David
Thu October 7, 2004 9:36am
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L
L?gion d'Honneur -- This order, the highest French distinction, is awarded to all persons which distinguished themselves through civilian or military valour. The order was instituted early in the 19th century (1802) by the then First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, in 4 classes. In 1805 a fifth, and highest class, was added. These classes are :
Grand Croix -
Gold badge worn at left hip on broad scarlet sash from right shoulder to left hip. Star on left breast.
Grand Officer - Gold badge worn on left breast. Star on right breast.
Commandeur - Gold badge worn at neck on scarlet ribbon.
Officer - Gold badge worn on left breast, suspended from scarlet ribbon with rosette.
Chevalier -
Silver badge worn on left breast, scarlet ribbon.
When awarded for war services, the L?gion d'Honneur carried automatic award of the Croix de Guerre with palm. Shown, is the Obverse and Reverse of the 4th class award, i.e. "Officier" as issued between 1870-1940 (French 3rd Republic).
Obverse text : REPUBLIQUE FRAN?AISE 1870
Reverse text : HONNEUR ET PATRIE (Honour and Fatherland)
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 9:37am
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M
M?daille Militaire - This medal is roughly the French counterpart to the Distinguished Conduct Medal. It was awarded only to general officers in charge of armies, admirals in charge of fleets, or non-commissioned officers who distinguished themselves in war. The medal was instituted on 22 January 1852 during the reign of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, President of the 2nd Republic. The example shown is as issued between 1870-1940 (French 3rd Republic)
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:02pm
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Order of St. George
The Order of St. George, Imperial Russia's highest exclusively military order, was instituted in 1769 and came to be considered among the most prestigious military awards in the world, ranking just below the Order of St. Andrew the First Called. The order was awarded to officers and generals for special gallantry, such as, personally leading his troops in rout of a superior enemy force, or capturing a fortress, etc. Before membership in the Order could be granted, a candidate's case had to be investigated by a council composed of Knights of the Order.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:09pm
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Ordine Militare di Savoia
Ordine Militare di Savoia (Military Order of Savoia) - Established by King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia in 1815 . Awarded for especially distinguished service in war.
5 classes-- worn in the usual styles -- Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, Knight. The first three classes had the royal crown above the cross. The Officer class had the cross suspened from a 'trophy' of flags. The lowest class, the Knight, suspended the cross from a simple ring. The Knight class could be awarded to soldiers and sailors. The ribbon had three equal stripes of navy/red/navy.
With the fall of the monarchy, this Order was retained, but renamed the 'Order of Military Merit of Italy."
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:09pm
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Ordine della Corona d'Ita
Ordine della Corona d'Italia (Order of the Crown of Italy): established by Royal Decree on 20.2.1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II after the annexation of the Venetian Region and the completion of Italy's unity. It was awarded to Italian and foreigner citizens, both civilians and soldiers, as a token of national gratitude for their accomplishments which could include a long military career with a 'clean' record. This Order was less exclusive than the Order of the Annunciation or the Order of St. Maurice and Lazarus.
It was divided in the usual five classes, worn in the customary ways: Knight, Officer, Commander, Grand Officer, Grand Cross. Between the cross arms were four knots of Savoy ("love knots) in gold filigree. On the obverse the cross was "charg?" by the "Iron Crown" encircled in gold and blue; on the reverse there was a black eagle with the Arms of Savoy "en coeur", encircled in red. The Order was named after the famed "Iron Crown", kept in Monza's Cathedral and allegedly crafted from a nail of the Holy Cross. The crown was used for the coronation - among many others - of Charlemagne, Napoleon I and all the Kings of Italy. With the fall of monarchy the order, being considered national, and not of dynastic property, was discontinued and replaced in 1951 by the Meritorious Order of the Republic of Italy ("Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana").
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:14pm
Rating: 10
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Ordine Di Vittorio Veneto
Ordine Di Vittorio Veneto. Ordine di Vittorio Veneto (Order of Vittorio Veneto): instituted on 18.3.1968 by the President of the Republic of Italy to honour all servicemen of World war I who had already earned, for their brave deeds, a War Merit Cross or, at least, had been entitled to receive one. The recipients (over 600.000, according to the Ministry of Defence) were included in the rolls after acceptance of their application addressed to the Order's Council; in 1969 the same (if officers or non-commissioned officers at war-time) were symbolically promoted to an higher rank, with an improvement of their retirement pay. Head of the Order, which came in the only class of "knight", is the President of the Republic. The cross of the Order is made of black bronze, with four equal and pointed arms ("aiguis?e") embellished by laurel wreaths in relief; the obverse of the cross bears a star encircled by the inscription "ORDINE DI VITTORIO VENETO", while the reverse is decorated by an "Adrian" helmet. The ribbon is vertically divided in three equal parts: a central one in white-blue-white, flanked on both sides by six narrow stripes in green-white-red repeated two times. In many experts' opinion, the Order of Vittorio Veneto is an anomalous one, being condemned to extinction with the death of its last knight; to prevent such a sad occurence, it was recently proposed (apparently without result) to extend its knigthood to veterans up to World War II.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:16pm
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St. George's Weapon
The St. George's Weapon was an additional award associated with the Order of St. George, though rarely given . An officer could be bestowed with a gold saber, inscribed "For Gallantry" and marked with a small enamel St. George cross and with the black and orange St. Geroge's ribbon for the sword knot. High ranking officers, such as generals or admirals could receive the St. George's Weapon with inset diamonds as an added distinction. The gold weapon was an independent award, not an extra class within the order, but holders of the golden weapon were considered holders of the order.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:21pm
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Citation Star (Silver Sta
Citation Star (Silver Star) On July 9, 1918, an Act of Congress authorized the wearing of a small (3/16") silver star upon the ribbon of a campaign medal by Army personnel. This was to indicate "a citation for gallantry in action, published in orders issued from the headquarters of a general officer, not warranting the award of a Medal of Honor or Distinguished Service Cross". World War I veterans who had received this award wore the device on the WWI Victory Medal. This was originally known in the Army as the "citation star", but was established as the Silver Star Medal in 1932. At this time, holders of a citation star were issued the new medal.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:24pm
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Mexican Service Medal
Mexican Service Medal. The US Army, Navy and Marines issued a medal for Mexican service. The Mexican Service Medal for Navy and Marine Corps personnel. While barely connected with WWI, the Zimmerman Telegram incident prompts including this medal, as well, it may show up among WWI vets' awards.
It was originally authorized 11 February 1918 for award to officers and enlisted men who served ashore during the Vera Cruz expedition between April 21 and 23, 1914. Eligibility was quickly expanded to include personnel serving aboard 121 specific ships during specified periods from 21 April to 26 November 1914 and from 14 March 1916 to 7 February 1917. Navy and Marine Corps personnel who served in engagements with hostile Mexican forces outside those specific time periods were also eligible for award of the Mexican Service Medal.
The Army medal had on its obverse, a yucca shrub in flower, with moutains in the back ground. Around this, the text "MEXICAN SERVICE" -- "1911-1917."
The Navy and Marine Corps medal (shown above) depicted San Juan castle in Vera Cruz, with the same text surrounding it. The ribbons were the same for all branches. The reverses varied by branch, but were typical of their branch's medals.
In all, about 16,000 Navy personnel were awarded the Mexican Service Medal with "United States Navy" on the reverse and about 2,500 Marines received the medal with the United States Marine Corps reverse.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:35pm
Rating: 10
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Royal Hohenzollern House
Royal Hohenzollern House Order, as its name implies, was not so much a Prussian order as an order of the Prussian ruling family, the Hohenzollerns. Nonetheless, this order earned an important place in the heirarchy of Prussian military awards of the First World War. The knight's cross of this order became a bridge to the considerable gap between the Iron Cross, first class, and the Pour le Merite for recognizing heroism., while the Crown Order and Red Eagle (logical choices) remained fairly exclusive.
There was also a "member's cross" of the order which was available to non-commissioned officers, but was rarely awarded. When awarded for duty in a combat unit or for combat operations, the decoration had swords between the arms of the cross. There were over 8,000 awards made during World War I, the vast majority of them knight's crosses.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:36pm
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Order of the Red Eagle
Order of the Red Eagle. In the 1700s, the Order of the Brandenburger Red Eagle, passed in the Prussian Orders system, eventually settling just below the Pour le M?rite in prestige. Prior to the First World War, the Order of the Red Eagle (with Grand Cross, & 4 classes ) was awarded to recognize valor in combat or excellence in military leadership. It was, as with the Order of the Crown and other Prussian orders, both a military and a civil award, with the addition of crossed swords to indicate a military award.
The 1st Class badge differed from the lower classes in that it was a white enameled maltese cross with red and gold eagles between the arms. The lower classes' badge was the flat-ended St. George style cross, without eagles.
During World War I, award of the Red Eagle Order was limited somewhat in order to preserve its prestige. The 3rd and 4th classas were awarded only 116 times. (Click here to see a 4th Class cross, w/o swords and with the order's peacetime ribbon). Manfred von Richtofen, the famed "Red Baron," received the third class of the order with both crown and swords- an unusually high honor for a mere captain, even if he was a hero and a baron.
There was also a medal of the order, which could be awarded to enlisted men and non-commissioned officers.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:36pm
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Order of the Crown
Order of the Crown. Instituted in 1861, the Order of the Crown was Prussia's lowest ranking order of chivalry, although it still held considerable status. As with most European orders of the time, it could only be awarded to commissioned officers (or civilians of approximately equivalent status), but there was a medal associated with the order which could be earned by non- commissioned officers and enlisted men. This order was not frequently awarded for combat actions during the war, although awards "with swords" were made in great numbers to military personnel, for general merit. Shown above is the 4th class badge, with gilt cross arms. The higher grades had white enamel arms.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:37pm
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The Prussian Observers Ba
The Prussian Observers Badge, like the Pilot's Badge described above, the Observer's Badge was not strictly an achievement award. Observers training was longer and more rigorous than pilot training, so the Observer's Badge carried a status somewhat akin to an achievement award. It features an enameled Prussian "signal flag" in the center, surrounded by a red border, and fixed to abackground piece with a "starburst" design with a spray of laurels and oakleaves. The Prussian crown surmounts the design. German aviation obervers were almost always officers while during the early war years, pilot were frequently enlisted personnnel and ordered where to go and how to fly by the officer. The Kingdom of Bavaria had a coresponding badge for its own observers and is not shown here.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:40pm
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The Military Order of Mar
The Military Order of Maria Theresa. Founded by the Empress Maria Theresa on 22 June 1757 as a reward for merit for senior military officers. The order was to be granted as a reward for acts of military valor and to perpetuate the memory of the brave officers receiving it. An officer had to command in a battle or a unit in a winning action to be eligible for the higher grades. For even the lowest class (Knight) an officer had to perform highly significant feats of valor and extreme devotion to duty, to be considered for the Order . With such strict requirements, the Order was sparingly awarded. As with many high orders the decoration was to be returned to the Chancellery of the Order on the death of the holder.
Like most Austrian Orders, it came in three classes or grades:
Knights Grand Cross: worn from the neck, or on an equal-striped red/white/red sash for more formal occasions. Included a breast star. Image of Franz Josef wearing Grand Cross.
Knights Commander: cross worn from the neck.
Knights: cross worn on left breast, suspended from its ribbon. Since the mid 1800s, the ribbons of Austrian awards were folded in a distictive triangular (dreiecks) shape. It was peculiarly Austrian but also copied by some nations under her cultural or military influence.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:41pm
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The Austrian Order of the
The Austrian Order of the Iron Crown - This was the the most commonly awarded Austrian Order during the Great War era. During the latter part of the war, the Order of the Iron Crown functioned as an officer's bravery award. Unlike most orders, it came to be awarded more than once to the same recipient -- taking on more the characteristics of a bravery - medal - than a chivalric - Order-.
Originally an Italian Order (the Coronne de Fer), the Iron Crown came into Austrian use when Austria resumed control of Northern Italy in 1815 following the defeat of Napoleon's forces. Like many other chivalric orders, there was originally to be limited membership: 20 First Class, 30 Second and 50 Third Class, but the number greatly increased with time. Even though Austria lost most all her Italian territories in the various "little" wars between 1859-70 , Austria retained use of the Iron Crown as an "all purpose" order.
The First Class emblem was larger than the other two and worn in ceremonial occasions on a golden yellow sash with two thin blue stripes near the edges, shown here in a 19th cent. engraving.The Second Class emblem was larger than the Knight's and worn from the neck, as seen here. The Third Class, or Knight's, was worn on the breast from the yellow and blue ribbon.
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