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Michael Holte BieringAt the end of July 1992, twenty-one year old Michael came from Denmark to join the HVO and may possibly have been sent to the fighting in south-western Bosnia against Serb paramilitaries and the Yugoslav Army. He was later known to have gone to an unknown brigade in Tuzla, north-eastern Bosnia where he participated in heavy fighting. On 4th November he telephoned a friend in Denmark, informing him that his small unit consisting of nine Bosnian-Croats including two women and two British volunteers, was surrounded by the Serbs and running short of ammunition. He said they were going to try a "dash for the wire." On 9th November Michael was reported killed in action on the Tuzla frontline, subsequently confirmed by the Danish Consul General in Zagreb. There was considerable attention in the Danish media when the Danish Foreign Ministry refused to repatriate his body. A tabloid newspaper finally came forward to pay the costs in return for an exclusive story from the dead volunteerﾒs mother. She and two journalists travelled to the mortuary at Tomislavgrad, where she was able to identify her son, his body cremated and the remains brought back to Denmark on 5th December, accompanied by a letter of thanks and appreciation from his unit commander in the HVO. The following day, Michael's ashes were interred at the Holmens Cemetery in Copenhagen. Only his mother and a priest were present.
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