Читать книгу The Secrets of Spies - Weldon Owen - Страница 60

MURDER IN SARAJEVO

Black Hand leader Dragutin Dimitrijevic assembled an assassination team during

the spring of 1914. Armed with bombs and revolvers, six assassins lined the

route that Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s motorcade would take, from Sarajevo’s

rail station to the town hall. On the way to the town hall one of the assassins

threw a bomb at the Archduke’s motor vehicle but it bounced off and

blew up the following vehicle. The Archduke, however, carried on

to the town hall to give his speech. On his return, his driver took

a wrong turn and was forced to come to a halt near one of the

other assassins, Gavrilo Princip. Seizing his moment, Princip

leapt onto the car’s running board and fired two shots that

mortally wounded Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

STRIVING FOR A GREATER SERBIA

The Black Hand, a secret society devoted to forging a

Greater Serbia, was formed in 1911. One of its leading

lights was Dragutin Dimitrijevic, an army intelligence

officer, who drew up the plans to assassinate Franz

Ferdinand. The Archduke planned to grant a degree

of autonomy to the Serbs in Bosnia. This would

have weakened the nationalists’ demands for the

incorporation of Bosnia into a Slav-led Serbia.

Following the death of Franz Ferdinand, Austria

accused the Serbian government of responsibility. A

harsh and humiliating ultimatum was delivered to the

Serbian government, which, to the surprise of many, met

virtually all the terms. This was insufficient for Austria,

however, which declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914.

This marked the beginning of a wider conflict. Russia,

an ally of Serbia, mobilized its army on July 30, while

on August 1, Germany came to the aid of Austria by

mobilizing its forces and declaring war on Russia.

Two days later, Germany declared war on France and

advanced into Belgium. Britain, a co-signatory to

Belgium’s neutrality, declared war on Germany on

August 4. Europe was at war.

THE ROAD TO WAR

61

Below: Archduke Franz Ferdinand

and his wife leave the Sarajevo

Guildhall on June 28, 1914. They

were assassinated five minutes later.

Above: Dragutin Dimitrijevic Right: Gavrilo Princip

“WE DESTROYED A BEAUTIFUL

WORLD THAT WAS LOST

FOREVER DUE TO THE WAR

THAT FOLLOWED.”

Vaso Cubrilovic, a conspirator’s subsequent regret

over the Archduke’s assassination