- Milunka Savić
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Milunka Savić
Milunka Savić (Serbian: Милунка Савић, 1888–1973) was a Serbian woman war heroine from the First World War, recognised as the most-decorated female combatant in the entire history of warfare. She was wounded no fewer than nine times during her term-of-service.
Contents
Military action
She was born in a village known as Koprivnica[1] near Raška, Serbia in 1888. In 1913, her brother received call-up papers for mobilization this, in the war between Serbia and Bulgaria. She elected to go in his place - cutting her hair and donning men’s clothes and joining the Serb Army.[2] She quickly saw action and received her first medal and was promoted to Corporal in the battle of Bregalnica. Engaged in battle, she sustained wounds and it was only then, when recovering from her injuries in hospital, that her true gender was revealed - much to the surprise of the attending physicians.[2]
In 1914, during the height of World War I, she was awarded her first Karađorđe Star with Swords after the Battle of Kolubara. She received her second Karađorđe Star (with Swords) after the Battle of Crna Reka in 1916 when she captured 23 Bulgarian soldiers single-handedly.[3]
In Thessalonica, as a test of skill, she hit a bottle of cognac at 40 m distance with a hand grenade, thereby winning a wager with French General Maurice Sarrail. The remaining 19 bottles of expensive 1880 cognac she shared amongst the soldiers of her company.[3]
Military honours
She was awarded the French Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour) twice,[2] Russian Cross of St. George,[1] British medal of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael, Serbian Miloš Obilić medal.[3] She is the sole female recipient of the French Croix de Guerre1914-1918 (War Cross) with the palm attribute for service in World War I.
Post-war civilian life
She was demobilised in 1919,[4] and turned down an offer to move to France, where she was eligible to collect a comfortable French army pension. Instead, she choose to live in Belgrade, dressed in women's clothes, again, married and postal worker[4] and gave birth to a daughter.[5]
Soon people forgot her merits, this as the political winds changed with the inauguration of Tito and she effectively was deemed persona non-grata in her own country and was forced into subsistence living - ekeing out an existence as a cleaning lady in the Državna hipotekarna Bank in Belgrade.[5]
Second World War
During the German occupation during the Second World War, Milunka refused to attend a banquet organised by Milan Nedić, the German generals and officers.[4] She was arrested and taken to Banjica concentration camp,[1] where she was imprisoned for ten months.[6]
Later life
By the 1950s she was widowed, her daughter was in hospital, and she was living in a crumbling house in Voždovac with her three adopted children:[5] Milka, a forgotten child from the railway station in Stalac; Radmila-Višnja; and Zorka, a fatherless girl from Dalmatia.[1]
Later, when she attended the jubilee celebrations wearing her military medals, other military officers spoke with her and heard of her courageous actions. News spread and at last she gained the recognition she deserved.[5] In 1972, public pressure and a newspaper article highlighting her difficult housing and financial situation led to her being given a small apartment by Belgrade City Assembly.[4][6]
She died in Belgrade on 5 October 1973,[3] aged 84, and was buried in New Cemetery, Belgrade,[5] in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens[4] with the highest state and military honors.[6] A street in Belgrade is named after her.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Istorija Voždovca". Opština Voždovac. 2010. http://www.vozdovac.rs/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=472&Itemid=173&lang=srl. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ^ a b c "Lepe i umne ponos roda svog". Srpsko Nasleđe – Istorijske Sveske. 1999. http://www.srpsko-nasledje.rs/sr-l/1999/01/article-9.html. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ^ a b c d "Zaboravljeni Srpski Heroji - Milunka Savić". akademedia srbija. 2009. http://www.akademediasrbija.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=337:zaboravljeni-srpski-heroji-milunka-savi&catid=47:ukratko-cat&Itemid=71. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
- ^ a b c d e "Srbija u vrtlogu Prvog Svetskog Rata". index.hr. 2009-06-27. http://www.index.hr/forum/default.aspx?q=t&idf=97&idt=235545&p=12. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ a b c d e "Milunka Savić, jedina žena na svetu nosilac francuskog odlikovanja Ratni krst sa zlatnom palminom granom". Beogradska Ka5anija. 2009-11-04. http://beogradskaka5anija.cyberfreeforum.com/kulturno-istorijska-setnja-f80/da-se-ne-zaborave-t2612.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ a b c "Милунка Савић". Serbian Wikipedia. http://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Милунка_Савић. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
Categories:- 1888 births
- 1973 deaths
- Serbian soldiers
- Women in World War I
- Serbian military personnel of World War I
- Serbian women
- Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)
- Légion d'honneur recipients
- Recipients of the Order of the Star of Karageorge
- Recipients of the Cross of St. George
- Order of St Michael and St George
- Recipients of the Miloš Obilić medal
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