THE CHANCELLERY OF
H.R.H. CROWN PRINCE Alexander II
OF YUGOSLAVIA

90th
ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF CER
Belgrade, 21
Saturday 2004 – On the occasion of the celebration of 90th
anniversary of the Battle of Cer, and whishing to continue cherishing
the memories of the liberation wars, on behalf of HRH Crown Prince
Alexander II, tomorrow’s celebration in Tekeris, near Loznica, will be
attended by Prof Ivan Antic, the member of The Crown Council.
The celebration
dedicated to honoring the soldiers who died in the battle is going to
begin by performing “March on the Drina”, which will be followed by
laying the wreaths on the monument to the Serbian heroes by the
delegations of the State Union Serbia and Montenegro, Serbian
Government, Diplomatic corps, representatives of Associations for
cherishing the memories of the liberation wars, and many other
distinguished guests.
His Grace Bishop
Lavrentije of Sabac and Valjevo is going to serve a memorial service
to the casualties of this great battle in our history. The present
will be addressed by the Mayor of Loznica Mr. Slobodan Kaitovic, and
the representatives of the Army of Serbia and Montenegro will speak
about the military aspect of the battle of Cer.
The member of The
Crown Council Prof. Ivan Antic will hand over the letter of HRH Crown
Prince Alexander II to the organizers of the celebration, in which The
Crown Prince says:
“Here
in Tekeris, David and Goliath clashed, and just like in
Biblical times, David won. He won because justice and righteousness,
God and people, blessings and destiny were on his side. We were strong
then, steeled by a young but strong democracy, aware of ourselves and
of our place in the world and in history.
The greatness of our
ancestors and their sacrifices are warning us of our commitments. That
is why we should remind ourselves that after all we have lived to see
our glorious flag waving again, our coat of arms like Phoenix rising
from its ashes, and above our symbols and our heads the Crown shining
once again.“
The Battle of Cer was
waged between the Serbian and Austro Hungarian forces, from 12 to 14
August 1914. The Serbian troops were led by the Commandant of the
Second Army, general Stepa Stepanovic, who was promoted to the rank of
“Vojvoda” for his brilliant commanding the battle.
The Battle of Cer, in
which Serbian casualties were 16,000, was the first victory of the
Allies in the WW1 and it significantly raised the moral of all Allied
troops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1997 HRHCP Alexander II All Rights Reserved