Maria Ion Zaharia, also known as Măriuca Zaharia (1905 – 6 August 1917), was a Romanian girl who acted as an impromptu

artillery observer An artillery observer, artillery spotter or forward observer (FO) is responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire onto a target. It may be a ''forward air controller'' (FAC) for close air support (CAS) and spotter for naval gunfire su ...

for the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

and was killed during the

Battle of Mărășești The Battle of Mărășești (6 August 1917 – 3 September 1917) was the last major battle between the German Empire and the Kingdom of Romania on the Romanian front during World War I. Romania was mostly occupied by the Central Powers, but th ...

Biography

Born in Pădureni in 1905, Maria lived in August 1917 with her grandfather Ion Zaharia in the village of Haret, close to the

front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...

. In the orchard of her grandfather the Romanian Army set up an artillery

observation post An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...

up a walnut tree that offered a good view of the surrounding landscape. There Maria became acquainted with the Romanian soldiers and was captivated by their work. On 5 August 1917, following a German bombardment, the observer in the Măriuca's orchard was killed and the little girl took his place and communicated via phone what she saw on the battlefield. "I want to do something for my country too", Maria said to the HQ commanders, puzzled that a child was doing the work of an artillery observer. And the information provided by Măriuca proved to be effective in stopping the German advance. The girl was eventually killed by a shell. She is buried at the

Mausoleum of Mărășești The Mausoleum of Mărășești is a memorial site in Romania containing remains of 5,073 Romanian soldiers and officers killed in the First World War and dedicated to the commemoration of the Battle of Mărășești and Romanian Army members who ...

, the only child who is laid to rest there.

Legacy

Her story was immortalized in the 1969 film "'" and in the children's book "''Povestiri istorice''" (1982) by Dumitru Almaș.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaharia, Maria 1905 births 1917 deaths People from Mărășești Romanian children Children in war Romanian people of World War I Civilians killed in World War I Child deaths