November-December 1915 - The Beginning of the Albanian Golgotha: The Serbian Army and Civilians Begin the Retreat Across Albania (150,000-250,000 died)

November 1915 - The Fall of Kosovo, the decision to retreat

November 1915 was the darkest month in Serbian history up to that point. Serbia had fought for three years against Austria-Hungary (since July 1914), repelling two great attacks (August-September 1914, October-November 1914), but the third attack - with the participation of Germany and Bulgaria - was too much.

On 14 October 1915, Bulgaria attacked Serbia from the east. This was a betrayal - before the war Bulgaria had been a Serbian ally (the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913), but the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary) promised Bulgaria Macedonia if it joined them. Bulgaria agreed - and on 14 October it attacked Serbia.

The Serbian army fought for 3 weeks (October-November 1915), but it stood no chance: 500,000 Serbian soldiers against 800,000 Austro-Hungarian, German and Bulgarian troops. Ammunition ran out. Food ran out. Serbia fell.

25 November 1915 - King Petar I Karađorđević and Vojvoda Radomir Putnik (chief of the Supreme Command) made the decision: Retreat across Albania. The aim: to reach the Adriatic Sea (Shkodër, Durrës, Vlorë), and from there by ship to Corfu (Greece), then reorganize the army and continue the war.

It was the only option. The alternative was capitulation - and the Serbian soldiers and the king did not want that. Serbia would continue to fight - even if it meant the death of a third of the army.

Who was retreating? (The army + 200,000+ civilians)

The retreat was not merely a military operation - it was a mass evacuation of an entire people. Serbian civilians fled before the occupier because they feared reprisals (Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria had already shown what they did to "traitors" - Serbs who in 1914 had greeted the Austro-Hungarian army with applause were later shot when the Serbian army liberated the territory).

King Petar I (70 years old, ill) refused to flee by ship. He said: "As long as I have strength, I go with my army." The king personally crossed the mountains of Albania - on a stretcher (he was too weak to walk), but he crossed. It was a symbol - the Serbian king does not flee, but goes with his people.

Children (30,000-40,000 secondary-school pupils) were evacuated because the Bulgarians and Austrians would have shot them (or sent them to camps). The children were the future of Serbia - they had to survive. Many teachers voluntarily set out with the children (knowing they would die, but unwilling to leave the children alone). Most of the teachers died along the way - but the children survived (70-80%).

The march across Albania - the "Golgotha"

The march across Albania was the "Golgotha" (Golgotha = the biblical hill where Jesus was crucified - a symbol of the greatest suffering). The Serbian people used that term because the march across Albania was the most terrible experience in Serbian history up to that point.

The winter of 1915/1916 - the coldest winter of the 20th century (up to that point). The snow in the mountains of Albania (the Prokletije - the "cursed place") was 1-2 metres deep. The temperature: -20°C to -30°C. Soldiers and civilians walked without winter clothing (they had left it behind in Serbia because they did not expect a winter march), without shoes (many barefoot), without food (which ran out after 2-3 weeks).

Hunger - Food ran out after 2-3 weeks. Soldiers and civilians ate grass, tree bark, horses (when a horse died of exhaustion, people would eat it - raw, because there was no fire). Many died of starvation.

Disease - Typhus, cholera, dysentery, pneumonia. Many fell ill - and died along the way (there were no doctors, there were no medicines). Every day 1,000-2,000 people would die - of hunger, disease, cold or exhaustion.

The Albanians - Albanian tribal militias (not a regular army - local clans) attacked the Serbian refugees. They robbed them (taking food, money, clothing), killed the wounded soldiers, abducted children (to sell them as slaves). The Albanians knew the Serbs had no strength to defend themselves - and exploited this.

Testimonies of survivors

"We walked 12-14 hours a day. Snow up to our knees. Many fell - from exhaustion, hunger, disease - and died along the way. We had no strength to bury them. We left them - to freeze. The road was marked by bodies - every kilometre 20-30 bodies. It was horrific. But we had to go on - because if we stopped, we died."

"We ate horses. When a horse died, people would tear it apart - with their bare hands - and eat the raw meat. There was no fire. There was no time. We ate - and moved on. Many vomited (the raw meat), but they ate - because it was the only food."

"King Petar (70 years old) went with us - on a stretcher. He was too weak to walk, but he would not flee by ship. When we saw the king - on a stretcher, exhausted but resolute - we gained strength. 'If the king can, so can we.' That kept us going."

"The Albanians attacked us every night. They took food, money, clothing. They killed the wounded soldiers (because they could not defend themselves). They abducted children - to sell them as slaves. We saw Serbian children being taken away - and we had no strength to stop them. That was the worst - to watch them abduct children and be able to do nothing."

Statistics of the suffering

150,000-250,000 people died - that is a third of all who set out across Albania. It is the most terrible loss of the Serbian people in WWI (apart from the total 1914-1918 losses of 1,200,000 - 28% of the population).

The greatest cause of death was hunger (40-50% of all deaths). People ate grass, tree bark, raw horsemeat - but it was not enough. Many died of starvation - they simply had no strength to continue. They would fall onto the road - and die.

The second greatest cause was disease (30-40%). Typhus, cholera, dysentery, pneumonia. Many fell ill - and died after 2-3 days (there were no medicines). Every day 500-1,000 people would die of disease.

Cold (10-15%) - many froze to death during the night (temperatures of -20°C to -30°C, there were no tents, people slept in the open). Every morning 200-300 bodies would lie on the road - frozen.

Albanian attacks (5-10%) - Albanian tribal militias killed 7,500-25,000 Serbs (soldiers and civilians). Robbery, murder, the abduction of children. Many wounded soldiers were killed - because they could not defend themselves.

Why "Golgotha"?

"Golgotha" - the biblical hill where Jesus was crucified. In Christian tradition, Golgotha is a symbol of the greatest suffering. The Serbian people used that term for the retreat across Albania because it was the most terrible experience in Serbian history up to that point.

Why "Golgotha"? Because every kilometre of the march was marked by bodies. Because every day 1,000-2,000 people died. Because mothers watched their children die of hunger - and could do nothing. Because soldiers saw their comrades fall - and knew that tomorrow they too would fall.

The Albanian Golgotha was not a military operation - it was a struggle for survival. The aim was not victory - the aim was to survive. To reach the Adriatic Sea. To reach the ships. To reach Corfu. And there - to reorganize the army. And to continue the war.

And the Serbs succeeded. Of the 450,000-550,000 who set out, 200,000-300,000 reached the Adriatic Sea (Durrës, Vlorë). That is 40-67% - meaning a third to half died, but the majority survived. And the army was reorganized on Corfu. And Serbia continued the war - and was victorious in 1918.

The Albanian Golgotha is a symbol of Serbian perseverance - even in the most terrible conditions, the Serbs do not surrender. Even when a third are dying, the rest continue. Even when there is no hope, the Serbs fight on. That is the message of the Albanian Golgotha.

Where are the Serbs who endured the Golgotha today?

Most of the soldiers who survived the Albanian Golgotha continued the war:

• Corfu (February-April 1916) - Reorganization of the army (120,000 soldiers ready for battle)
• The Salonika Front (April 1916 - September 1918) - The Serbian army fights against the Bulgarians and Germans in Greece
• The breakthrough of the Salonika Front (September 1918) - The Serbian army breaks through the Bulgarian line - Bulgaria capitulates
• The liberation of Serbia (October-November 1918) - The Serbian army liberates Serbia from Austria-Hungary
• 1 December 1918 - The creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes - victory

The Albanian Golgotha was the lowest point - but not the end. The Serbian army survived, reorganized, continued the war - and was victorious. That is what the Albanian Golgotha symbolizes: Serbian perseverance.