Milunka Savić
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Milunka Savić CMG ( sr-cyr, Милунка Савић; 28 June 1892 – 5 October 1973) was a Serbian war
heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
who fought in the
Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...
and in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. She is the most-decorated female combatant in the history of human warfare. She was wounded in battle nine times, and because of her immense courage and leadership, the French called her the ''"Serbian
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ;  – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
"''.


Military career

Savić was born in 1889, in the village of
Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of Koprivnica-Križevci County. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total populati ...
, near
Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
, in Serbia. In 1912, her brother who was ill with tuberculosis received call-up papers for
mobilization Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...
for the
First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...
. She chose to go in his place — cutting her hair and donning men's clothes and joining the Serbian army. She quickly saw combat and received her first medal and was promoted to
corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...
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. ''
Mental Floss ''Mental Floss'' (stylized as ''mental_floss'') is an American online magazine and digital, print, and e-commerce media company focused on millennials. It is owned by Minute Media, an international digital media publisher based in London, Engla ...
'' described the repercussions: "Savic was called before her commanding officer. They didn't want to punish her, because she had proven a valuable and highly competent soldier. The military deployment that had resulted in her sex being revealed had been her tenth. But neither was it suitable for a young woman to be in combat. She was offered a transfer to the
Nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
division. Savic stood at attention and insisted she only wanted to fight for her country as a combatant. The officer said he'd think it over and give her his answer the next day. Still standing at attention, Savic responded, "I will wait." It is said he only made her stand an hour before agreeing to send her back to the
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
." In 1914, in the early days of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Savić 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 the Crna Bend in 1916 when she captured 23 Bulgarian soldiers single-handedly.


Military honors

She was awarded the French
Légion d’Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
(Legion of Honour) twice, as well as the
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n Cross of St. George, the British medal of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael, and the Serbian
Miloš Obilić Miloš Obilić ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Обилић, ) is a Legend, legendary Serbian knight traditionally said to have served Prince Lazar during the Ottoman Serbia, Ottoman invasion of Serbia in the late 14th century. Although absent from conte ...
medal. She was the sole female recipient of the French
Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...
1914–1918 with the gold palm attribute for service in World War I.


Later life

She was demobilised in 1919, and turned down an offer to move to France, where she was eligible to collect a comfortable French army
pension A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a " defined benefit plan", wh ...
. Instead, she chose to live in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
and found work as a
postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL–CIO, National Postal Mail Handlers Union – NPMHU, the National Associ ...
. In 1923, she married Veljko Gligorijević, whom she met in
Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
, and divorced immediately after the birth of their daughter Milena. She also adopted three other daughters. In the interwar period, Milunka was largely forgotten by the general public. She worked several menial jobs up to 1927, after which she had steady employment as a cleaning lady in the State Mortgage Bank. Eight years later, she was promoted to cleaning the offices of the general manager. In 1945, with the arrival of socialism to power, she was given a state pension, and continued to live in her house in Belgrade's
Voždovac Voždovac ( sr-Cyrl, Вождовац, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 174,864 inhabitants. The municipality is located in the south ...
neighborhood. By the late 1950s her daughter was hospitalized, and she was living in a crumbling house in Voždovac with her three adopted children: Milka, a forgotten child from the railway station in Stalac; Radmila-Višnja; and Zorka, a fatherless girl from
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
. 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 recognition. In 1972, public pressure and a newspaper article highlighting her difficult housing and financial situation led to her being given a small apartment by the Belgrade City Assembly. She died in Belgrade on October 5 1973, aged 81, and was buried in Belgrade New Cemetery.


Legacy

The birth house of Milunka Savić was rebuilt in
Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of Koprivnica-Križevci County. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total populati ...
in 2015. Ethnological exhibition in the house contains items that date from the time when she lived there (the first half of the 20th century). A memorial complex with a permanent exhibition devoted to Milunka Savić was opened in October 2020 in Jošanička Banja. A monument to Savić was unveiled in Belgrade in 2024. In 2022, Swedish heavy metal band
Sabaton A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armour, body armor that covers the foot. History Sabatons from the 14th and 15th centuries typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following poulaines, f ...
covered her story in their song " Lady of the Dark".


See also

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References


Sources

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External links


The hero who was a heroine
in wien.international.at {{DEFAULTSORT:Savic, Milunka 1888 births 1973 deaths People from Novi Pazar 20th-century Serbian people Banjica concentration camp inmates Female wartime cross-dressers Serbian military personnel of World War I Serbian soldiers Serbian women Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Cross of St. George Honorary companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Serbian women in World War I Women soldiers Banjica concentration camp survivors Royal Serbian Army soldiers Female recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery