1915_1007_04: The Bridgehead at Pozarevac - FWWC 03 Serbia '14

Pozarevac, 7th October 1915:

For the first five days of the fourth invasion, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians conducted their precarious crossings of the Sava and Danube Rivers. In the Pozarevac sector, the Germans intended to establish a strong bridgehead in the Morava Valley, while a combined Austro-Hungarian and German force assaulted Beograd further to the west.

The Pozarevac attack was carried out in six locations: by three divisions on the massive Temesziget Insel, two divisions between Ram and Zatonje further east, and a precarious crossing by two divisions at Semendria Insel. Because of the news of an imminent French and British intervention from Salonika, the timetable of the invasion had to be accelerated, and so the German bridgehead at Pozarevac had to occur well before a bridging unit would be available to construct a pontoon bridge, and then the worsening weather would prevent it even further. The lack of an available pontoon bridge created serious supply limitations during the first two weeks of the bridgehead operation, severely limiting the early advance.

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*See the notes document for information on scenario design decisions and historical notes.