Aleksa Radovanović
Aleksa Radovanović | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2 August 1900 Medveđa, Kingdom of Serbia |
| Died | 23 June 2004 (aged 103) Medveđa, Serbia and Montenegro |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Yugoslavia SFR Yugoslavia |
| Service/ | Royal Serbian Army (1914–18) Royal Yugoslav Army (1919–20) Yugoslav Partisans (1941–45) |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Legion of Honor gold Obilić medal |
Aleksa Radovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Алекса Радовановић; 2 August 1900 – 23 June 2004) was a Serbian soldier and the longest surviving veteran who fought in the Macedonian front theatre in World War I.
Biography
Radovanović was born on 2 August 1900, in the village of Marići near the town of
After the war, in January 1919, he was called up for compulsory military service in the
During the outbreak of World War II and the 1941 invasion of Yugoslavia he was in Prizren, where he joined the Yugoslav Partisans. He was wounded and captured by Bulgarian troops, and by the end of the war he rose to the rank of major. Apart from Aleksa, his two brothers were also volunteers in both world wars - his older brother Radivoj was executed by a German firing squad in Prokuplje and his younger brother Radovan was shot by Germans in Uroševac. Radivoj's son Milisav also joined the Partisans in 1941.
Radovanović was awarded a number of decorations for his service:
- French Legion of Honour
- Serbian Medal of Miloš Obilić, Silver
- Serbian Medal of Miloš Obilić, Golden
- Serbian Medal of Ivan Kosančić
- Yugoslav Commemorative Partisans' Medal of 1941
Radovanović died on 23 June 2004 and was buried in his home village. He was survived by six daughters, 12 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
See also
- Momčilo Gavrić, youngest soldier in World War I
References
- Zbogom, Solunci! (Večernje novosti, 25 June 2004) (in Serbian)