Bulgaria mobilized roughly 600,000 men from a population of about 4.3 million, around one person in seven. Its field force included nine infantry divisions, a cavalry division and 1,116 artillery pieces. Serbia called up about 255,000 from a population just under three million and organized ten infantry divisions, two independent brigades and a cavalry division. The smaller manpower total could produce more divisions because divisional strength and organization varied. Serbia's recent wars had also given its army experienced officers and battle-hardened troops. That experience makes Austria-Hungary's expectation of an easy campaign there in 1914 difficult to understand.
Notable Point · 35:36-38:52
Bulgaria and Serbia mobilize societies for war
Bulgaria and Serbia mobilized large shares of their populations, but different divisional structures make their formation totals difficult to compare.