Amilakhvari Dimitry

Amilakhvari Dimitry (1906-1942), Officer of French Foreign Legion, hero ficer of French army, Vice Colonel of French Resistance. He was born in Bazorkino village (present Chermen in North Ossetia). Friends used to call him ‘Bazorka’ after the place of his birth. In 1921, after the Russian annexation of Georgia (his family lived in Georgia at that time), the Amilakhvari family moved to Turkey and a year later they left for France. They settled in Paris. In 1924-1926 D. Amilakhvari studied at the Military Academy of SaintCyr-l’Ecole. After graduating from the Academy he joined the Foreign Legion. In WW II, as a member of French expeditionary corps, he spent 1940 fighting in different corners of the world – starting from Equatorial Africa and ending with North Polar Circle. In the wake of Norwegian Campaign of 1942, D. Amilakhvari was awarded the highest military decoration – Military Cross of Norway. After the battle at Navrik, he was evacuated to Britain, where he joined the liberation movement The Fighting France. D. Amilakhvari participated in the Eritrean Campaign for the battle for Massawa (1941), in the Syrian Campaign (taking of Damascus), in the Bir- Hakeim battle in 1942.

D. Amilakhvri was killed in the battle at El-Alamein. ‘We, aliens, have only one manner to express our gratitude o France – die for her!’ – These were the words he pronounced a few months prior to his death.

D. Amilakhvari was buried in the Libyan Desert. President of France Charles De Gaulle posthumously awarded him the highest honorary decoration – Order of Legion.