When the Serbian army expected to be overrun by an Ottoman charge, Ahmed Ademović’s trumpet sounded, completely thwarting the Turkish attack.
In 1912, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Greece joined forces to expel the Ottoman Empire from the Balkans once and for all. The cannons fired, and the First Balkan War began.
One of the war’s most important battles was fought near Kumanovo on October 23 and 24. Although the Serbian army was more numerous than the Turkish one, it was far less well-equipped. However, the Serbian commanders believed they could defeat the Ottomans in one decisive battle and force them to retreat.
When Serbian forces began to gather near Kumanovo, the Turks decided to launch a surprise attack.
The battle at Kumanovo was frontal, as both armies rushed towards each other. The battle began badly for the Serbian army, confused by the sudden Turkish attack.
Then, an unexpected hero took matters into his own hands – that man was a trumpet player of Roma origin, Ahmed Ademović.
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At the crucial moment, this ingenious musician managed to imitate the sound of the Ottoman trumpet calling for retreat – even though he had only heard that sound once in his lifetime.
His unit expected a strong frontal attack from the Turkish army, which planned to overrun the main body of our army and thus divide it into smaller groups. When the Turks launched their attack, Ademović broke through the enemy lines, completely unarmed except for his trumpet.
Then he did something that would make him eternally remembered – he sounded the Ottoman signal for retreat. The Ottoman troops stopped in surprise and thus lost their momentum. Chaos ensued in the Turkish ranks, which the Serbian army exploited and repelled the attack after Ademović, again unnoticed, crossed back to the Serbian troops and sounded the signal for a charge.
His feat was one of the key factors in the Serbian victory in this battle and was even studied at military academies. Ahmed was awarded the Order of Karađorđe’s Star with Swords for this heroic act. Ademović did not remove the decoration until the end of his life. However, the old man was not lucky enough to enjoy his merits and an honorable life until the end of his life. During the Second World War, the Germans executed two of his sons – Redža and Rama.
Ahmed spent his final years in poverty, living with his grandson Fadil. He died in December 1965 at the age of 92.
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Source: Serbian Times
Photo: Wikimedia Creative Commons