When Disney released their hilarious adaption of the ancient Chinese legend Mulan, she quickly captured popular imagination in the western world. Not only did she speak up for what she believed in, she put her life at risk to act upon it when going to war in the place of her ageing father. Unfortunately, the Disney version of the story results in 2 outcomes; Mulan going down in history for her courageous acts…and finding a man. PHEW! Thank goodness she wasn’t still single, that would have been a TRAVESTY! Anyway, little did we know that in our very own Europe there was an actual woman who fought in some of the most perilous wars of the 20th century under a male guise. Her name was Milunka Savić and here is her story (or rather the parts of her story I could piece together from very limited digital information.)
Milunka was born around 1890 in the small rural village of Koprivnica in Serbia. That is pretty much all the information we have on her early life. The next thing we know is that in her early twenties the First Balkan War began and she left her village dressed as a man to fight for her country. Apparently he brother received call-up papers and she decided to go in his stead – it isn’t known why she decided to do this, we can only assume that he wasn’t fit to fight for some reason. Perhaps he was a lot younger than her, or unwell. Either way she left home and never returned.
During the First Balkan War she fought for what became know as the Iron Regiment of the Serbian Army, known for its ferocious success in driving the Ottomans out of Macedonia in the Battle of Monastir. The first war was very quickly succeeded by the second, with Bulgaria turning against its former allies. Milunka continued to fight, her sex undiscovered. She received her first medal during this war after the Battle of Bregalnica, and was promoted to corporal. She was clearly a talented soldier.
Her greatest fear remained – a gunshot wound to the chest that would lead to her discovery. This was to finally happen during this war whilst on her 10th military deployment. The story surrounding this contains a lot of detail considering how little is known about her so I am unsure how much to trust it. However, I believe it to adequately represent her head-strong nature and so will share it all the same. Her loyalty and success as a soldier was such that her commanding officer refused to punish her, instead offering her a transfer to the nursing division. She remained steadfast and refused, insisting that she wanted to fight as a combatant. He must have felt divided – she was such a valuable soldier and yet, even in the 21st century women are not allowed to fight on the front line; can you imagine how fantastic this must have seemed 100 years ago! So, the officer decided to sleep on it and left the tent. Milunka stood abruptly to attention and declared that she would wait. After standing erect and proud for an hour, the officer returned not only to send her back to the infantry, but to promote her to junior sergeant! Thus, she returned to the field of combat openly as a woman. The Second Balkan War ended and she was now a sergeant to be reckoned with.
World War 1 saw her most outstanding achievements, her experience making itself evident when she was made the commander of the Iron Regiment’s Assault Bomber Squad. After the Battle of Kolubara, a decisive victory for Serbia against Austria-Hungary, Milunka gained the nickname “The Bomber of Kolubara” for her dangerous accuracy and ability to capture the enemy. For her unwavering success she was awarded her 1st Karađorđe Star with Swords with the full support of her regiment, and was later awarded another for single-handedly capturing 23 Bulgarian soldiers. She sustained severe head wounds during this battle but only required a couple of months of recuperation before she returned straight to the front as commander, such was her spirit of steel.
In spite of this success the Austria-Hungarian forces returned and the waning army, of which on 125,000 were left, were forced to retreat safe in the knowledge that they had evacuated as many civilians as possible and protected their country as far as they could. They made their way through the harsh winter weather to the coast of Albania to be rescued by French and British Warships. After leaving Serbia they joined French forces in Greece where the French General Maurice Sarrail was incredulous of her bombing skills as a woman. The story goes, he brought out a case of old and expensive cognac and told her if she could hit one 40 metres away, she could have the rest of the case. Needless to say, Milunka and her squad drank like queens that evening, at the expense of the general’s scepticism of a woman’s ability. For her valiant fighting and commanding skills during World War 1 she was awarded numerous awards from the allied forces, French, Russian, British, as well as from her home country.
After World War 1 Milunka lived a quiet life in Belgrade, Serbia, working menial jobs and raising 4 daughters, 1 from an absent father and the other 3 adopted war orphans. She apparently helped many other impoverished orphan girls finish school as well. She lived a humble life, turning down the offer of a home and army pension in France that would have kept her very comfortable for the rest of her life. Taking care of her country and her people remained her priority above her own lifestyle.
During the German occupation of Serbia in World War 2 she was arrested, either for giving first aid to their enemies or refusing to attend a German officer’s banquet; the sources are unsure. She was beaten up, taken to a concentration camp for 10 months and was meant to be shot. Before this could happen a German general recognised her name and let her go. She certainly must have made an impression 20 years ago to be treated as such.
By the 1950s she was living in poverty and squalor and her name had disappeared from public memory. This all changed in the twilight of her life. In the 60s she attended jubilee celebrations dressed with all her military awards and attracted the attention of officers who she spoke about her service with. Public pressure led the Belgrade City Assembly to finally giver her an apartment. A year later she died and she was buried in Novo Groblje cemetery in the Alley of the Meritorious with full state and military honours. Resilient, forceful and faithful to Serbia even in the face of death, Milunka Savić, so nearly forgotten, finally received the recognition she was due. A street in Belgrade remains named after her to this day. May history never forget her name again.
Women of Fire 