Austria, Wednesday, 29th July

During the day The Austro-Hungarians start shelling Belgrade.

Afternoon Austro-Hungarian military intelligence detects signs of Russian military preparations along the border with Galicia, the province bordering Russia.

Probably late evening Telegram 174 concerning the "halt in Belgrade" proposal and opening direct talks with Russia has been in Vienna since 4.00 A.M. but Tschirschky talks to Berchtold about it much later in the day.
Berchtold is willing to repeat to Russia that Austria-Hungary will make no territorial acquisitions at the expense of Serbia but he needs time to consider the "halt in Belgrade" idea. This response doesn't get to Berlin until early next day. There is also doubt that Tschirschky presents these proposals with any conviction. [More]

1.00 A.M. next day Berchtold now has news of Russian partial mobilisation. He instructs Szögyény to tell the German government "for military reasons our general mobilisation must be put in hand at once if the Russian measures for mobilisation are not immediately suspended". The ambassador is also told although diplomatic action continues in St Petersburg and Paris "we shall naturally not allow ourselves to be dissuaded from our military action against Serbia".