David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:59am
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Pacific Star
Pacific Star
The Pacific Star was awarded for operational service in the area round the Pacific from the 8th of December 1941 until the 2nd. September 1945. Qualifying service for the Army units was restricted to that territory which had been subjected to enemy or allied invasions. Operational service in Burma was excluded for this award as its had its own Star, but operational service in China and Malaya between the 8th of December 1941 and the 15th of February 1942 was qualified for the Pacific Star. Also operational service in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea was qualified for this award. The award was issued for one day or more of operational service in these areas. However, for Army personnel there was no minimum service period required for this award. RAF crews had to complete at least one operational sortie in these areas.
Those who also qualified for the Burma Star could wear a bar or a rose emblem on the ribbon, of the first star earned.
The Pacific Star is a bronze six pointed star with the Royal Cipher ?GRI VI? surmounted by a crown with the inscription ?THE PACIFIC STAR?. The reverse is plain and blank and the award is issued unnamed.
The ribbon consists of seven coloured stripes : red, dark blue, green, yellow, green, light blue and red and the colours respresent the jungle, the beaches and the Army, Navy and Air Force.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 9:35am
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The Albert Medals
The Albert Medals. Established in 1866 as life-saving medals, came in four variations, going through rules changes in 1877, 1905 and 1917.
The Albert Medal in Gold, hung from a blue ribbon with four narrow white stripes, was a 'first class' award for 'extreme or heroic daring' in saving life at sea. A 'second class' variation, named simply The Albert Medal, had its bronze medallion hung from a blue ribbon with two broad white stripes, was for saving life at sea that didn't quite qualify as 'extreme or heroic daring.'
Two "land" varitaions were also created for saving life on land. The land versions followed the same criteria but had red ribbons with white stripes. As a life-saving medal, this was not limited to war-time awards or combat action, but Albert Medals were awarded during the war. Awards were discontinued in 1971, with the George Cross taking its place.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:02pm
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Order of Alexander Nevsky
The Order of Alexander Nevsky was planned by Peter the Great as an exclusively military merit award, but he died before it had been awarded to anyone. During the reign of his wife Catherine, the order was established (1725) and bestowed on notable civilians as well as military heroes. Thus, the order had both civil and military awards, the latter being designated (after the mid-1800s) by crossed swords placed diagonally between the arms of the cross-shaped badge. The badge was worn at the left hip on a solid scarlet moire sash. A star of the order was worn on the left breast.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:03pm
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Order of St.Vladimir
The Order of St.Vladimir was instituted in 1782, originally as a civil order of merit, such as for life saving or famine relief. There were four classes. During the Crimean War, it was awarded for military merit as well. If awarded for deeds in arms, crossed swords were placed between the cross arms. To be included in the Order of St. Vladimir (of any class) also granted the recipient hereditary noble rank. After 1826, only the Order of St. George shared this distinction.
A person would be awarded the order's lowest class for the first heroic act. A second meritorious act could be rewarded with the next higher class and so on. Usually only the badge of the highest class was worn. If a recipient had been awarded a lower class with swords, for valor in battle, crossed swords would be set between the cross arms. If the recipient went on to be awarded a higher class, but in peace time, small crossed swords would be set across the upper cross arm.
The Order of St. Vladimir can sometimes be seen in medal groups of non-Russian Allied soldiers, including examples awarded by the White Russian armies after the fall of the Czar. It ranked above the Order of Saint Anne, and below the Order of Saint George. The order of St. Vladimir, fourth class, can be seen as the solitary decoration worn by Czar Nicholas II in the photos taken of him during his final days of captivity before he and his family were executed.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:05pm
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Russo-Japanese War Medal
Russo-Japanese War Medal. This is a service medal for a conflict that predates the Great War, but is included here since it was not uncommon to see among Great War soldiers' awards. This service medal was awarded in 1914, marking the 10th anniversary of the war with Japan. Since Russia did not 'win' that war, the Russian government was reluctant to issue any commemorative medals for the conflict. Veterans finally prevailed in seeing a medal issued. Following Russian custom, campaign medal ribbons were made with the colors of existing orders. For the Port Arthur medal, the colors of the Order of St. George and St. Alexander Nevsky. Examples exist in brass or bronze and in silver. Some have plain ribbons and some have the 'bow'. I do not know if these mark classes or grades, since this was a campaign medal, not a merit award. They may represent variations in style or issue only.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:08pm
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Ordine della Santissima A
Ordine della Santissima Annunziata: one of the greatest chivalric orders of all times, comparable to the Habsburg's Golden Fleece, the Order of the Garter and the Supreme Order of Christ. While very exclusive, the collar was bestowed upon high ranking generals.
Established in 1362 by Amedeo VI of Savoy ("the Green Count"). While the founder had originally conceived an overall number of 15 members to honour the 15 "delights" of the Blessed Virgin (14 knights plus the Grand Master), in 1869 King Vittorio Emanuele II raised the number of knights from 14 to 20; but the Grand Master, the princes of his royal blood, clergymen and foreigners were supposed to be calculated as an extra to this fixed number. Untill the fall of monarchy, the Knighthood of the Holy Annunciation equalled nobility, and gave right to the title of "Excellency" and "Cousin of the King", with precedence, in all ceremonies, over the highest offices of state. The Annunziata's collar could be conferred on non-nobles, but not on non-catholics: this because of its deeply religious origins, and since the knights had many religious duties. Each collar exists in two versions: a greater one (to be used on New Year's Day, on Annunciation Day, on national holidays and in all solemn court cerimonies) and a smaller (for all other occasions). Collars were to be returned to the King after the death of a Knight. Nevertheless, during last decades many collars went missing, as the Duce's (Benito Mussolini) one. Although the medallion is worn suspended to a golden collar, a ribbon to be used on uniforms was indeed instituted by Royal Decree in 1924: it is purple (better: amaranthine) and bears a small golden badge (four-leaved clover-shaped) depicting the Annunciation "en miniature".
During the monarchy, this was to be placed above all other merits and awards. After the fall of monarchy the Italian Republican Government obviously denied acknowledgement of this order, which was never discontinued, being dynastic patrimony of the existing House of Savoy, and ist still, though very seldom, conferred.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:17pm
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M
M?daille d'honneur pour actes de courage et de d?vouement (Medal of Honor for Acts of Courage and Devotion) This is an old award, with a somewhat complicated history. As an award, it existed since the days
of Louis XIV. King Louis Philippe made it a wearable medal on April 12, 1831. Over the years, the design of the medal has varied depending of it was issued by the Monarchy, the Empire, or the Republic. Medals of Honor were bestowed by certain Ministries within the French government which had their own variations in medallion the design. The ribbon was always Blue / White / Red. There were five classes of this award. The lowest class had a bronze medallion, hung from a plain Blue/White/Red ribbon. Next came the Silver, 2nd Class, with a silver medallion, hung from the simple ribbon. Silver First Class had a silver medallion, but added a silver wreath device pinned to the ribbon. The 'Vermeill' award had a silver-gilt medallion, and silver-gilt wreath pin on the ribbon. The highest level of the award was the Gold, which had a gold medallion (though sometimes this was also silver-gilt when gold was in short supply). The Gold award also had a gold wreath pin and a tricolor rosette on the ribbon.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:21pm
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Distinguished Service Cro
The Distinguished Service Cross Second only to the Medal of Honor for Army personnel, this decoration was created by executive order on January 2 1918 and authorized by Congress on July 9, 1918. It is awarded to "a person who while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguished himself or herself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor; while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing or foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing Armed Force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades." During World War I, approximately 100 awards of an early variation of this medal known as the "French" or "first" style were also given. In this form, the arms of the cross were ornamented with oak leaves, the eagle was mounted on a diamond-shaped plaque, and the scroll bore the words "E Pluribus Unum", rather than the present-day "For Valor".
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:28pm
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Ehrenkreuz des Weltkriege
Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914-18 (Cross of Honor for the Great War, 1914-1918) The Honor Cross is a general service medal, recognizing service during the war. Three classifications were instituted as one of the last acts of President Hindenburg on 13 July 1934. Since Germany did not win the war, it cannot be construed as a "victory" medal, but it was awarded in much the same manner. These crosses are easily the most common German decoration of WWI -- by 15 November 1936 more than 8 million were already issued. Both crosses and ribbons were derived from the 1870-71 War Commemorative Medal, (itself a Prussian award) using the same ribbons and very similar crosses (but for the dates). The reverse of all crosses is plain (mostly with a maker's mark) and the obverse is identical.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:30pm
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Das Kolonialabzeichen
Das Kolonialabzeichen. The Colonial Badge, also called Elephantenorden (Elephant's Order). Awarded to all German colonials who, during the 1st WW and in the former German colonies, were acting or serving on behalf of the colonies.
This silvered badge made of copper or aluminium has on the obverse a palm tree and an elephant. The lower part of the badge is covered with oak leaves and around the upper rim are the place names "S?DSEE * AFRIKA * KIAUTSCHOU" referring to the larger areas where German colonies were situated. The pin backed reverse has only the text "GES. GESCH?TZT NR. 33992" (Legally protected Nr. 33992).
This official decoration was instituted in October 1921 and was to be purchased by the recipient. By 21 November 1936 some 8,000 were issued and it is safe to assume that few later awards took place.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:32pm
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Das Baltenkreuz
Das Baltenkreuz (Baltic Cross) Awarded to the members of the Baltic militia (Landeswehr) and the German volunteer units in the Baltic area that, before 1 July 1919, had been for at least 3 months "under fire" (i.e. on active service and having participated in fighting) in the Baltic countries.
It is a black oxydized metal cross with a gilt 'Hochmeister" of the German Knighthood Order cross, ending in lilies, on top of it. The reverse is plain.
There was only one "class" of this award, but it could be worn as either a breast pin or from a white ribbon with a central blue band and blue stripes near the ribbon's edge. This gives rise to some notations as the ribbon-hung issue being a "2nd Class", similar to the Iron Cross, but there was only the one class.
The Baltic cross was instituted in the summer of 1919 by the "Baltische Nationalausschu?" in commemoration of the Baltic liberation fights in 1918-19 (in S?dlivland and Kurland). This Nationalausschu? was the political representation of the German Baltic population in Latvia at the time. In total 21,839 crosses were issued. It was only on 16 May 1933 that the Baltic Cross was officially recognized as an offical German award.
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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 12:42pm
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Milit
Milit?r-Verdienstkreuz (Cross for Military Merit) Awarded to officers, in peace time, for distinguished service through zeal and perseverance, in war time for valour and fine leadership. The cross, in white enamel with red enamel borders, was originally instituted on 21 October 1849 by Emperor Franz Joseph I and in 1860 the "Kriegsdekoration" (War Decoration), a gilded laurel wreath appearing between the arms of the cross, was added for distinction in action. On 23 September 1914 the decoration was reorganized into three classes :
1st Class becoming a breast pin cross (only for general officers
commanding at least an army corps),
2nd Class a neck badge
3rd Class a breast badge.
On 13 December 1916 crossed gilt swords to be attached on the ribbon were instituted while from 1 August 1917 onwards, subsequent awards of the 3rd Class could be identified by trapeze shaped, gilt bars. The obverse medaillon of the cross bears the word "VER / DIENST" (Merit), the reverse is in plain white enamel.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:43pm
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Eisernes Verdienstkreuz
Eisernes Verdienstkreuz (Iron Cross for Merit) Awarded to soldiers or civil servants of lower rank for merit. This decoration was instituted on 1 April 1916 and could be awarded with or without an imperial crown. For service at the front, gilt swords attached to the ribbon were instituted on 13 December 1916. The cross could be suspended on the ribbon of the Bravery Medal in case of war merit or on a plain red ribbon for merit in times of peace. Awards of the latter kind were apparently never made. The obverse has a central medaillion in which the imperial monogram "FJ" (Franz Joseph) is placed within an inner circle bearing the motto "VIRIBUS UNITIS" (by united forces). The reverse (shown in the enlargement) bears the year of institution '1916' within a stylised wreath. The larger part of recipients of this decoration can be found among members of the medical corps, the field railroad corps and the military postal services.
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David
Thu October 7, 2004 12:44pm
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Milit
Milit?r-Verdienstmedaille (Medal for Military Merit) Often called 'Signum Laudis' from the text on the reverse, this medal was awarded to NCO's and other ranks for exceptional merit in war or peace. Instituted on 12 March 1890 by Emperor Franz Joseph I, it was issued on a plain red ribbon for peace merit, in silver or gilt bronze. On 1 April 1916 Franz Joseph added a higher class, the Large Medal for Military Merit. For merit whilst in view of the enemy, crossed gilt swords were attached to the ribbon and in February 1917 Karl I instituted silvered bars for a second and third award of the small medal, gilt bars for the Large Medal. In November 1916, at the succession to the throne of Karl I, the medals were adapted. The obverse was changed to have the new Emperor's bust and a corresponding text : "CAROLVS D.G. IMP.AVST.REX BOH.ETC. ET REX APOST.HVNG" (see Bravery Medal) and the suspension was altered to have 2 crowns on oak and laurel leafs (Emperor's crown of Austria, King's crown of Hungary). At first the oak and laurel leafs were repeated on the reverse, later in the war the suspension's reverse was plain. The reverse itself bears the words "SIGNVM / LAUDIS" (sign of esteem) within an oak and a laurel branch.
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