January-February 1916 - The Mountains of Albania: The Most Terrible Part of the Albanian Golgotha (150,000-250,000 died of hunger, disease, cold, Albanian attacks)

The Prokletije - the "Cursed Place"

The Prokletije - a mountain range between Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. The name comes from the Serbian word "proklet" (cursed) - because the local inhabitants (Albanians, Montenegrins) regarded these mountains as a cursed place (bad weather, avalanches, wild animals, hard to survive).

January-February 1916 - The Serbian army and civilians cross the Prokletije at the worst possible moment: the coldest winter of the 20th century (up to that point). Snow 1-2 metres deep. Temperature -20°C to -30°C. There are no roads - people walk through the forest, over rocks, through the snow.

The march through the Prokletije was the most terrible part of the Albanian Golgotha. Most of the people who died (150,000-250,000) died precisely in the Prokletije - of hunger, disease, cold, exhaustion.

Hunger - They ate horses, grass, bark

"The food ran out after 2 weeks. We ate horses - when a horse died of exhaustion, people would tear it apart with their bare hands and eat the raw meat. There was no fire (the wood was wet from the snow). Many vomited - but they ate, because it was the only food."

Hunger was the greatest killer (40-50% of all deaths). The food ran out after 2-3 weeks of the retreat. The Serbian army had set out with little food (it left Serbia in November 1915 with provisions for 1-2 weeks), but the march across Albania lasted 2-3 months.

What did people eat when the food ran out?

• Horses - When a horse died (of exhaustion, hunger or a fall), people would eat it. Raw meat (there was no fire). Many vomited, but they ate.
• Grass - They dug through the snow and searched for grass beneath it. They ate raw grass (the stomach would have been glad of anything).
• Tree bark - They scraped bark from the trees and ate it. Hard to digest, but better than nothing.
• Leather (shoes, belts) - When there was nothing else, people ate leather (shoes, belts). They would boil it (if there was fire) or eat it raw.

Many died of starvation - they simply had no strength to continue. They would fall onto the road - and die. Others would pass by them - they had no strength to bury them. The bodies remained on the road - to freeze.

Cold - Freezing to death during the night

"We slept in the open - in the snow. There were no tents. People would huddle together - to keep warm. But every morning 200-300 bodies would be dead - frozen during the night. It was horrific - you lie down with 100 people, you wake up with 70-80."

Cold was the second greatest killer (10-15% of all deaths). The temperature in the Prokletije was -20°C to -30°C (the coldest winter of the 20th century). People had no winter clothing (they had left it in Serbia because they did not expect a winter march), and many were barefoot (their shoes had fallen apart during the retreat).

At night, people would sleep in the open - in the snow. There were no tents (they did not have any). People would huddle together - to warm one another with their bodies. But it was not enough - every morning 200-300 people would be dead, frozen during the night.

Some soldiers tried to build a fire - but the wood was wet from the snow, so it was impossible. Those who managed to build a fire (rarely) were the fortunate ones - the others would stand around the fire all night without sleeping (because if they lay down, they froze).

Disease - Typhus, cholera, dysentery

"Typhus was the worst. People would develop a fever - and die after 2-3 days. There were no medicines. There were no doctors (many doctors died themselves). Every day 500-1,000 people would die of typhus. We saw people walking feverishly - we knew they would die in 2-3 days. And they did."

Disease was the third greatest killer (30-40% of all deaths). Typhus, cholera, dysentery, pneumonia - all these diseases spread rapidly because people were exhausted, hungry, cold, wet (from the snow).

• Typhus - The worst disease. Fever, headache, rash, delirium. People died after 2-3 days (without medicines). 40-50% of all illnesses were typhus.
• Cholera - Diarrhoea, dehydration, death within 6-12 hours (if there was no water/medicine). 20-30% of illnesses.
• Dysentery - Similar to cholera, but slower. People died after 2-3 days. 15-20% of illnesses.
• Pneumonia - From the cold, the wet clothing. People died after 3-5 days. 10-15% of illnesses.

There were no medicines - the Serbian army had lost all its medical supplies during the retreat from Serbia. The doctors tried to help - but without medicines, there was nothing they could do. Many doctors died themselves (of disease or exhaustion).

The road marked by bodies

"The road through the Prokletije was marked by bodies. Every kilometre 20-30 bodies - frozen, contorted, with open eyes. It was horrific. But we had to go on - because if we stopped, we died. We walked over the bodies - there was no other road."

The most terrible aspect of the Albanian Golgotha was the road marked by bodies. Every kilometre of the road was marked with 20-30 bodies - people who had fallen from exhaustion, hunger, disease, cold - and died along the way.

The survivors had no strength to bury the bodies - they had to go on (because if they stopped, they died). The bodies remained on the road - to freeze. Birds and wolves ate the bodies - but most of the bodies remained undisturbed (there were too many bodies, even for the animals).

The march through the Prokletije was the most terrible experience for the survivors. Many soldiers who survived the Albanian Golgotha later said: "I would sooner go through a battle again than through the Prokletije. In battle, you know who the enemy is. In the Prokletije, the enemy is everything - hunger, cold, disease, the road. And there is no way to win."

Statistics - Every day 1,000-2,000 died

Every day 1,000-2,000 people died - meaning that each day 0.2-0.5% of the total population died. That is a mortality rate similar to the worst concentration camps (Auschwitz, Treblinka) - but the Albanian Golgotha was not a camp, but a retreat.

The difference between the Albanian Golgotha and a concentration camp is that the Golgotha was a natural disaster intensified by war - hunger, cold, disease were not intended (the Austro-Hungarians and Bulgarians did not plan to kill a third of the Serbian army by starvation - but they attacked Serbia, which forced the Serbs to retreat across Albania at the worst possible moment - in winter).

The Adriatic Sea - Salvation

February-March 1916 - Those who survived the Prokletije reached the Adriatic Sea (Durrës, Vlorë). This was salvation - ships were waiting to carry them to Corfu (Greece).

When the soldiers saw the Adriatic Sea, many wept - from joy, from relief, from grief (for those who had died along the way). Some testimonies say that soldiers fell to their knees and prayed - thanking God that they had survived.

But even at the Adriatic Sea, the suffering was not over. Many soldiers and civilians died waiting for the ships - of exhaustion, disease (typhus continued to spread even on the coast). Another 5,000-10,000 people died waiting for the ships (February-March 1916).

200,000-300,000 people reached the Adriatic Sea - out of the 450,000-550,000 who set out from Serbia. This means that 150,000-250,000 died (a third to half).