Victoria Cross hero Naik Yeshwant Ghadge honoured in Italy, 82 years on
Synopsis
More than eight decades after Naik Yeshwant Ghadge died alone in an enemy gun post in Italy at age 24, India and Italy came together in Montone to remember him — and let schoolchildren from Belagavi and Montone carry his story forward. It is a reminder that India's World War II sacrifice in Europe is still being recovered from the margins of history.
Key Takeaways
Montone Municipality and the Embassy of India in Italy jointly commemorated Victoria Cross recipient Naik Yeshwant Ghadge on 19 September 2026 .
Ghadge, serving with the 3/5th Mahratta Light Infantry , single-handedly captured an enemy machine-gun post at Morlupo, Italy on 10 July 1944 before being killed by snipers at age 24 .
A virtual student exchange linked Army Public School, Belagavi (India) with Giuseppe Polidori Secondary School, Montone (Italy) as part of the event.
Ghadge's body was never recovered; he is memorialised on the Cassino War Memorial in Italy and honoured with a statue in Mangaon, Raigad District , Maharashtra.
The event is part of the Indian Embassy's broader initiative to highlight shared Indo-Italian wartime history and strengthen bilateral ties.
Italy and India jointly paid tribute on Saturday, 19 September 2026 to Victoria Cross recipient Naik Yeshwant Ghadge, an Indian soldier who gave his life fighting in Italy during the Second World War. The commemoration, held in the hill-town of Montone, was organised by Montone Municipality and the Embassy of India in Italy, marking one of the most poignant episodes in Indo-Italian shared history.
How the Event Unfolded
The highlight of the ceremony was a live virtual interaction between students of Army Public School, Belagavi, in Karnataka and pupils of Giuseppe Polidori Secondary School, Montone, Italy. The cross-border exchange allowed young learners on both sides to discover Ghadge's remarkable act of valour, share perspectives, and build human connections across continents. The Embassy of India in Rome described the event as part of its ongoing effort to spotlight the two nations' shared wartime history and their enduring bilateral friendship.
Naik Ghadge's Act of Extraordinary Courage
Naik Yeshwant Ghadge served with the 3/5th Mahratta Light Infantry — now the Maratha Light Infantry — during the Italian campaign of World War II. On 10 July 1944, in the Upper Tiber Valley near Morlupo, Italy, he found himself alone and rushed a heavily defended enemy machine-gun post single-handedly. According to his Victoria Cross citation, as recorded by the National Army Museum, London: 'Without hesitation, and well knowing that none were left to accompany him, Naik Yeshwant Ghadge rushed the machine gun post. He first threw a grenade which knocked out the machine gun and firer, after which he shot one of the gun crew with his Tommy gun. Finally, having no time to change his magazine, he grasped his gun by the barrel and beat to death the remaining two men of the gun crew.'
Ghadge subsequently fell to enemy sniper fire — shot in the chest and back — and died inside the post he had seized alone. He was just 24 years old. The citation concluded that his 'courage, determination, and devotion to duty… in a situation where he knew the odds against him gave little hope of survival were outstanding.'
A Soldier Without a Grave
Ghadge's body was never recovered from the battlefield. He is commemorated on the Cassino War Memorial in Italy, which honours thousands of Allied soldiers who fell in the campaign. In India, a statue of Ghadge stands at the Tahasil Office, Mangaon, in the Raigad District of Maharashtra — a quiet civic tribute to a soldier the wider world rarely hears about.
Why This Commemoration Matters
The event is notable for several reasons. India and Italy fought as Allied partners during World War II, yet the Indian contribution to the Italian campaign — involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the undivided subcontinent — remains far less celebrated than the sacrifices of British, American, or Commonwealth troops. Ceremonies such as this one in Montone serve to restore that historical balance. This is also the second such joint commemoration event the Indian Embassy in Rome has organised in recent years, reflecting a deliberate diplomatic effort to deepen people-to-people ties through historical memory. The school exchange component adds a fresh dimension: rather than confining remembrance to official ceremonies, the initiative plants awareness of Ghadge's story in the next generation of both countries.
Point of View
Yet it remains one of the least-documented chapters of that conflict in popular memory. Naik Ghadge's Victoria Cross is a rare named marker in an otherwise faceless sacrifice. The school-exchange format adopted at Montone is a smart diplomatic innovation: official remembrance ceremonies fade; peer-to-peer learning between children tends to last. What is still missing is a systematic national effort — beyond embassy-level initiatives — to document and teach the Indian role in the European and African theatres of WWII, lest every commemoration remain a rediscovery rather than a continuation.
NationPress
19 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Naik Yeshwant Ghadge?
Naik Yeshwant Ghadge was an Indian soldier who served with the 3/5th Mahratta Light Infantry during the Second World War. On 10 July 1944, he single-handedly captured an enemy machine-gun post at Morlupo in Italy's Upper Tiber Valley and was killed by sniper fire at the age of 24, earning a posthumous Victoria Cross for his extraordinary courage.
Why was Naik Ghadge awarded the Victoria Cross?
He was awarded the Victoria Cross for single-handedly assaulting an enemy machine-gun post, first disabling the gun with a grenade, then shooting one crew member, and finally beating the last two to death with the barrel of his own gun when his ammunition ran out. He died in the post moments later, killed by enemy snipers. His citation described his courage as 'outstanding' given that he knew survival was unlikely.
What happened at the Montone commemoration on 19 September 2026?
Montone Municipality and the Embassy of India in Italy held a joint commemoration in the Italian hill-town of Montone. The centrepiece was a virtual exchange between students of Army Public School, Belagavi (India) and Giuseppe Polidori Secondary School, Montone (Italy), allowing young people from both countries to learn about Ghadge's sacrifice and interact across borders.
Where is Naik Ghadge memorialised?
Since his body was never recovered from the battlefield, Naik Yeshwant Ghadge is commemorated on the Cassino War Memorial in Italy, which honours Allied soldiers who fell in the Italian campaign. In India, a statue stands at the Tahasil Office in Mangaon, Raigad District, Maharashtra.
Why does the Indian contribution to the Italian campaign in WWII receive little attention?
Despite hundreds of thousands of Indian soldiers serving in the Italian theatre under the Allied command, their role has historically been overshadowed by the contributions of British, American, and other Commonwealth forces in mainstream narratives. Commemorations like the one at Montone are part of a diplomatic effort to restore that historical recognition through bilateral initiatives and educational outreach.
