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Roza Papo in 1944
Roza Papo (1914–1984) was a Yugoslav physician and general of the Yugoslav People's Army. She was the first woman to rise to the rank of general on the Balkan Peninsula.
Early life[]
Roza Papo was born on 6 February 1914 into a Jewish family in Sarajevo. Her mother, Mirjama Papo (born Abinun), was the daughter of a rabbi from Gračanica.[1] Roza Papo studied at the School of Medicine in Zagreb and worked as physician in Sarajevo, Begov Han and Olovo before the outbreak of the Second World War.[2]
War service[]
Papo with comrades in Guča, 1944
Following the invasion of Yugoslavia by Nazi Germany in 1941, Papo made contact with the Yugoslav Partisans on Ozren and started aiding them.[2] Jews throughout Europe joined resistance movements in an attempt to survive, but Papo's decision was also motivated by patriotism.[3] Papo officially joined the Partisans in December 1941. The following year, she also became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.[2]
As an officer, Papo served directly under Josip Broz Tito, the leader of the resistance. She led the recruitment system and commanded the network of Partisan field hospitals.[3] Not wishing to be seen as a coward, she refused to take shelter during an air raid in 1942 and nearly lost an eye.[4] She reached the rank of captain in 1943 and was a major by 1945.[4]
Post-war career[]
The Partisans emerged victorious from the Second World War in 1945, but Papo's parents and both siblings had been killed.[4] Her mother and all four aunts were killed in concentration camps.[1] Upon returning to Sarajevo, Papo lived in a hotel, but soon moved to Belgrade to specialize in infectology.[4] Papo continued her career as physician in the army, and became the first head of the Military Medical Academy.[2] She formulated the first criteria for the selection of military physicians.[3] Having published over 50 papers, she became a professor at the academy in 1965.[4]
Papo received six medals for her contributions,[3] including the Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941, the Order of Merits for the People, and the Order of Brotherhood and Unity.[4] In 1973, she was promoted to the rank of major general.[5] Yugoslavia at the time had more Jewish generals than Israel,[6] and Papo was the first woman general in all the Balkans.[3][4] As such, she was affectionately known as "the general with braids".[3]
Papo had a son, who died in 1969, and a daughter. She died on 25 February 1984 in Belgrade.[4]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Samuel Elazar. "Gađa za istoriju Jevrejske zajednice u Gračanici". p. 137.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Nikola Gažević, ed (1973). "Vojna enciklopedija" (in Serbo-Croatian). Vojnoizdavački zavod Beograd.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Barton Hacker; Margaret Vining, eds (2012). "A Companion to Women's Military History". BRILL. ISBN 9004206825.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 A.T. (1984). "Pletenice opšivene plemenitošću" (in Serbo-Croatian). Front. http://www.yugopapir.com/2016/05/roza-papo-odlazak-legendarne.html.
- ↑ "Yugoslav Review". 1984. https://books.google.de/books?id=0VM8AQAAIAAJ&q=roza+papo+general+1973&dq=roza+papo+general+1973&hl=bs&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8_vKN1KXbAhWML1AKHWBwBdIQ6AEIKzAB.
- ↑ Paul Benjamin Gordiejew (2012). "Voices of Yugoslav Jewry". SUNY. ISBN 1438404476.
The original article can be found at Roza Papo and the edit history here.