Among other heroes of the Civil War, Oleko Dundich stood out for his incredible courage and unparalleled courage. The brave Croat fought for the ideals of the revolution far from his homeland. His personality is shrouded in legends, many of which are irrelevant to reality. Information about Dundich is fragmentary and incomplete. The image of the legendary red cavalryman is reflected in literature and cinematography.
The secret of the personality of Oleko Dundich
After the end of the Civil War, historians were surprised to find out that there was no reliable information about this person. No one knew exactly his real name, date and time of birth. There are no reliable images in the archives either. All the events of the life of Dundich, known to historians, fell into the two years that the brave cavalryman spent in the ranks of the Red Army - from the spring of 1918 to July 1920.
Painstaking work in the archives did not lead to tangible results. Historians wondered what the hero was actually called: Tomo Dundich, Milutin Cholich, Ivan or Alex? Data was collected bit by bit, raising literary sources, interviewing colleagues and fellow countrymen. Many of the information was in conflict with each other. There is no information about the personal life of the legendary cavalryman.
From the biography of Oleko Dundich
A number of materials from the newspaper Voronezhskaya Kommuna for 1919 were dedicated to Krasny Dundich: after being wounded, the hero was being treated in a local hospital. There is also a biography of the cavalryman, which Dundich himself allegedly told the correspondent. According to this biography, Dundich was born in 1896 in the village of Grobovo, located in Dalmatia (formerly Austria-Hungary). Now this territory is mostly part of Croatia.
The parents of the future hero were simple peasants. Located in picturesque places on the Adriatic coast, Dalmatia was considered a backward province of a great empire.
When Dundich was 12 years old, he was sent to live with his uncle, who had previously moved to South America. Here he, still actually a child, joined labor: he drove cattle. He had a chance to visit not only South but also North America. Four years later, the young man returned to Croatia, where he plowed the land and tended cattle for two years.
When the imperialist war broke out, Dundich turned 18. He was drafted into the army of Austria-Hungary, where he served as a non-commissioned officer. During the battle near Lutsk, Dundich was seriously wounded in the leg and ended up in a prisoner of war camp near Odessa.
At that time, the First Serbian Volunteer Division was being formed in Russia. When the leg healed, Dundich entered the service in this unit. Then he successfully graduated from the school of warrant officers in Odessa. After the October Revolution, Dundich sided with the insurgent people and joined the ranks of the Bolshevik Party.
Since the spring of 1918, Dundich was at the head of the partisan detachment. He was also a training and recruiting instructor in one of the brigades that were part of Voroshilov's detachment. Dundich took an active part in the formation of units of the Red Army.
Since 1919, Oleko Dundich has been in the position of assistant regiment commander in the cavalry corps of the First Cavalry Army. Subsequently, Dundich carried out special assignments from Budyonny, who highly valued the young cavalryman for his fearlessness and courage. Oleko did not strive to make a career, he was always where he was most needed at the moment.
On July 8, 1920, Oleko Dundich fell in a battle with the White Poles. They shot him right in front of Budyonny and Voroshilov. The cavalry hero was solemnly buried in Rovno. Thousands of people came to say goodbye to their comrade, among them were his friends, fellow countrymen and colleagues.
