Blog Post

Youngest Soldier in World War Two: world record set by Marin Lungu

Feb 05, 2020

The Tatra Mountains, Slovakia--Enlisted in the Romanian Army at only 6 years and 8 months, during the World War Two, for his acts of courage, already reached Corporal at 9 years, Romanian Marin Lungu, (D.O.B. January 21, 1936), was finally captured by the Germans in the Tatra Mountains (Slovakia), after about 30 successful missions behind enemy lines, thus setting the world record for being the Youngest soldier in World War Two, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

After about 30 missions, he is captured by the Germans in the Tatra Mountains (Slovakia). He arrives at the Skromca - Pyark war camp, where he remains until the end of the World War Two.

For the brave operations that he went through and distinguished and injured, Marin Lungu was rewarded with the decorations "Man and Faith", "Medal of the Faithful Service" and "Cross of the Faithful Service".

After his liberation, in 1945, still on the Czechoslovak front, Romania's war minister Constantin Vasiliu Rascanu sends him to the rank of corporal and also decorates it with "Military Virtue of War - First Class - Gold". "I decorate this child for acts of courage and heroism, for the information provided to the Romanian Army, he deserves more and the country will be grateful to him," said the minister in front of the soldiers.

Novels have been written about Marin Lungu, an artistic film has been inspired and several international documentaries have been made.

Born in the village of Neatârnarea, Tulcea County, Romania, and left orphaned by his father, with the assistant mother in the Red Cross, the Marine child is adopted by the 40th Infantry Regiment in Medgidia, Online Journalists reports.

Romanian writer Radu Teodoru recounts how the boy Marin Lungu came to the front: “He went to the division commander's report and asked him to leave the front. Naturally, the general did not approve but the child slipped into the regimental train. Clever, inventive, of an extraordinary courage, the child Marin Lungu is noted by a captain who trains him in the specialty of a scout. In Transylvania sneaks behind enemy lines, in occupied villages and localities, invents dozens of pretexts to roam around; counts the cannons, the armored vehicles, the vehicles, realizes the actual numbers, learns to distinguish the Hungarian uniforms from the German ones. Gives accurate information, communicates the location of machine guns, throwers, artillery."

Proving special courage, the little scout entered the enemy lines and camps.

The little soldier obtained valuable information during the war, after, as a researcher in group 132 of the Information and Research Bureau of the Upper Command Level of the 9th Infantry Division, he participated in the liberation of Transylvania by the horthyst-hitler troops. of Budapest and Hungary and Czechoslovakia, where he was captured by the Nazis after dozens of missions on the front and enemy lines.

The Youngest Allied Soldier in World War Two was Calvin Graham, the fresh-faced seaman who had set off for battle from the Philadelphia Navy Yard in the summer of 1942, was only 12 years old.

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the Oldest person to receive a medal for military service was set by Commander William Leslie King (UK), the oldest surviving British Royal Naval submarine commander and the last to have served for the entire Second World War, who received the Arctic Emblem from the Ministry of Defence at the age of 96 years on the quarterdeck of HMS Belfast in London, UK on 10 October 2006.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS also recognized the world record for the longest surviving soldier on record; it is Antonio Todde (Italy) who served during World War I. Born 22 January 1889, he died on 4 January 2002 aged 112 years 346 days, surpassing the previous record held by John B. Salling of the US Confederate Army by 41 days.