Lepa Radic was a hero who fought for her country against the Nazis. Her popularity came years after her death at the end of the Great War. At her age, many girls would be in the final lap of high school. For Lepa Radic she was at the front of the war theater in Europe defending her homeland from Nazi occupation.
Known for bravery and courage, she is an echo of a young woman’s impact on the partisan affairs of her country.
Her life is an inspiration to young people on bravery and commitment. This article explores her life and other unknown facts about her.
Personal Profile
Table of Contents
Biography Of Lepa Radic
Lepa Radic was born on 19 December 1925 to a Bosnian Serb family in Gasnica near Bosanska Gradiska, in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her parents were working-class people with strong communist roots.
Lepa’s father was Svetozar Radic and her uncle Vladeta Radic was active in the Partisan party. She, Milan Radic, her brother, and Dara Radic, her sister, all became active in the activities of the Partisan party.
She was 17 at the time of her death.
Lepa attended a nearby elementary school in Bistrica before moving to pursue her higher studies. She also attended the first grade Women’s School Of Crafts in Bosanska Krupa but later completed other grades in Bosanska Gradiska.
Her story would not be told if she had not taken a risky role against the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia at the time. She was fearless enough to shoot at German soldiers in the resistance movement.
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15 Facts About Lepa Radic
1. Lepa Radic Was A Serious Pupil
Right from a young age while still a pupil, she was a very serious-minded person. She was interested in hard work.
She also read advanced literature and this contributed to her strong personality. Lepa also read banned books she got from her uncle.
2. Lepa Radic Was Killed For Shooting At German Soldiers
It is a grave act to own ammunitions but in war situations, it may be understandable. For Radic she did not only join the resistance movement against the foreign occupation of her country, but she also shot at the invader.
In this case, the invader was the axis powers led by Germany. The event that wrote her name in the sands of time is her fearlessness in facing the enemy.
Lepa was a seventeen-year-old girl in a foreign-occupied country. She shot at German soldiers while they surrounded her and 150 refugees.
She fired and emptied her ammunition before they could capture her. They took her to the village of Bosanka Krupa.
3. Her Uncle Was One Of The Earliest Influences In Her Life
Apart from her family being deeply involved in the activities of the communist party, her uncle was a member of the labor movement.
Her strong positions were learned under his wings.
4. Lepa Radic Joined The Communist Party At A Young Age
The dedication to the state and fighting to defend the country made the young Lepa Radic join the communist party of Yugoslavia and fight against Nazi occupation.
At the age of 15, she officially joined the communist party. She was active in the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia.
5. Her Family Was Imprisoned In 1941
The fight against the Axis powers fronted by Germany was a cause the whole Radic family took seriously. In 1941, their involvement came to the attention of the authorities.
Their family members were all arrested and imprisoned at Stara Gradiska prison. At seventeen, every girl is blushing because their crush noticed them. Lepa was noticed for her political activities and taken as a political prisoner.
6. How She And Her Sister Escaped
While in detention alongside other members of her family, other Partisxans helped Lepa and Dara, her sister to escape.
She continued her resistance activities. In fact, she became more fearless.
7. She Joined The Seventh Partisan Company
After escaping from prison with other members of the partisan party, she joined the seventh partisan company in charge of supplies at the front line. The company she worked with was stationed at Krajiski Detachment.
She also helped to transport the wounded from the frontlines and escape from the axis powers led by Hitler’s Germany.
8. The Capture And Torture Of Lepa Radic
In February of 1941, axis units from the 7th Prinz Eugen Division captured Lepa and others. Despite being tortured for three days, she refused to reveal the names of others.
The Nazi report stated how the bandit girl showed unprecedented defiance.
9. Lepa Radic Went down While Fighting
Even on her way to the gallows, Radic put up a fierce resistance encouraging others to fight on. Her last words were; ‘…Fight, people…I will be killed, but some will come to avenge me.’
10. She Refused A Pardon
The Nazis offered her a pardon if only she will reveal the identities of others in the communist party. Her resistance to revealing the identity of others involved in the communist party led to her execution.
They moved her execution forward. Her sentence was because she shot at German soldiers.
On February 8, 1943, they were led to the gallows. Radic made the Nazi’s angrier when she told them she is’ …not a traitor of her people…’
She placed the noose around her neck while she uttered her other last words.
11. Why Did Lepa Radic Risk Her Life To Rescue The Wounded?
Tito had vowed not to leave the wounded on the field of battle because the Axis always tortured them to get information. Also, they often executed them just like they did to Radic.
Radic was only following the party strategy by risking her life to rescue the wounded from the battlefield.
12. She Is the Youngest Recipient Of the Order Of The People’s Honor
Though she rightly predicted the avenge of her death and that of others, Lepa Radic never lived to see it come to pass.
Josip Broz Tito’s Yugoslavian Communist Party appreciated the role the Partisan Party played after the war ended. Heroes who fought among the Partisans got honored. Lepa Radic’s role in the resistance movement didn’t go unnoticed.
In 1951, Lepa got the Order of The Peoples award posthumously. This award is the second-highest military award for service. The award came close to a decade after her execution.
13. She Was 15 When Her Country Was Invaded
The Yugoslavia that Lepa fought for came into existence after World War I. At the outbreak of World War II, it became a pawn in the hands of the axis powers.
The Germans invaded Yugoslavia in April of 1941 as part of their strategy to secure the Balkans against the Soviets. To complete the process, they created Croatia.
Lepa was 15 at the time the Germans invaded her homeland.
14. The Film Of Her Execution
When a German soldier died in Ilica, Turkey, the film of a young girl’s execution was found in his purse. No one knew who she was.
The history museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina had control of the film. One day a visitor saw it and recognized her as his uncle’s sister.
That is how her story came to be known.
15. Lepa Radic Legacies
She will be remembered among national heroes for strength and courage.
Decades after her death, many are inspired by her courage. Apart from national honors, YCL celebrated her in commemoration of International Women’s Day in 2019.
A bust of her can be seen at the Bistrica memorial Park. Her birthplace in Gasnica is now a popular site.
Popular American rapper, Ice Cube tweeted her picture in 2013 and this got a lot of people talking. Her life is a real story of bravery. She is remembered in popular culture decades after her death,
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