From what I can tell this movie isn't available with English subtitles, which is a shame Soldado Milhões




Aníbal Augusto Milhais GOTE(nickname "Soldier Millions") (July 9, 1895 – June 3, 1970) was the most decorated Portuguese soldier of World War I and the only Portuguese soldier awarded the highest national honour, the Ordem de Torre e Espada do Valor, Lealdade e Mérito (Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit) on the battlefield instead of the usual public ceremony in Lisbon

The participation of Portugal in World War I took place mostly in Flanders, which is in Belgium. On April 9, 1918.[1][2] The battle is known in Portugal as "The Battle of La Lys" – the first day of Ludendorff's Lys Offensive, otherwise known as "Operation Georgette", and as the "Battle of Estaires" in official British history.[3] Milhais found himself in the midst of the battle of La Lys, in the field of Isberg, covering the withdrawal of Portuguese and Scottish soldiers.[2]
Within a few hours 1,938 men were killed, 5,198 wounded and about 7,000 taken prisoners. Despite the disaster, many Portuguese soldiers showed extraordinary bravery, including Milhais, known as Soldier Millions.[2] Milhais was in charge of one of their Lewis guns on 9 April 1918. During "Operation Georgette", when the German Army attacked his division, Milhais stood up with his Lewis machine gun and defeated, almost single handedly, two German assaults by laying down intense fire, leaving hundreds of Germans dead.

He managed to cover the retreat of Portuguese and Scots alike despite coming under heavy attack himself.[1] He fired in all directions and stayed at his post until he ran out of ammunition. His bravery under severe circumstances managed to convince the Germans that they were up against a fortified unit rather than just a single Portuguese soldier with a machine gun.[1] Finally, the Germans decided to go around and Milhais found himself alone in the rear of the enemy lines where he stayed for three days almost without eating or drinking.

On the third day, Milhais, still carrying his Lewis, rescued a Scottish major from a swamp and the two reached Allied lines. Milhais was warmly welcomed but did not say anything about his experiences. It was through the officer he had helped reporting the story to the British HQ and several other testimonies that his deeds become known.[1]

A few months later, Milhais again held back the Germans, standing alone with his Lewis gun and allowing a Belgian unit to retreat safely to a secondary trench without casualties. Both the British observers present in the scene and the Belgian commander included his action in their reports

On February 2, 1919, he returned to his homeland and married Teresa de Jesus and had nine children with her.[4] Unfortunately, after the war ended, the Portuguese economy was near bankruptcy and Milhais faced difficulties in providing for his family. The Portuguese government promised to help but, instead of an allowance, named the village where he was born after him.[1] On July 8, 1924, the Parliament named the town of Valongo, officially Valongo of Milhais.

Now the rather shy Milhais was living in the village of Valongo of Milhais, more famous than ever, but as poor as before.[1] He received many decorations and much public praise, but the highly decorated soldier still could not provide for his family. In 1928, he emigrated to Brazil in an attempt to improve his financial standing. The Portuguese community in Brazil received him as a hero. When the Portuguese living there realized that Milhais was in Brazil by need, the community gathered funds to send him back to Portugal with enough money to provide for his family.[1] The Portuguese thought it a national indignity and were angry that the military had forced such a degrading life on Milhais.[4]

On August 5, 1928, he returned to Portugal and back to agriculture, to restart his life. He started to receive a small pension from the State, on the Order of the Tower and Sword.[4] Even so, it was enough to live as a national hero. He died on June 3, 1970, in the village named after him


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