La Lys - April 9, 1918 - Porto City - Praça Carlos Alberto

Today, April 9, but 97 years ago, 1918, at 4:00 am the German army launched its last and already desperate mass attack to break the defensive lines positioned at the western front with the main objective to make them retreat and reach Paris and win the war. The Portuguese army positions at La Lys were chosen as they were there for more than 9 months, under-supplied and equipped ... so at 4:00 am the German assault troops charged in successive row attack waves separated 90 metres from each other. Line A on the Portuguese side fell but line B although severely damaged sustained to the best of their abilities the attacks and despite the heavy losses managed to delay the German attack time enough to allow the British allied troops positioned nearby to intervene and change the course of the battle which became the beginning of the end to the German effort and possibility to win the war which ended a few months later on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
On that day, April the 9th of 1918, several men distinguished themselves for their brave actions, of them one remained know to history by the nickname adapted from his real family name as Soldado Milhões, Soldier Millions, it was Anibal Augusto Milhais. Augusto Milhais found himself alone with is Lewis machine gun that he called his Luisa, so he remained in his position and continuously opened fire on a German motorcycle unit almost decimating it, and continued so until he run out of ammunition, at which time he started to move and continue to fire with the ammunitions he found on the field left by his fallen Portuguese comrades. The Germans thought they were being attacked by a strong and fresh army unit and by the time the battle ended many Germans had fallen as a result of his action. Augusto Milhais wondered during several days through the fields and it was then he found and saved form a swamp a Scottish medic who later reported Augusto Milhais actions to the British and Portuguese Command and along with other testimonies this led for Augusto Milhais to be awarded the highest Portuguese decoration, the Colar de Torre e Espadas, awarded to him in the battle field instead of a ceremony in Lisbon as was usual, so he his the only soldier to be awarded with that decoration in the battle field. He also received several other decorations form other nations. Even so Augusto Milhais lived most of his life in difficult economic way as a farmer. He did not speak much of his deeds and continued to be a simple person.
April the 9th was once a remembrance day in Portugal, time went by and it is almost forgotten or even unknown ... well not by me!, half British and Portuguese April the 9th and November the 11th will be remembrance days for me as is the 9th of May but of 1945 date when the German troops surrendered to the Soviet Red Army.
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