801 MT COY ASC

In the spring and summer of 1915 the Balkans were relatively quiet, the Austro-Hungarians were preoccupied with the Russians, the French with Verdun and the British with Gallipoli. The Serbs, hit by a typhoid epidemic, were unable to significantly reinforce their depleted army. In the Autumn of 1915 Bulgaria joined the war on the side of the central powers and a combined offensive with the Austrians and Germans was launched. The Serbians were overwhelmed by the forces of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria combined and made increasingly desperate pleas for help from the allies. The French and the British started to send troops in October but they were too little too late, by November the Serbs were defeated and fled through the mountains into Albania, the remnants of their battered army eventually finding refuge on the Greek island of Corfu. The British and French had moved up country and engaged the enemy in the mountains north of Lake Doiran, but they were forced to withdraw back to the city of Salonika, fighting rearguard actions along the way including the battle of Kosturino. Expecting a siege they set about building defensive positions around the city, extensive use of wire resulted in the nickname Birdcage line but the Germans and Bulgarians had halted their advance at the Greek border.