The Order of the People's Hero or the Order of the National Hero ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Orden narodnog heroja, Oрден народног хероја; , ), was a Yugoslav gallantry medal, the second highest military award, and third overall Yugoslav decoration.Orders and Decorations of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 1945–90
by Lukasz Gaszewski 2000, 2003 It was awarded to individuals, military units, political and other organisations who distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroic deeds during war and in peacetime. The recipients were thereafter known as People's Heroes of Yugoslavia or National Heroes of Yugoslavia. The vast majority was awarded to

partisans Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Itali ...

for actions during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A total of 1,322 awards were awarded in Yugoslavia, and 19 were awarded to foreigners. In 1998, the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

decided to award the Order of the People's Hero again and decorated several military units, but no individuals.

History

Socialist Yugoslavia

The bulletin of the Supreme Command of the

People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...

no. 12–13 (December 1941 and January 1942) announced the establishment of the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

of "People's Hero" for heroic and self-sacrificing participants of the People's Liberation War. The first person to be awarded the title was Petar Leković. A total of 22 persons were awarded this title. On 15 August 1943, the title was formalized as an order together with

Order of the People's Liberation The Order of People's Liberation or Order of National Liberation ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Orden narodnog oslobođenja, Орден народног ослобођења; ) was a decoration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the fifth-highest d ...

Order of Bravery The Order of Bravery () is a Bulgarian order which existed during the Kingdom of Bulgaria and currently exists in the Republic of Bulgaria. It was the second highest in the Kingdom of Bulgaria and is the fourth highest in the Republic of Bulgaria ...

, Order of the Partisan Star, Order of Brotherhood and Unity and the Medal for Bravery. At the same time, all the persons who already held the title of the People's Hero were awarded the order., volume 1, page 7 The Order consists of an oval gold badge showing a soldier with rifle and banner superimposed upon a rayed star surrounded by a wreath of laurel. The badge is suspended from a red ribbon, with a narrow white stripe towards each edge. The design for this and the other Orders were undertaken by the painter

Đorđe Andrejević Kun Đorđe Andrejević Kun (; 31 March 1904 – 17 January 1964) was a Serbs, Serbian and Yugoslavs, Yugoslav painter and graphic artist, a participant in the Spanish Civil War and the World War II in Yugoslavia, National Liberation War in Yugoslavia ...

and the sculptor

Antun Augustinčić Antun Augustinčić (4 May 1900 – 10 May 1979) was a Croatian sculptor active in Yugoslavia and the United States. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Frano Kršinić, he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 2 ...

. Before 29 November 1943, the title of People's Hero was awarded by the Central Committee of the

KPJ Bryan Kevin Porter Jr. (born May 4, 2000), also known by his initials KPJ, is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans men's ...

, after 1945 it was awarded by the Presidium of the People's Assembly of Yugoslavia, and starting in 1953 by the

President of Yugoslavia The president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the head of state of that country from 14 January 1953 to 4 May 1980. Josip Broz Tito was the only person to occupy the office. Tito was also concurrently President of the League ...

. From its inception until around 1993, the Order had been awarded nearly 1,400 times. Marshal

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

was awarded the Order three times: in 1944, 1972, and 1977. The holders of the order were entitled to certain benefits, like free fares on public transport, and pensions for the surviving family members of deceased people's heroes. Although the benefits have since been downscaled, post-Yugoslav countries still provide certain benefits to people's heroes. Many schools and streets in post-war Yugoslavia were named after people's heroes, and many of the names remain, to varying degrees in different successor countries. Not only people, but cities, military units and organizations were also awarded the order. Eight cities in Yugoslavia were awarded the order and proclaimed "hero cities":

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 ...

Cetinje Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...

Drvar Drvar (, ) is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Drvar in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the road between Bosansko Grahovo an ...

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

Prilep Prilep ( ) is the List of cities in North Macedonia, fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. According to 2021 census, it had a population of 63,308. Name The name of Prilep appeared first as ''Πρίλαπος'' in Greek (''Prilapos'') in 1 ...

Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...

, and

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

Serbia and Montenegro

Following the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia,

was formed, and later renamed

Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

. In 1998, it passed a law that continued to use some of the decorations of former Yugoslavia, among them Order of the People's Hero, making it, at the time, the fourth-highest order after the Order of Yugoslavia, the

Order of the Yugoslav Star The Order of the Yugoslav Star was the highest national order of merit awarded in Yugoslavia.Order of Freedom.Orders and Decorations of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 1990–
by Lukasz Gaszewski 2000, 2003 The Serbian media ridiculed several proposals to decorate

Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...

with the Order of the People's hero because he would have had to decorate himself. It was never given to any individuals, but several military units active in the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

were decorated: *125th Motorized Brigade,

Military of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Army, Army of Yugoslavia, or Military of Yugoslavia may refer to: * Royal Yugoslav Army (1918–1941), the army of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia * Yugoslav National Liberation Army (1941–1945), the Yugoslav communist-led resistance movement ...

*549th Motorized Brigade, Military of Yugoslavia *37th Motorized Brigade, Military of Yugoslavia *

63rd Parachute Brigade The 63rd Parachute Brigade () is an airborne and special reconnaissance unit, one of two special forces brigades (other being 72nd Brigade for Special Operations) of the Serbian Armed Forces. It is under the command of the General Staff and is ...

, Military of Yugoslavia *124th Police Intervention Brigade, Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs * 126th Air Surveillance Brigade,

* 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade, Military of Yugoslavia

Notable recipients

Because of the large number of awards, only people with Wikipedia articles are listed. The date of the award(s) is given in parentheses., volume 2 Those marked with a

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...

(†) died during the war. They were all awarded posthumously, except for Petar Leković, who was awarded the order ''before'' he died in WWII. *

Mirče Acev Mirče Acev (; 20 October 1915 – 4 January 1943) was a Macedonian organizer of the Yugoslav communist resistance in Vardar Macedonia during World War II. He graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in Kingdom of Yugoslavia. D ...

(1945†) * Vera Aceva (1953) *

Božidar Adžija Božidar Adžija ( sr-Cyrl, Божидар Аџија; 24 December 1890 – 9 July 1941) was a Croatian communist politician and publicist. Biography A native of Drniš in the Kingdom of Dalmatia (present-day Croatia), of Croat and Serb descent, ...

(1945†) * Nisim Albahari (1953) *

Mihailo Apostolski Mihailo Apostolski (; ; ; November 8, 1906 – August 7, 1987) was a Macedonian general, partisan, military theoretician, politician, academic and historian. He was the commander of the General Staff of the National Liberation Army and Partisan D ...

(1953) * Ljupčo Arsov (1953) *

Viktor Avbelj Viktor Avbelj, nom de guerre Rudi (February 26, 1914, Prevoje pri Šentvidu – April 6, 1993), was a Yugoslav Partisan and Slovenian politician. He was a member of the League of Communists of Slovenia. As a student, he joined the Communist Party ...

(1951) *

Maks Baće Maksimilijan "Maks" Baće, nom de guerre Milić (12 December 1914, Pakoštane – 4 December 2005, Split, Croatia, Split), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav and Croats, Croatian revolutionary. Biography Born in Pakoštane (near Zadar) and raised in Sp ...

(1953) * Vlado Bagat (1948†) *

Slobodan Bajić Paja Slobodan Bajić Paja (1916–1943)
) was a Yugoslav Partisan and recipient of the Pe ...

(1952†) *

Filip Bajković Filip Bajković (20 May 1910 – 15 February 1985) was the President of the Executive Council of Montenegro from 16 December 1951 to 12 July 1962. From 12 July 1962 to 5 May 1963, he was the President of the People's Assembly of Montenegro. Bio ...

(1953) *

Vladimir Bakarić Vladimir Bakarić (; 8 March 1912 – 16 January 1983) was a Yugoslav and Croatian communist revolutionary and a politician. Political career Bakarić helped to organise the partisan resistance in the Independent State of Croatia during World ...

(1952) *

Mitar Bakić Mitar Bakić (; Berislavci near Podgorica, 7 November 1908 - Belgrade, 25 November 1960), was a Yugoslav politician, general and People's Hero of Yugoslavia. During World War II, he was political commissar of the 4th Montenegrin brigade, 2nd Pr ...

(1951) *

Rajka Baković Rajka Baković (September 2, 1920 – December 29, 1941) was a Croats, Croatian student and a member of the anti-fascist resistance movement in the Nazi-puppet state of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). She and her sister, Zdenka (collectiv ...

(1953†) *

Olga Ban Olga Ban (29 June 1926 – 8 October 1943) was a Croatian Yugoslav Partisans, partisan. She was part of the resistance against Axis forces in World War II until Nazis executed her father and her in 1943. She was posthumously declared a People's H ...

(1973†) *

Aleš Bebler Aleš Bebler (8 June 1907 – 12 August 1981) was a Yugoslav diplomat and a political Commissar. He was a Slovene by ethnicity and was born in Idrija, in the Austro-Hungarian Duchy of Carniola (now Slovenia). Bebler joined the Yugoslav Commun ...

(1953) * Anka Berus (1953) *

Milan Blagojević Španac Milan Blagojević ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Благојевић; 14 October 1905 – 28/29 October 1941), better known as Španac ( sr-Cyrl, Шпанац; ) was a Yugoslav partisan, Spanish-trained commando and republican volunteer in the Spani ...

(1945†) *

Vera Blagojević Vera Blagojević (, 16 May 1920 – 18 March 1942) was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav medical student and Communism, Communist political activist. During World War II, she was captured by the Gestapo in 1942 and later killed. She was posthu ...

(1953†) *

Jakov Blažević Jakov Blažević (24 March 1912 – 10 December 1996) was a Croatian politician who served as president of the Executive Council of the People's Republic of Croatia, a constituent Republic of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, from 18 De ...

(1953) *

Antun Blažić Antun Blažić (28 May 1916September 1943) was a Croatian Jewish Ha-Kol (Glasilo Židovske zajednice u Hrvatskoj); Židovi u antifašističkom pokretu; stranica 38; broj 109, ožujak / travanj / svibanj 2009. Partisan and People's Hero of Yugosl ...

(1951†) * Mate Blažina (1953†) *

Hasan Brkić Hasan Brkić (16 July 1913 – 14 June 1965), often referred to as Aco, was a Yugoslav and Bosnian communist politician and a partisan. He was also the recipient of People's Hero of Yugoslavia. From 1963 to 1965 he was President of the Executi ...

(1953) * Zvonko Brkić (1953) *

(1944, 1972, 1977) *

Boško Buha Boško Buha ( sr-Cyrl, Бошко Буха; 1926 – 27 September 1943) was a young Yugoslav Partisan and an honored icon of the Yugoslavian resistance during World War II. Early life Boško Buha was born into a Serb family in the Slavonian ...

(1951†) *

Rade Bulat Rade Bulat (28 August 1920 – 25 January 2013) was a Yugoslav Partisan and communist activist. He was one of the last three living recipients of the Order of the People's Hero in Croatia. Biography Bulat was born August 28, 1920, in Vrginmost wi ...

(1953) *

Marija Bursać Marija Bursać ( sr-Cyrl, Марија Бурсаћ; 2 August 192023 September 1943) was a member of the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II in Yugoslavia and the first woman proclaimed a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Bursać was b ...

(1943†) *

Anka Butorac Anka Butorac (1903 – January 19, 1942) was a Croatian communist who died in World War II and was proclaimed a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Anka Butorac was born in Lika, Croatia. She joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia The League of ...

(1949†) *

Rudi Čajavec Rudi Čajavec (1 April 1911 – 2 July 1942) was a Yugoslav pilot (from Zgošća, Bosnia and Herzegovina), best known as the first airman of the Partisan air force. Rudi Čajavec was born in Zgošća, Kakanj municipality, Bosnia to a family ...

(1951†) * Marijan Čavić (1953†) *

Zdravko Čelar Zdravko Čelar (; Rašinovac near Bosanski Petrovac, 15 September 1917 – Rakovac near Srbac, July 1942), was a Yugoslav partisan, posthumously awarded with Order of the People's Hero. Village ''Čib'' in Vojvodina was renamed Čelarevo ...

(1942†) * Jelena Ćetković (1952†) *

Rodoljub Čolaković Rodoljub "Roćko" Čolaković ( sr-cyr, Родољуб Чолаковић; 7 June 1900 – 30 March 1983) was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav politician and writer who served as the 1st Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina#Prime ...

(1953) * Krste Crvenkovski (1953) *

Ljubo Čupić Čedomir "Ljubo" Čupić ( sr-Cyrl, Чедомир Љубо Чупић; 1913 – 9 May 1942) was a Yugoslav law student, political commissioner of Communist resistance movement in Nikšić, Montenegro and decorated war hero of Socialist Federa ...

(1953†) * Božidarka Kika Damjanović-Marković (1953) *

Peko Dapčević Peko Dapčević (Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: Пеко Дапчевић; 25 June 1913 – 10 February 1999) was a Yugoslav communist who fought as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War, joined the Partisan uprising in Montenegro, and became com ...

(1945) *

Karel Destovnik Karel Destovnik (sometimes Drago Destovnik), pen name and nom de guerre Kajuh (Slovene convention: ''Karel Destovnik – Kajuh'', 13 December 1922 – 22 February 1944), was a Slovenian poet, translator, resistance fighter, and Order of the Peopl ...

(1953) *

Milovan Đilas Milovan Djilas (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Милован Ђилас, Milovan Đilas, ; 12 June 1911 – 20 April 1995) was a Yugoslav communist politician, theorist and author. He was a key figure in the Partisan movement during World War II, as well ...

(1953, rescinded in 1957) *

Nada Dimić Nada Dimić (6 September 1923 – 17 March 1942) was a Yugoslav Partisan who died in World War II and was proclaimed a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Nada Dimić was born in Divoselo near Gospić, Kingdom of Serbs, Croat and Slovenes (modern ...

(1951†) *

Xhevdet Doda Xhevdet Doda ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Џевдет Дода, Dževdet Doda; 1906–1945) was a Yugoslavian teacher by profession who was active in the resistance against German occupation in Kosovo during World War II. Doda was member of the Yugoslav Partis ...

(1973†) *

Robert Domany Robert Domany (also spelled Domani; 16 February 19083 March 1942) was a Croatian Partisan and a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Domany was born in Orahovica on 16 February 1908 to a Sephardic Jewish family. He had a younger brother, Rudolf Domany ...

(1953†) *

Dara Dragišić Dara Dragišić (Serbian: Дара Драгишић; 1921–1944) was a Yugoslav Partisan (military), partisan. Dragišić was born in Sarajevo in 1921, the daughter of World War I lieutenant colonel Velimir Dragišić. She grew up in Peja. In Wo ...

(1953†) *

Petar Drapšin Petar Drapšin ( sr-Cyrl, Петар Драпшин; 15 November 1914 – 2 November 1945) was a Serbian and Yugoslav Partisan commander. Early life and education Drapšin was born to a family of poor peasant farmers in the village of Turija ...

(1953) *

Andreana Družina Andreana Družina (26 January 1920 – 7 March 2021) was a Slovenian political commissar and partisan. She was awarded the Order of the People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Družina was born in Trieste, Kingdom of Italy, Italy, and died on 7 March 2021, a ...

(1953) *

Ratomir Dugonjić Ratomir "Rato" Dugonjić (10 January 1916 – 27 June 1987) was a Yugoslav Partisan fighter in the antifascist liberation struggle of the people of Yugoslavia, Minister in the Communist Government, Ambassador with the Non-Aligned Movement, presid ...

(1953) * Emin Duraku (1952†) * Ovadya Estreya (1953†) *

Stjepan Filipović Stjepan Filipović (27 January 1916 – 22 May 1942) was a Yugoslav communist who led the Kolubara Company of the Valjevo Partisan Detachment during the 1941 Partisan uprising. He was captured and executed in 1942 in Valjevo. A photo of him ...

(1949†) *

Čede Filipovski Dame Čede Filipovski - Dame () was born in 1923 in the village Nikiforovo (now in Mavrovo and Rostuša Municipality) near Gostivar. He participated in the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II from its World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia, beginning ...

(1949) *

Ivan Gošnjak Ivan Gošnjak (10 June 1909 – 8 February 1980) was a Croatian and Yugoslav communist who held numerous important offices in Yugoslavia during and after World War II, serving as the Minister of Defence from 1953 to 1967. Ivan Gošnjak was a c ...

(1953) *

Petar Gračanin Petar Gračanin (Serbian Cyrillic: Петар Грачанин; 22 June 1923 – 27 June 2004) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician and general in the Yugoslav People's Army. Biography Petar Gračanin was born on 22 June 1923 in Jagodina, then ...

(1951) *

Čedo Grbić Čedo Grbić (8 April 1921 – 4 December 1994) was a Serbs of Croatia, Croatian Serb communist politician. Grbić was born in Rajić, Sisak-Moslavina County, Rajić, a village near Novska. In 1937, he became a member of the League of Communist ...

(1951) *

Janko Gredelj Janko Gredelj (28 March 1916 – 23 December 1941) was a Yugoslav communist and one of the organizers of the antifascist struggle in Zagreb in 1941. He was born in Zagreb in 1916. After finishing public school, he went on railway school. He also g ...

(1951†) *

Fadil Hoxha Fadil Hoxha ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Фадиљ Хоџа, Fadilj Hodža; 15 March 1916 – 22 April 2001) was a Yugoslavian ethnic-Albanian communist revolutionary and politician from Kosovo. He was a member of the Communist Party and fought in the ...

(1953) * Većeslav Holjevac (1951) *

Avdo Humo Avdo Humo (; 1 February 1914 – 24 January 1983) was a Yugoslav and Bosnian communist politician, writer and an Order of the People's Hero recipient. Humo held highest positions in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1972, H ...

(1953) * Lizika Jančar (1953†) * Vlado Janić Capo (1951) *

Blagoj Jankov Mučeto Blagoj Jankov Mučeto (Macedonian language, Macedonian: Благој Јанков Мучето) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian Yugoslav Partisans, partisan who was declared a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. He was born in 1911 in Strumic ...

(1951†) *

Vera Jocić Vera Jocić (; ; 21 August 1923 – 22 May 1944) was a Yugoslav Partisans, Yugoslav partisan and People's Hero of Yugoslavia. She was born in the village of Čento, Sindjelić, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, in a Serbian colonists' ...

(1951†) *

Kuzman Josifovski Pitu Kuzman Josifovski Pitu (Macedonian language, Macedonian: Кузман Јосифовски – Питу; 23 June 1915 – 25 February 1944) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian communism, communist Yugoslav Partisans, partisan and one of t ...

(1945†) *

Blažo Jovanović Blažo Jovanović ( Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic; Блажо Јовановић; ; 28 March 1907 – 4 February 1976) was a Montenegrin politician and revolutionary army commander in the Yugoslav Partisans. He served as the first President of the Peop ...

(1952) * Radovan Jovanović (1951†) *

Žikica Jovanović Španac Živorad "Žikica" Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Живорад „Жикица" Јовановић; 17 March 1914 – 13 March 1942), nicknamed Španac (, "The Spaniard") was a Yugoslav partisan, Spanish-trained commando and republican volunteer in t ...

(1945†) * Olga Jovičić (1951†) *

Jovo Kapičić Jovan "Jovo" Kapičić, born Jovan Kapa, (Cyrillic: Јован Јово Капичић); 2 September 1919 – 9 December 2013) was a Yugoslav General and post-war communist politician.''Narodni heroji Jugoslavije''. Belgrade: Mladost, 1975 He was ...

(1950) *

Osman Karabegović Osman Karabegović ( sh-Cyrl, Осман Карабеговић; 7 September 1911 – 24 June 1996) was a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian communist politician and a recipient of the Order of the People's Hero. He joined th ...

(1952) *

Elpida Karamandi Elpida Karamandi (, ) was an Aromanian Yugoslav partisan and resistance fighter. She was born on 1 January 1920, in Florina, Greece, in an Aromanian family. Her mother was divorced from her husband and moved to her relatives in Bitola, then in ...

(1951†) *

Edvard Kardelj Edvard Kardelj (; 27 January 1910 – 10 February 1979), also known by the pseudonyms Bevc, Sperans, and Krištof, was a Yugoslav politician and economist. He was one of the leading members of the Communist Party of Slovenia before World War II ...

(1951) *

Boris Kidrič Boris Kidrič (10 April 1912 – 11 April 1953) was a Slovene and Yugoslav politician and revolutionary who was one of the chief organizers of the Slovene Partisans, the Slovene resistance against occupation by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy a ...

(1952) *

Đuro Kladarin Đuro Kladarin (3 March 1915 - 1996) was a Croatian general. He served as President of the Chamber of Education and Culture of the Federal Assembly of Yugoslavia. Biography Kladarin was born in Luščani, Austria-Hungary on 3 March 1915. In 19 ...

(1952) * Filip Kljajić (1944†) *

Franjo Kluz Franjo Kluz (19 September 1913 – 14 September 1944) was a Yugoslav pilot from Bosnia and a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. He is best known as one of the founders of the Partisan air force, and served as an officer in No. 352 Squadron RAF. Ea ...

(1948†) *

Fana Kochovska Fana or fanaa most commonly refers to: * Fana, Bergen, a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway * Fana (Sufism), the Sufi term for "annihilation of the self" People * Fanã (born 1960), Portuguese football manager * Saint Fana (c. 354–395), Eg ...

(1953) *

Lazar Koliševski Lazar Koliševski ( ; 12 February 1914 – 6 July 2000) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Communism, communist political leader in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and briefly in th ...

(1952) *

Rade Končar Rade Končar ( sr-cyr, Раде Кончар; 6 August or 28 October 1911 – 22 May 1942) was a Serbs of Croatia, Croatian Serb politician and leader of the Yugoslav Partisans in the Independent State of Croatia and Governorate of Dalmatia, ...

(1942†) *

Sava Kovačević Sava Kovačević ( sr-cyrl, Сава Ковачевић; 25 January 1905 – 13 June 1943) was a Yugoslav Partisan divisional commander during World War II, and one of the heroes of the communist Partisan movement. Early life Kovačević was ...

(1943†) *

Veljko Kovačević Veljko Kovačević (19 December 1912 – 24 May 1994) was a Montenegrin general and writer. Biography He was born in Grahovo (part of Nikšić) in the Kingdom of Montenegro. After abandoning the studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb i ...

(1951) * Boris Kraigher (1953) *

Josip Kraš Josip Kraš (26 March 1900 – 18 October 1941) was a Croatian communist and Partisans (Yugoslavia), partisan who died in World War II and was proclaimed a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Kraš was born in the village of Vuglovec (near Ivanec and ...

(1945†) *

Branko Krsmanović Branko Krsmanović (1915–1941) was a participant in the Spanish Civil War and the National Liberation struggle and national hero of Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: Wor ...

(1945†) *

Vicko Krstulović Vicko Krstulović (27 April 1905 – 28 September 1988) was a Croatian Yugoslav communist revolutionary, the most prominent Partisan military commander from Dalmatia during World War II, and a post-war communist politician. He was an illegal c ...

(1952) *

Dušan Kveder Dušan Kveder (9 April 1915 – 12 March 1966) was a Yugoslav soldier and diplomat from Slovenia who served in a number of official capacities during and after the Second World War, including a term as Military Commander of the Free Territory ...

(1952) * Petar Leković (1942†) *

Franc Leskošek Frank Leskošek (nom de guerre Luka; 9 December 1897 – 5 July 1983) was a Yugoslav politician and partisan commander. Biography Born in Celje, Slovenia, Leskošek worked as a locksmith in his youth. He was drafted in to the Austro-Hungarian A ...

(1952) *

Nikola Ljubičić Nikola Ljubičić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Љубичић; 4 April 1916 – 13 April 2005) was the President of the Presidency of Serbia (1982–1984), a member of the Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1984–19 ...

(1953) *

Ivan Maček Ivan Maček, nom de guerre Matija (28 May 1908 – 10 July 1993), was a Yugoslav Communist politician from Slovenia who served as the President of the People's Assembly of SR Slovenia from 1963 to 1967. Biography Maček was born in Spodnja Za ...

(1952) *

Vahida Maglajlić Vahida Maglajlić (17 April 1907 – 1 April 1943) was a Yugoslav Partisan recognized as a People's Hero of Yugoslavia for her part in the struggle against the Axis powers during World War II. She was the only Bosnian Muslim woman to receive t ...

(1951†) *

Miha Marinko Miha Marinko (8 September 1900 – 19 August 1983) was a Slovenian and Yugoslavian revolutionary and communist statesman who served as Prime Minister of Slovenia from June 1946 to 1953. During the latter part of 1953, he served as the president of ...

(1953) *

Moma Marković Momčilo "Moma" Marković (Serbian Cyrillic: Момчило Мома Марковић; 16 November 1912 – 7 August 1992) was a Serbian communist politician.''Narodni heroji Jugoslavije''. Belgrade: Mladost, 1975 He was awarded the Order of the P ...

(1953) *

Veselin Masleša Veselin Masleša ( sr-cyr, Веселин Маслеша; 20 April 1906 – 14 June 1943) was a Yugoslav writer, activist and Partisan. Veselin Masleša was born to a Bosnian Serb family in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then occupied by ...

(1951†) *

Sergej Mašera Sergej Mašera (May 11, 1912 – April 17, 1941) was a naval Lieutenant of the Yugoslav Royal Navy. At the end of the April War, Mašera, along with his fellow Lieutenant Milan Spasić, scuttled the destroyer in the Bay of Kotor near Tiv ...

(1973†) *

Petar Matić Dule Petar Matić Dule (6 July 1920 – 4 October 2024) was a Yugoslav Partisan World War II veteran, colonel general of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), politician, socio-political worker, and the last living People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Biography ...

(1951) *

Mile Mećava Mile Mećava ( sr-Cyrl, Миле Мећава, ; 1915 – June 4, 1942) was a Yugoslav Partisan and a hero from World War II. Early life Mećeva was born in 1915 in a Serbian family from the village Vlaškovci, in the Condominium of Bosnia and ...

(1953†) *

Cvijetin Mijatović Cvijetin "Majo" Mijatović ( sr-cyr, Цвијетин Мајо Мијатовић; 8 January 1913 – 15 November 1993) was a Yugoslav communist politician who served as President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia from 1980 to 1981. He also ser ...

(1953) *

Veljko Milatović Veljko Milatović ( Serbo-Croat Cyrillic: Вељко Милатовић; 5 December 1921 – 19 October 2004) was a Montenegrin Communist partisan, politician, statesman serving once as the Speaker and twice as President.Danica Milosavljevic (1953) *

Ivan Milutinović Ivan Milutinović (nickname Milutin; sr-cyr, Иван Милутиновић; 27 September 1901 – 23 October 1944) was a Yugoslav Partisan general and an eminent military commander who participated in World War II. Before the war In October ...

(1953†) *

Miloš Minić Miloš Minić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Минић; 28 August 1914 – 5 September 2003) was a Yugoslav Serbian communist politician. Biography Minić graduated from secondary school in Čačak, then from the University of Belgrade's Law Sch ...

(1953) * Milutin Morača (1951) * Dušan Mugoša (1953) * Mara Naceva (1953) *

Kosta Nađ Konstantin "Kosta" Nađ (; 13 May 1911 – 19 November 1986) was a Yugoslav Partisan army general who commanded Partisan units during World War II in Yugoslavia, primarily in and around the Vojvodina region. Biography Born on 13 May 1911 in Petr ...

(1951) * Stefan Naumov (1945†) *

Nada Naumović Nada Naumović ( sr-Cyrl, Нада Наумовић; 22 April 1922 – 21 October 1941) was a Serbian student activist who was killed in World War II and was posthumously named a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Born in Kragujevac, Nada Naumović ...

(1951†) *

Gojko Nikoliš Gojko Nikoliš ( sr-cyr, Гојко Николиш; 11 August 1911 – 11 July 1995) was a physician, historian and a participant in the Spanish Civil War and World War II in Yugoslavia. He was the first Head of the Partisan Medical Corps, Lieut ...

(1951) *

Jordan Nikolov Orce Jordan Nikolov (7 January 1916 in Skopje, occupied by the Kingdom of Bulgaria – 4 January 1942, Kukavica, annexed by the Kingdom of Bulgaria) was a Macedonian communist and partisan from Macedonia. His life and work are connected with the ...

(1945†) *

Marko Orešković Marko Orešković (3 April 1895 – 20 October 1941) was a Croatian and Yugoslav Partisan commander. He was also known by his nickname ''Krntija''. He was born in Široka Kula, Gospić municipality, which was part of Austria-Hungary at the ...

(1945†) *

Đorđije Pajković Đorđije "Đoko" Pajković (25 June 1917, Lužac, Berane, Kingdom of Montenegro – 17 January 1980, Belgrade, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia) was a Yugoslav Montenegrin politician. He was the leader of the League of Communists of Montenegro from Jun ...

(1953) * Boško Palkovljević (1943†) *

Đoko Pavićević Đorđije "Đoko" Pavićević (; 6 May 1872 4 June 1970) was an officer of the Royal Montenegrin Army and Royal Yugoslav Army who fought in World War I and in World War II as a member of the Yugoslav Partisans, and later a colonel of Yugoslav P ...

(1953) *

Kata Pejnović Kata Pejnović (; 21 March 1899 – 1966) was a Croatian Serb feminist and politician. Life Kata Pejnović was born on 21 March 1899 in the village of Smiljan in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to a poor ...

(1968) *

Slobodan Penezić Slobodan "Krcun" Penezić ( sr-cyr, Слободан Пенезић Крцун; 2 July 1918 – 6 November 1964) was a Yugoslav communist politician who served as Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Serbia. ...

(1952†) * Vladimir Perić (1953†) *

Dušan Petrović Šane Dušan Petrović Šane (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Петровић Шане; 28 June 1914 – 21 June 1977) was a Yugoslav communist soldier and politician who served as President of the People's Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Serbia f ...

(1952) *

Moša Pijade Moša Pijade (, alternate English transliteration Moshe Piade; – 15 March 1957), was a Serbian and Yugoslavia, Yugoslav painter, journalist, Communist Party of Yugoslavia, Communist Party politician, World War II participant, and a close ...

(1953) *

Strašo Pindžur Strahil Pindžurov (15 March, 1915 – 4 January 1943), better known by his Yugoslav Partisans, Partisan name Strašo Pindžur (Страшо Пинџур) was a Yugoslav Communist and Macedonian Partisans, Macedonian Partisan, active during World W ...

(1945†) *

Bojan Polak Bojan Polak (nom de guerre Stjenka; 28 November 1918 – 4 July 2004) was a Yugoslav military officer, communist politician, and athlete of Slovene ethnicity. Biography Polak was born in Ormož on 28 November 1918, shortly after the end of ...

(1952) *

Koča Popović Konstantin "Koča" Popović ( sr-cyrl, Константин "Коча" Поповић; 14 March 1908 – 20 October 1992) was a Serbia, Serbian and Yugoslavs, Yugoslav politician and communist volunteer in the Spanish Civil War, 1937–1939 and D ...

(1953) *

Miladin Popović Miladin Popović ( sr-cyr, Миладин Поповић; 23 September 1910 – 13 March 1945) was a Yugoslav Partisan and secretary of the Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (OK KPJ) of Kosmet (Kosovo). He was one of the ...

(1946†) * Vladimir Popović (1952) *

Janko Premrl Janko Premrl (nom de guerre Vojko; Italianized: ) (29 February 1920 – 22 February 1943)Ferenc, Tone. 1995."'Premrl, Stanko." ''Enciklopedija Slovenije'' vol. 9, pp. 1–5. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, p. 296. was a Slovene Partisan. Life Pr ...

(1944†) *

Ognjen Prica Ognjen Prica (27 November 1899 – 9 July 1941) was a Serbian and Yugoslav communist politician and journalist known for his roles in the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia and the League of Communists of Croatia. He was a victim of the Nazi ...

(1945†) *

Slobodan Princip Slobodan Princip ( sr-cyr, Слободан Принцип; 25 May 1914 – 25 April 1942), nicknamed Seljo (Сељо), was a Yugoslav Partisans, Yugoslav Partisan fighter and the district staff chief of the Partisan Sarajevo area during World War ...

(1942†) *

Đuro Pucar Đurađ "Đuro" Pucar "Stari" ( sr-cyr, Ђурађ Ђуро Пуцар, ; 13 December 1899 – 12 April 1979) was a Yugoslav and Bosnian Serb politician. During World War II he was a member of the Yugoslav Partisans and was later decorated with ...

(1951) *

Lepa Radić Lepa Svetozara Radić ( sr-Cyr, Лепа Светозара Радић; 19 December 1925 – 8 February 1943) was a Yugoslav Partisan and communist of Serbian origin who was awarded the Order of the People's Hero in 1951 for her role in the resist ...

(1951†) *

Darinka Radović Darinka Radović ( sr-Cyrl, Даринка Радовић) ( Kloka, 6 January 1896- Rajkovac 23 May 1943) was a manual worker in agriculture and an activist for the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II in Yugoslavia and a People's Hero of Yugosl ...

(1953†) * Joakim Rakovac (1952†) *

Aleksandar Ranković Aleksandar Ranković (nom de guerre Marko, nicknamed Leka; sr-Cyrl, Александар Ранковић Лека; 28 November 1909 – 19 August 1983) was a Serbian and Yugoslav communist politician, considered to be the third most powerful ...

(1945) *

Ivo Lola Ribar Ivan Ribar (23 April 1916 – 27 November 1943), known as Ivo Lola or Ivo Lolo, was a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav Croats, Croat communist politician and military leader. In the 1930s, he became one of the closest associates of Josip Broz Tito, leader of ...

(1944†) * Slavko Rodić (1949) *

Vladimir Rolović Vladimir Rolović (21 May 1916 – 15 April 1971) was a Yugoslav politician, diplomat, and a former high officer of the State Security Administration (UDBA). Holder of the "Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941" and as a former commander o ...

(1971) * Franc Rozman (1944†) *

Ivan Rukavina Ivan Rukavina (January 26, 1912 – April 3, 1992) was army general of the Yugoslav People's Army, People's Hero of Yugoslavia and politician. Rukavina was a member of the International Brigades and prominent Croatian and Yugoslav communist. H ...

(1951) *

Ramiz Sadiku Ramiz Sadiku ( ; ; 19 January 1915 – 10 April 1943) was an Albanian law student and one of the organizers of the anti-fascist uprising in Kosovo.''Narodni heroji Jugoslavije''. Belgrade: Mladost, 1975 He was posthumously awarded the Order of th ...

(1945†) *

Vlado Šegrt Vlado Šegrt (18 December 1907 – 1 August 1991) was a Yugoslav participant in the National Liberation Struggle and a socio-political worker in the Socialist Republics of Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina and So ...

(1951) *

Ivan Šibl Ivan Šibl (28 October 1917 – 30 March 1989) was a Yugoslav Partisans officer and Yugoslav People's Army Lieutenant Colonel General, as well as a writer and politician. Šibl was born in Virovitica. During the World War II, he joined the anti- ...

(1951) * Velimir Škorpik (1952†) *

Slavko Šlander Slavko Šlander, nom de guerre Aleš (20 June 1909 – 24 August 1941), was a Slovene communist, Partisan, and people's hero. He was born in Dolenja Vas near Prebold, Duchy of Styria, Austria-Hungary (now part of Slovenia). After he was s ...

(1943†) * Milan Spasić (1973†) *

Mika Špiljak Mika Špiljak ( Odra Sisačka 28 November 1916 - Zagreb 18 May 2007) was a Croatian politician who spent most of his political career as a member of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia in the SFR Yugoslavia. He served as President of the Pres ...

(1953) *

Drago Štajnberger Drago Štajnberger (born Adolf Steinberger; 15 February 19163 March 1942) was a Croatian-Jewish Partisan and a People's Hero of Yugoslavia. Štajnberger was born on 15 February 1916 in Zagreb to a Jewish family of Mavro Štajnberger. In his ear ...

(1943†) *

Petar Stambolić Petar Stambolić (;; 12 July 1912 – 21 September 2007) was a Yugoslav-born Serbian communist politician who served as the President of the Federal Executive Council of Yugoslavia from 1963 to 1967 and as President of the Presidency from 1982 ...

(1953) *

Dragi Stamenković Miodrag "Dragi" Stamenković ( sr-cyr, Миодраг "Драги" Стаменковић; 29 February 1920, in Leskovac – 17 February 2004, in Belgrade) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician and author. Biography He finished his elementary ...

(1953) *

Mladen Stojanović Mladen Stojanović ( sr-cyr, Младен Стојановић; 7 April 1896 – 1 April 1942) was a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb and Yugoslavs, Yugoslav physician who led a detachment of Yugoslav Partisans, Par ...

(1942†) *

Blagoj Stračkovski Blagoj Strachkovski (; 1920–1943) was a Macedonian national hero, Yugoslavian partisan who died during World War II. Biography Blagoj Strachkovski was born in Veles, 29 February 1920 in a poor Macedonian family. After he finished his prim ...

(1953†) * Borko Temelkovski (1953) *

Milan Tepić Milan Tepić ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Тепић; 26 January 1957 – 29 September 1991) was a major in the Yugoslav People's Army during the Croatian War of Independence. In September 1991, Tepić was tasked with defending an ammunition storage i ...

(1991†) *

Hristijan Todorovski Karpoš Hristijan Todorovski - Karpoš (3 September 1921 in Kumanovo – 7 February 1944 Biljača, Bujanovac, Biljača) was a ethnic Macedonians, Macedonian communism, communist Yugoslav partisans, partisan during the World War II, Second World War. ...

(1945†) *

Vida Tomšič Vida Tomšič ''née'' Bernot (26 June 1913 – 10 December 1998) was a Slovenian Partisan fighter during World War II, prominent communist politician, women's activist, and people's hero in postwar Yugoslavia. Vida Tomšić became an antifasci ...

(1953) *

Jovan Veselinov Jovan Veselinov Žarko (20 January 1906 in Kumane – 8 February 1982 in Belgrade) was a Serbian communist politician. He served as President of Serbia, Prime Minister of Serbia and as a Chairman of the League of Communists of Serbia. He was a P ...

(1952) *

Veljko Vlahović Veljko Vlahović ( Cyrillic: Вељко Влаховић; 2 September 1914 – 7 March 1975) was a Montenegrin politician and career army officer. He was one of the prominent members of the Montenegrin branch of the Yugoslav Communist Party from ...

(1953) *

Rada Vranješević Rada Vranješević ( sr-cyrl, Рада Врањешевић; 25 May 1918 – 26 May 1944) was a Yugoslav political activist and resistance leader in Bosnia during the Second World War. Family Vranješević was born in the village of Rekavice ...

(1951†) *

Majda Vrhovnik Majda Vrhovnik (nom de guerre LojzkaLeben, Andrej. 2003. ''V borbi smo bile enakopravne: uporniške ženske na Koroškem v letih 1939–1955'' Klagenfurt: Drava, p. 55.) (14 April 1922 – 4 May 1945) was a Slovene communist and medical student. ...

(1951†) * Bogdan Vujošević (1953) *

Ratko Vujović Ratko Vujović (16 December 1916 – 29 October 1977) was a Yugoslavian political activist and soldier. After the Second World War, Vujović was the first elected President of FK Partizan. Biography Ratko Vujović was born on 16 December 1916 ...

(1953) *

Svetozar Vukmanović Svetozar Vukmanović - Tempo ( sh-Cyrl, Светозар Вукмановић - Темпо; 3 August 1912 – 6 December 2000) was a leading Montenegrin communist and member of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. D ...

(1951) * Boro Vukmirović (1945†) *

Žarko Zrenjanin Žarko Zrenjanin "Uča" ( sr-Cyrl, Жарко Зрењанин, ; 11 September 1902 – 4 November 1942) was a Yugoslav partisan and National Hero of Yugoslavia. The city of Zrenjanin, in Serbia, is named after him, since 1946. Zrenjanin w ...

(1944†) Josip Broz Tito Bihać 1942.jpg,

was awarded the order three times. Tito sa narodnim herojima iz Bosne i Hercegovine.jpg, President Tito with People's Heroes from

PR Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...

(1955) Tito sa narodnim herojima iz Crne Gore.jpg, President Tito with People's Heroes from PR Montenegro (1955) Tito sa narodnim herojima iz Hrvatske.jpg, President Tito with People's Heroes from

PR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...

(1955) Tito sa narodnim herojima iz Slovenije.jpg, President Tito with People's Heroes from

PR Slovenia The Socialist Republic of Slovenia (, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Slovenija, Социјалистичка Република Словенија), commonly referred to as Socialist Slovenia or simply Slovenia, was one ...

(1955) Tito sa narodnim herojima iz Srbije i Makedonije.jpg, President Tito with People's Heroes from

PR Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...

and

PR Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...

(1955)

Foreign citizens recipients of the order

Source: *

Sergey Biryuzov Sergey Semyonovich Biryuzov (; 21 August 1904 – 19 October 1964) was a Marshal of the Soviet Union and Chief of the General Staff. Early life and prewar service Biryuzov was born in Skopin, in the Ryazan Governorate of the Russian Empire, ...

(1964) * Ivan Bulkin (1945) * Reshit Çollaku (1945†, rescinded in 1948) * Pavel Dmitrienko (1945) *

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...

(1946, rescinded in 1948) *

Boris Kalinkin Boris may refer to: People * Boris (given name), a male given name * *List of people with given name Boris * Boris (surname) Arts and media * Boris (band), a Japanese experimental rock trio * ''Boris'' (EP), by Yezda Urfa, 1975 * "Boris" (son ...

(1944) * Ivan Konstantinov (1945) *

Semyon Kozak Semyon Antonovich Kozak (; – 24 December 1953) was a Ukrainian Soviet Army lieutenant general who was twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his command of a division during World War II. Early life, Russian Civil War, and in ...

(1944) *

Vojo Kushi Vojo Kushi (; , August 3, 1918 – October 10, 1942) was an Albanian and Yugoslav communist guerrilla fighter (partisan) and one of the founders of the Communist group based in Shkodër, following the Italian occupation of Albania in April 1939. H ...

(1945†, rescinded in 1948) *

Luigi Longo Luigi Longo (15 March 1900 – 16 October 1980), also known as Gallo, was an Italian communist politician and general secretary of the Italian Communist Party from 1964 to 1972. He was also the first foreigner to be awarded an Order of Lenin. E ...

(1980) *

Rodion Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (; ; – 31 March 1967) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He served as Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union from 1957 to 1967, during which he oversaw the strengthening of the Sov ...

(1964) * Alexander Managadze (1945) * Grigoriy Okhrimenko (1945) * Alexander Shornikov (1944) *

Vladimir Sudets Vladimir Alexandrovich Sudets (; 23 October 1904 – 6 May 1981) was a Soviet air commander during World War II, commanding the 17th Air Army, and later became Marshal of the aviation after the war. Early life and military career Vladimir was ...

(1964) *

Ludvík Svoboda Ludvík Svoboda (; 25 November 1895 – 20 September 1979) was a Czech general and politician. He fought in both World Wars, for which he was regarded as a national hero,Fyodor Tolbukhin Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin (; 16 June 1894 – 17 October 1949) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is regarded as one of the finest Soviet generals of World War II. Born into a peasant family i ...

(1945) * Vasiliy Ulisko (1945) * Andrey Vitruk (1945) * Pavel Yakimov (1944) *

Vladimir Zhdanov Vladimir Ivanovich Zhdanov (; 29 April 1902 – 19 October 1964) was a colonel-general of tank troops in the armed forces of the Soviet Union. He was a major general in the Soviet Red Army during World War II. Military career In 1941, Zhdanov beca ...

(1944) *

Michał Żymierski Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to: * Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician * Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player * Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel * Michał Heller ...

(1946)

Hero Cities

Eight cities were the Order of the People's Hero (one in each Socialist Republic and Socialist Province), and granted the title "Hero City". Dates of the award are given in parentheses. *

(20 October 1974) *

(7 May 1975) *

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

(7 May 1970) *

(7 May 1975) *

Priština Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdom. The heritage of th ...

(7 May 1975) *

(17 May 1974) *

(

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

) (7 May 1975)

Public and political organizations recipients of the order

* Young Communist League of Yugoslavia (

SKOJ The League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia (SSOJ) was the youth movement, member organisation of the People's Front of Yugoslavia, Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia (SSRNJ). Membership stood at more than 3.6 million individuals i ...

), volume 2, page 432 * District committee of SKOJ for

* Union of Veterans of People's Liberation War ( SUBNOR) * Union of the Spanish War veterans of Yugoslavia

World War II military units recipients of the order

*Brigades ** 1st Proletarian Strike Brigade (1958) ** 2nd Proletarian Strike Brigade (1958) ** 3rd Proletarian (

Sandžak Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) is a historical and geo-political region in the Balkans, located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro. The Bosnian/ Serbian term ''Sandžak'' derives from the Sanjak of Novi Paza ...

) Strike Brigade (1958) ** 4th Proletarian (Montenegrin) Strike Brigade (1958) ** 5th Proletarian (Montenegrin) Strike Brigade (1958) ** 6th Proletarian (East Bosnian) Strike Brigade (1958) ** 1st

Lika Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by t ...

Proletarian Strike Brigade (1977) ** 2nd Lika Proletarian Strike Brigade (1977) ** 3rd Lika Proletarian Strike Brigade (1974) ** 1st

Krajina Krajina () is a Slavic languages, Slavic toponym, meaning 'country' or 'march (territory), march'. The term is related to ''kraj'' or ''krai'', originally meanings ''land'', ''country'' or ''edge''Rick Derksen (2008), ''Etymological Dictionary of t ...

Proletarian Strike Brigade (1975) ** 3rd Krajina Proletarian Strike Brigade (1958) ** 7th Krajina Strike Brigade (1958) ** 1st

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 ...

n Proletarian Strike Brigade (1958) ** 2nd Dalmatian Proletarian Strike Brigade (1958) ** 3rd Dalmatian Strike Brigade (1958) **12th

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

n Proletarian Strike Brigade (1977) **13th Proletaraian Strike Brigade "Rade Končar" (1972) **1st

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

n Proletarian Brigade "Tone Tomšič" (1974) **2nd Slovenian People's Liberation Strike Brigade "Ljubo Šercer" (1979) **10th Herzegovinian Strike Brigade (after 1952: 17th Proletarian) (1958) ** 1st

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...

Strike Brigade (after 1958: 18th Proletarian) (1973) **1st

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

n- Kosovan Proletarian Strike Brigade (after 1951: 15th Proletarian) **3rd

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n Proletarian Brigade (1977) **7th

Banija Banovina or Banija is a geographical region in central Croatia, between the Sava, Una, Kupa and Glina rivers. The main towns in the region include Petrinja, Glina, Kostajnica, and Dvor. There is no clear geographical border of the region tow ...

n Strike Brigade "Vasilj Gačeša" (1958) **8th Banijan Strike Brigade (1958) **16th Banijan Strike Brigade (1958) **15th

Majevica Majevica ( sr-cyrl, Мајевица, ) is a low mountain range in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated between Semberija, Posavina, and Tuzla Canton. Its highest peak is Stolice, some 16 kilometres east of Tuzla, in the far sout ...

Strike Brigade (1958) *Battalions and regiments ** 2nd

People's Liberation Partizan

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

"Dr

" (1972) ** Escort Battalion of the Supreme Command of People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (1958) ** Workers' Battalion of the

Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...

People's Liberation Partizan Regiment (1979) *Army institutions ** Central Hospital of People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (1968) ** Partizan Hospital on Petrova Gora (1971) **Security and Intelligence Service (Varnostno-obveščevalna služba)

Statistics

A total of 1,322 persons were awarded in Yugoslavia by 1981. Most of the awarded were men (1231) and 91 were women. Most People's Heroes were either

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

s or industrial workers (34%), 19% were university and high school students, 18% were

farmworker A farmworker, farmhand or agricultural worker is someone employed for labor in agriculture. In labor law, the term "farmworker" is sometimes used more narrowly, applying only to a hired worker involved in agricultural production, including har ...

s and 13% were experts of all kinds., volume 2, page 463 Most of the awarded were very young. Half of them joined the Army before their 25th birthday, and only 325 of them were over 30. 42% of the Heroes who died in the war were between 16 and 26 years old, 38% were between 27 and 34. Three Heroes were less than 17 years old when they died. Milka Bosnić was the youngest recipient of the order, she was just 15 when killed during the Raid on Drvar. Most recipients were awarded in the years following World War II, most of them between 1951 and 1953. Tito was the only person to be awarded multiple times, he was awarded the order three times. Of the 955 recipients who died in the war, 77% were killed in combat, about 15% were executed or died in prison, and about 7% died from wounds. Most of the Heroes died in 1943 (about 30%) and in 1942 (27.5%). Nine of them were killed after the war officially ended during the fight with the remaining enemy forces. 55 People's Heroes committed suicide to escape arresting. Most of the recipients of the Order were born in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

(21.9%), followed by

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

(20.6%),

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

(18.7%),

Central Serbia Central Serbia (), also referred to as Serbia proper (), is the region of Serbia lying outside the autonomous province of Vojvodina to the north and the disputed Kosovo region to the south. Central Serbia is a term of convenience, not an administ ...

(15%) and

(11.05%). Most of those who died during World War II died in Bosnia and Herzegovina (32%). In 1957 there were 410 living People's Heroes, in 1975 there were 367, and in 1981 there were 343 living Heroes. The last living woman recipient of the Order was

(1920–2021) and the last living overall was

(1920–2024).

References

Literature

* *

External links

ZAKON O OSNOVNIM PRAVIMA LICA ODLIKOVANIH ORDENOM NARODNOG HEROJA
(''Law on Basic Rights of Persons Awarded the Order of the People's Hero'')

{{SFRY decorations Awards established in 1943 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia in World War II People's Hero Awards disestablished in 1993 Hero (title) 1943 establishments in Yugoslavia 1992 disestablishments in Yugoslavia

History

Socialist Yugoslavia

Serbia and Montenegro

Notable recipients

Foreign citizens recipients of the order

Hero Cities

Public and political organizations recipients of the order

World War II military units recipients of the order

Statistics

See also

References

Literature

External links