Mujo Ulqinaku

Mujo Ulqinaku (born Mujo Cakuli; 1896–1939) was an Albanian sergeant of the Royal Albanian Navy, known for his resistance on April 7, 1939 to the Italian forces during the Italian Invasion of Albania. He was given the People's Hero of Albania award posthumously.

Mujo Ulqinaku
Birth name	Mujo Cakuli
Born	1896 Ulcinj, Montenegro
Died	7 April 1939 (aged 42–43) Durrës, Albanian Kingdom
Allegiance	Royal Albanian Army Royal Albanian Navy
Battles/wars	Italian Invasion of Albania Battle of Durrës (1939)
Awards	Hero of the People National Flag Order

Life

Mujo Ulqinaku was born in 1896 in Ulcinj, in the Principality of Montenegro, now modern Montenegro, to a family of sailors and fishermen. In his teens he joined the commercial fleet in Shkodër and Lezhë. Later he served in the Albanian navy, based in Durrës, with the rank of sergeant, commanding the patrol boat Tiranë. He was one of the few officers of the Royal Albanian Army who tried to stop the Italian invasion of Albania. Armed only with a machine gun, he was placed in the center of the defense line and fought uninterruptedly until he was eventually killed by an artillery shell from an Italian warship in the last hour of the battle.[1] It is reported that he killed and wounded dozens of Italian soldiers with his machine gun.[2]

Legacy

To honor his action, patriotism, and sense of duty a monument was erected in front of Durrës Castle. A grammar school in Durrës and streets in Tirana and Prishtina bear his name.[2] A documentary on his life and actions with the title "Lufton Mujo Ulqinaku" (English: Mujo Ulqinaku fights on) was released in 1979 by Kinostudio Shqipëria e Re.[3]

References

1. Zeqo, Mojkom (1980). Mujo Ulqinaku. Tirana, Albania: 8 Nëntori Pub. House.
2. Kore, Blerim (7 April 2009). "Kur mbreti italian Viktor Emanueli, vizitonte Gjirokastren". Koha Jone (in Albanian). Koha Jone. Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
3. Mujo Ulqinaku at IMDb