How Serbia Survived World War I

TL;DR

Serbia survived WWI by retreating across the Albanian Alps to regroup and ultimately break through Bulgarian lines in 1918.

Key Points

• 1.Serbia repelled three consecutive Austro-Hungarian invasion attempts in 1914, including a decisive victory at the Battle of Cer involving nearly 400,000 combined troops — the first Allied victory of the war.
• 2.When Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria launched a combined invasion in October 1915, Serbian high command ordered a full retreat southwest over the Albanian Alps rather than surrender.
• 3.The "Great Retreat" killed nearly 80,000 soldiers and 160,000 civilians, but ~120,000 Serbian troops survived to reach Corfu, where ~110,000 were rebuilt into a battle-ready force.
• 4.Redeployed to the Macedonian front, Serbian, French, and Greek troops broke the stalemate at the Battle of Dobro Pole in September 1918, triggering Bulgaria's surrender and Serbia's liberation.
• 5.Serbia paid the highest proportional cost of any WWI participant — over 1.2 million dead, 28% of its population — but gained significant territory and helped form Yugoslavia in December 1918.