The entire naval general staff in Pola agreed. That, in and of itself, should have been enough to cause an icy fear to break out in Trapp's headquarters. The solution to the interminable actions along the Danube was to capture Belgrade. The Imperial and Royal Army was stretched quite thin with the Tsar's attack continuing in Poland and Galicia and the Serbian "Tuzla Offensive" (in reality a poorly coordinated raid). It appeared, however, that in attacking Bosnia the Serbs had left only an under-strength battalion to hold Belgrade.

It is frighteningly easy to poke holes in the naval staff's suggestions for actions along the Danube. It should be noted, however, that, at this point in the war there was little for the naval staff to do other than to make odd suggestions to their riverine forces. Certainly larger forces were maneuvering in the Mediterranean but the opportunity for immediate action was along the Danube where forces could not avoid each other. It is also easy to see the draw that Belgrade had on the Austro-Hungarian mindset. The First Great War had emanated from Belgrade and the decision to support the Black Hand's successful attempt on the Archduke's life. No matter how completely the Serbian forces could be beaten in other sectors of the front it was clear that the Imperial and Royal forces would come back again to Belgrade. Trapp only hoped that this would be the end of it.