90^th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF CER 

Belgrade, 21 Saturday 2004 – On the occasion of the celebration of 90^th 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.