Nelson's history of the war. Vol. XI., The struggle for the Dvina, and the great invasion of Serbia

128 HISTORY OF THE WAR.

country had been devastated, and she had been hard put to it to restore the common machinery of life. Then had come pestilence and famine, and throughout the spring of 1915 she had been fighting a sterner enemy than the Austrian. She must have lost 150,000 men in action, and at least 50,000 from disease. Her peasant soldiers had been compelled to go home to prevent their farms going out of cultivation, and throughout the summer it is fair to say that she was singularly unprotected for a state at war with mighty neighbours. She was unable to take that offensive which is often the best method of defence, and was compelled perforce to put her trust in her Allies. The earlier invasions she had repelled unaided, but now she had to look beyond her borders for security. She was better munitioned than before the Battle of the Ridges; but in other military assets she was weaker. Her soldiers were very tired, and her generals were in the difficulty that, cognisant of great dangers, they simply could not frame an adequate plan to meet them. Her victories had given her a noble selfconfidence ; but her position forbade her to reap the fruits of it, and compelled her to rely on others.

To this weakness from the depletion and the disorganization of her armies was added the far greater danger of a hopeless strategic position. A glance at the map will reveal its impossibilities. Being a salient, she had the enemy on three sides of her. Her northern front of some 150 miles was held, by the decision of the British Government, by her main armies. Her eastern flank of nearly 300 miles marched through most of its length with Bulgaria. Her western flank for more than 100