During the First Balkan
War these experienced guerrilla fighters were valuable allies to
the Serbian forces operating against the Turks.
But even before the First Balkan War the Serbians had very distinctly
given the Macedonians to understand that they were to remain Serbian
subjects. This action on their part had had not a little to do
with rousing the Bulgarians to precipitate the Second Balkan War.
And when finally Serbia conquered all this territory, confirmed
to her down to Doiran by the treaty of Bucharest, King Ferdinand
of Bulgaria began at once a fiery anti-Serb propaganda throughout
the world, and took measures through provocatory agents and Bulgar
bands crossing from Bulgaria into Macedonia to create disturbances.
When the Great War broke out in July, 1914, this Bulgarian activity
in Serb Macedonia grew more intense. Thus it was that when the
Austrians attacked the Serbians on their front the Serbians had
still to detach enough of their forces to guard the Serbo-Bulgar
border to prevent the crossing into Serb Macedonia of Bulgar bands.
And added to this was the danger from Bulgaria herself. The Serbians
knew that the opportune moment had only to come and Bulgaria, too,
would hurl herself on the Serbian eastern flank. Thus another large
percentage of the Serbian fighting forces had also to be stationed
along the Bulgarian frontier to guard against possible attack from
that quarter.
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