađorđe’s star, the French Croix de guerre, and many other medals.
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