 The Balkan Wars had only just concluded and Serbia was still recovering . Over 36 @,@ 000 Serbian soldiers had been killed and 55 @,@ 000 seriously wounded . Few recruits had been gained from the newly acquired territories , and the Serbian Army had been stretched by the need to garrison them against Albanian insurgents and the threat of Bulgarian attack . To compound matters , the Serbs were dangerously short of artillery , and had only just begun to replenish their ammunition stocks . Their supply problems also extended to more basic items . Many soldiers lacked any uniform other than a standard issue greatcoat and a traditional Serbian cap known as a šajkača . Rifles were also in critically short supply . It was estimated that full mobilization would see some 50 @,@ 000 Serbian soldiers with no equipment at all . The Austro @-@ Hungarians , on the other hand , possessed an abundance of modern rifles and had twice as many machine guns and field guns as the Serbs . They also had better stocks of munitions , as well as much better transport and industrial infrastructure behind them . The Serbs had a slight advantage over the Austro @-@ Hungarians as many of their soldiers were experienced veterans of the Balkan Wars and better trained than their Austro @-@ Hungarian counterparts . Serb soldiers were also highly motivated , which compensated in part for their lack of weaponry . 
