Albina Mali-Hočevar: A Resistance Fighter Made Famous By Her Scars
Wikimedia CommonsAlbina Mali-Hočevar was a resistance fighter who fought for the liberation of Yugoslavia during World War II.
Albina Mali-Hočevar wanted to fight during World War II. When the young Slovenian teenager heard that her fellow partisans had assigned her to be a nurse during the conflict, tears of frustration filled her eyes.
But by the war’s end, Mali-Hočevar would see plenty of action. Famous today for the scars across her face, which fragmented her gaze, Mali-Hočevar spent the conflict fighting for the liberation of Yugoslavia.
After Germany invaded Yugoslavia in 1941, Mali-Hočevar joined up with the People’s Liberation Movement of Yugoslavia at the age of 16.
And as the war unfolded, Mali-Hočevar grew ever closer to the action. Though initially designated as a nurse, Mali-Hočevar soon went on to fight in multiple battles. She was badly wounded twice at 17, and once at 18. Mali-Hočevar ended up losing an eye, and scars crisscrossed her face.
Through it all, however, Mali-Hočevar took her duties as a nurse seriously.
“The nurse Albina always paid more attention to the wounded than to herself,” said one account of Mali-Hočevar’s brave service.
“She knew neither fear nor exhaustion while… there were wounded [partisans] to be taken care of.”
She was later recognized for her bravery when Yugoslavia awarded her the Yugoslavian Order of the Partisan Star, 3rd class. But sadly, much of Mali-Hočevar’s story is lost to history.
Today, it’s her famous photograph that catches the eye. Her lopsided gaze and facial scars are a powerful testament to the scourge of war.
