Antonija Javornik (later, Natalija Bjelajac; 1893–1974) was a Serbian war heroine, nurse and sergeant in the Serbian army during the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. She was injured in combat twelve times and received twelve medals for bravery.

Biography

Antonija Javornik was born in

Maribor Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...

, in 1893. For Javornik, World War I started with the battles around Šabac, during the Battle of Cer, in which her uncle, Captain Martin Javornik, was killed. She received her second medal (the Miloš Obilić Medal) following these first military engagements. The war then took her to Belgrade, where she participated in the defense of the city. Together with the rest of the Serbian army, she retreated over the mountains of Montenegro and Albania and witnessed the death of many on the islands of

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

and

Vido Vido ( el, Βίδο) is an island of the Ionian Islands group of Greece. It is a small island (less than a kilometer in diameter) at the mouth of the port of Corfu. History The island was known to the ancients as Ptychia ( grc, Πτυχία ...

. After a period of recuperation, she came to the

Salonika front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...

and participated in the

Battle of Kaymakchalan A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, fought between 12 and 30 September 1916. After the fall of Kaymakchalan, the breach of the Salonika front and the liberation of

Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...

, she received her most valuable medal, the Karadjordje’s Star with Swords. During the war, she participated in the bloodiest and most difficult war zones. She was awarded the

Order of Karađorđe's Star The Order of Karađorđe's Star ( sr, Orden Karađorđeve zvezde, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Орден Карађорђеве звезде) is Serbia's highest civilian and military decoration. It originated in the Kingdom of Serbia, and was initial ...

, two

Obilić Medal The Obilić Medal ( sr, Обилића медаља) or Medal for Bravery "Miloš Obilić" was a medal established by Petar II Petrović-Njegoš as the highest military decoration in Montenegro, based on the cult of national hero Miloš Obilić. ...

s, the

Albanian Commemorative Medal The Commemorative Medal of the Great Serbian Retreat or Commemorative Medal for Loyalty to the Fatherland 1915 ( sr, Споменица за верност отаџбини 1915), better known as the Albanian Commemorative Medal (Serbian: Алб ...

, the Medal of the White Eagle, the Medal of Military Virtue, the Medal for Services to the Royal Home, the French

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

– ''Chevalier'' (highest French order of merit awarded to a foreign national), and the Russian Medal of St. George (III Class). She died in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, in 1974

References

External links

Оpanak/VELIKE SRPSKE RATNICE: Hrabre ratnice koje su se borile u Prvom svetskom ratu
(in Serbian)
Worldcat/Dvanajst ran – dvanajst odlikovanj Antonija Javornik, mariborčanka – srbska junakinja Natalija Bjelajac
Marijan F. Kranjc, (2012), Str. 4-10. (in Serbian)

(in Serbian)

(in Serbian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Javornik, Antonija 1893 births 1974 deaths Military personnel from Maribor Serbian nurses Serbian women in World War I Female nurses in World War I Serbian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Banjica concentration camp inmates Serbian people of Slovenian descent Female military personnel

Biography

See also

References

External links