The 96th Anniversary of Battle of Cer

[imalko]

Today Serbia celebrates the 96th Anniversary of Battle of Cer fought in World War I. General Miloje Miletić, Serbian Army Chief of Staff, placed a commemorative wreath at Cer Battle memorial at Tekeriš near Loznica. Present at the celebration were state and army officials and also diplomatic representatives of countries participating in the battle and countries of the Entente. Casualties of both sides were honored.



The Battle of Cer also known as Battle of Jadar (because main operations were held near the river basin of the Jadar river in Serbia) was one of the first battles of World War I and it also marked the first Allied victory in the war. Around 16.000 Serbian soldiers lost their lives in the battle, while Austro-Hungarian losses numbered 25.000. The battle is studied at Military Academies around the world (including West Point) as a great example of successful strategic defense and counterattack.

War memorial at Tekeriš was erected in 1928 on the place where heavy fighting took place between 15th and 19th August 1914 which decided the outcome of the battle. It was build during the reign of King Alexandar I. Shaped as a natural rock with height of 10 meters. Beneath the Memorial lie the remains of over ten thousand Serbian soldiers killed in the war. The inscription says: "Vaša dela su besmrtna" - "Your deeds are immortal."



For details about Battle of Cer see the fallowing link: Battle of Cer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One picture from today’s celebration and two related to the battle itself. Second picture shows General Stepa Stepanović, commander of Serbian 2nd Army, which played decisive role in the battle. For his contribution to the victory Stepanović was promoted to the rank of "Vojvoda" (equivalent of the rank of Fieldmarschal) by regent Alexandar Karađorđević.

[vikingBerserker]

Cool post Igor, and thanks for posting the info!

[RabidAlien]

May they never be forgotten!

[Smoke]

[B-17engineer]

[buffnut453]

To my great embarrassment, I'd never heard of the Battle of Cer. Thank you for posting this information and expanding my knowledge!

[RabidAlien]

Don't worry, Buff...I have read maybe one book on WW1 since forgetting everything I learned in HS upon graduation. I've gotten some other books, though, to help rectify that situation...