The Serbian Military Intelligence was most intent upon this assassination, due to their highly arrogant and crafty ambitions: to take over Bosnia which we have rightfully acquired. It was, therefore, not a surprise when we received first-hand reports proving it was the Serbian Intelligence who were directly responsible for backing the particular group of terrorists who committed these acts.
However this did not detract from Franz Ferdinand’s foolish actions, which as you will see were in sharp contrast to our honourable and wise King’s decisions, when he visited Bosnia:
First of all King Franz Joseph had policemen around the streets to protect him, whereas Franz Ferdinand had less than 120 policemen to protect him. King Joseph kept his itinerary top secret, far from the view of suspicious organizations, whereas Franz Ferdinand had his whole itinerary published in the media. On top of that he chose to ride in the “Gräf & Stift” roofless, with his feathery hat sticking out of the vehicle.
After brief inspections of the military barracks, the archduke’s first stop was the Town Hall via Sarajevo’s main road, the Appel Quay. Unknown to the distracted police forces, six young men were lined up across the Appel Quay with Weapons supplied to them from the Serbian Intelligence. Although 5 out of 6 of the assassins did not respond when the procession passed them, Nedeljko Cabrinovic did. He hurled a hand grenade at the archduke...but he had hit it faster than was required. Moreover it bounced off the back of the vehicle the Archduke was riding in and it blew up on the car behind the archduke’s. After realising the situation, the driver accelerated, thus causing Princip to miss his first chance of assassination, and the procession reached the town hall.
Here the Archduke cancelled the remainder of his program and advised his officials to utilise a different route to the one already advertised. Unfortunately he forgot to inform the chauffeurs, which would cost him his life. Gavrillo Princip, already dying from Tuberculosis and determined to die as a martyr, was thrown into deep confusion after his group had failed their assassination. He was on his way home when he spotted the vehicle... He stepped forwards, fired two shots at the Archduke and waited. The first shot struck the archduke in his neck, cutting off his jugular vein, rendering his bullet proof covering useless while the second shot hit the duchess in her abdomen. The archduke’s last words were, "Sophie dear! Sophie dear! Don't die! Stay alive for our children!”.
It was thus that his love for his low-class wife bought his death...
