While the struggle in the two principal seats of war has been going
on, the passing year has witnessed fighting also of secondary
importance, though not less heroic, in three other fields of action:
Serbia, Turkey, and the Austro-Italian frontier. Whereas Turkey joined
the Teutons but three months after the beginning of hostilities, and
Italy was involved only at the end of May, Serbia was one of the first
nations to take the field.
Austria's campaign against the little kingdom could under no
circumstances influence the events of the war, and was therefore void
of any strategic importance. For this reason, but three Austrian Army
corps were engaged in it.
The purpose was merely to keep the Serbians busy, and prevent them
from invading Austrian soil. For the sake of the moral effect on the
other Balkan States the capture of Belgrade should be attempted. In
view of the strength of the Danube fortifications the operations were
launched from Bosnia and resulted in the forcing of the Drina line and
the capture of Valjevo on Nov. 17. The Serbian positions on the Danube
having thus been flanked, the abandonment of Belgrade on Dec. 2 was a
natural consequence of the Battle of Valjevo.
Misled by their successes into the belief that the Serbian army had
been placed hors de combat, the Austrians advanced beyond the lines
destined to constitute the object of their offensive. In the difficult
mountain districts southeast of Valjevo the Serbians turned on the
invaders with superior forces and defeated them. The Austrian retreat
to the Drina which followed, necessitated the evacuation of Belgrade
on Dec. 15. Since then, the situation on the Serbian frontier has been
a deadlock, only desultory and insignificant fighting occurring for
the rest of the year.
In contrast to the operations in Serbia, Turkey's campaign has direct
bearing on the European war. Its chief feature, the closing of the
Dardanelles, has been a serious blow to Russia. The frantic efforts of
the Allies to open them are the plainest evidence of its importance.
The attempt in March to force the straits by naval power having
resulted in failure, an army was landed on the west coast of
Gallipoli, and after heavy fighting established itself on a line
running from Eski-Hissarlik on the south coast of the peninsula to the
region of Sari-Bair, on the north coast, constituting a front of
approximately twenty miles, within five miles of the west coast. No
progress further than this have the Allies been able to make up to the
present, and the watch at the Dardanelles stands firm as yet.
The attacks of the Anglo-French armies, however, exerted influence on
Turkey's operations in other fields of action. They caused the
complete abandonment of a contemplated invasion of Egypt and compelled
the Turkish troops to go on the defensive in the Caucasian seat of
war. This enabled Russia to call back to Poland troops sorely needed
there, with which they had had to check the Turkish advance on Kars in
January. Since February both battlelines along the Caucasian front
have been weakened and no fighting of any consequence has occurred in
this campaign of merely secondary importance.
The operations in the latest field of action, along the Austro-Italian
frontier, have been going on for but eight weeks, and do not,
therefore, allow any conclusions as to their importance to be made as
yet. So far the Italians have been unable to make any effective
impression on either Austria's Tyrolese frontier or on the front of
the Isonzo. All attempts to break through the Austrian lines have thus
far failed. The aim of Austria's strategy is to maintain a deadlock
until the issue has been decided in Poland.
In determining the results of the first year of the world war the
question as to which side is holding the advantage at the close of
this important period depends entirely upon what were the political
aims of the adversaries. The Teutonic allies' contention has ever
been, rightly or wrongly, that they are not waging a war for
territorial aggrandizement, but purely one in self-defense. From this
point of view they can be well satisfied with the results they have so
far attained.