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I'll give it a watch thank you

Actually, they kept suffering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4neKuY0i9rI

"Capitain Conan" is a french movie in WW1 in the Balkans, from a famous 1920s french book writen by a former soldier that fought on the "orient front".

I guess the only laughter they get is when they know the war is over and they won't have to suffer any longer.

It's fairly complicated, but here's a good rundown of the issues here https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2jhahz/who_is_the_first_historically_verifiable_pope_of/

Should watch the Serbian movie King Petar or something. It’s Serbian point of view of WW1 against the Austrian-Hungarian Empire (which consisted of other Balkans such as Croats, Slovenes, and Bosnians).

Who was the actual first pope?

At least earlier on there was the see saw of Austrian invasion, fumbling, and retreat. Battle of Cer and all that.

Currently reading David Herbert Donald

I imagine very difficult. Lol.

Since the Balkans were part of the ottoman empire, which was losing its hegemony, it lost not just the morale but other forms of support. At least that's what I perceive.

And before reaching Salonika it also was very static. The Austrians where not exactly successful in pushing through the mountains in Serbia and Montenegro, so for a long time the front moved very little.

Then Serbia did collapse and then came Salonika, which was the very definition of drôle de guerre

I wasn't gonna give it away, but yeah

Not just the cat mummies but a MF LION CUB MUMMY!!!!! The little kid in me who was obsessed with ancient egypt as a child just about died from excitement

Ok so I have to tell you the Balkan front when it gets to Salonika, was very static. Alled forces had problems with malaria if I recall correctly.

Some of the other responses here have confused Balkan front for Eastern Front where the warfare was somewhat more dynamic due to the size of the front and some geologic restrictions that prevented trench fortresses like were found on the western front.

Good suggestion! Didn’t realize he had a prequel so thank you for that. I’ve read a bit further and with the help of the included list of characters I’m able to start understanding now. The switching between nicknames, first names, and surnames for the same character threw me off a lot but it’s coming together now. Definitely reading the prequel next, should’ve started with that.

Understanding the way the old Tsarist and then the Bolshevik govt works also helped a ton. Spent a few days reading about that and the power struggles start to make more sense now.

Thank you!

There was also a bit of trench warfare in the end.

But that's an interesting thing about ww1. I've never understood how it would work in a mobile way. I can't seem to picture troops not charging out of trenches and I don't know why.

It was more mobile than the western front a lot of taking and retaking of territory

There was extremely cold mountain warfare in the carpathians for example. Some of the things you see in the alps apply, though the Russia had more supply problems. Miserable, frigid warfare.

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What does everyone believe about the reichstag fire? Was it van Der Lubbe,or something bigger?

My grandfather fought in the Balkans as a Sargeant with the South Wales Borderers. He was gassed and taken prisoner in 1917 and sent to a POW camp in Bulgaria. He said they were very badly treated and he suffered from ill health for the rest of his life. So... Not a lot of laughs, really.

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I'm not sure if I'm allowed to make a second comment here, but: any resources on Britain's colonization of India and life during/after the colonization process?

What are your favourite books about the ancient Near East?

I'm also looking for books about ancient Asia Minor.