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"The Serbian government sponsored a terrorist group and harbored a militant anti-Austrian streak in their efforts to rebuild a "Greater Serbia". Austria was fully justified in retaliation."

Nonsense. First of all, Austria didn't even *know* of the existence of the Black Hand until far into World War 1.

Second, there appears to be no evidence (and you will fail if you even try to find such) linking the Black Hand with Serbia's in-office government. Moreover, there was a power-struggle going on inside Serbia's government that would have precluded such state sponsorship.

The assasins themselves were mostly high school students with a history of anarchism of random violence for the sake of "making statements."

Serbia rounded up at least 7 of the 9 assassins, possibly more, and turned them all over to Austria. That hardly amounts to protecting them from Austria. I'm aware of only one of those assasins even surviving eventual Austrian justice.

According to U.S. military historian Brig. General S.L.A. Marshall, "Originally that secret society [the Black Hand] had been linked to, and encouraged by, the War Ministry in Belgrade. When friction later developed between the two, the Government still remained well informed of Black Hand operations."

He further states that the man who armed the assassins, with weapons from Serbia, one Milan Ciganovic, was acting for Colonel Dragutin Dimitrievic, who was the SITTING CHIEF OF INTELLIGENCE for the Serbian Army and member no.6 of the Black Hand. Furthermore, Prime Minister Nikola Pasic knew of the plot as early as June 1, and though he tried to stop them from leaving the country (how hard he tried we can only imagine) he said absolutely NOTHING to the Austrian government about the extent and seriousness of this plot he knew all about.

If you think they were just mindless fanatics, perhaps you should look into their actions BEFORE the assassination, where they met and what they did, what date was chosen as significant and you will see clearly what they were all about.