Cross of Valour (Greece)
Cross of Valour Αριστείον Ανδρείας Aristeion Andreias | ||
---|---|---|
Clasps 1940 | | |
Status | Instituted but inactive (wartime award only) | |
Established | 13 May 1913 | |
Last awarded | 21 December 1953 | |
Total | 59 Commander's Crosses 13,068 Gold Crosses 65,256 Silver Crosses | |
Precedence | ||
Next (higher) | Medal for Gallantry | |
Next (lower) | War Cross |
The Cross of Valour (
History
The award was established through Law ΓΡΣΗ/30-4-1913, as an
As the Cross of Valour was practically defunct, for the operations in
The award was liberally distributed during the campaigns of 1921–1922: from the first awards in July 1921 to the end of the war in August 1922, 40 Commander's Crosses (39 to regimental flags, of which six as repeat awards, and one to Lt General Anastasios Papoulas, commander-in-chief of the Army of Asia Minor), 4,528 Gold Crosses and 47,772 Silver Crosses were awarded.[4] In some cases, after critical battles, the entire personnel of some units was decorated with the Cross of Valour.[5] Awards continued to be made for feats performed during the Asia Minor Campaign even after its end, in 1923 and 1924, with 509 Gold Crosses (230 as repeat awards) and 3 Silver Crosses accounted for. Given the great scarcity of actual medals, however, as well as the political upheavals of the 1920s, many common soldiers – in contrast to most officers – probably never received their awards.[6]
With the outbreak of the
The Cross of Valour continued to be awarded for actions during the Greek Civil War and for the Greek participation in the Korean War, as well as for a few cases from World War II, from 1947 to 1955. During this period, eight Commander's Crosses (including, in 1947 to King Paul and General and future Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos), 4,548 Gold Crosses (including to war flags) and 11,072 Silver Crosses were awarded to Greek and Allied (mostly US) personnel.[9]
With the
Design
The Royal Decree of 31 March 1921 instituted the Cross of Valour in three grades: Commander's Cross (Σταυρός Ταξιάρχη), worn as a badge on a necklet, and the Gold Cross (Χρυσούς Σταυρός) and Silver Cross (Αργυρός Σταυρός), worn as badges on chest ribbons. No limit was set on the number of awards in each grade.[2][12] The decree specified that the Commander's Cross was to be awarded only to flag officers and war flags; the Gold Cross to senior and junior officers; and the Silver Cross to Warrant Officers, NCOs and common soldiers.[13]
The design of the badge was specified as a "crowned cross, bearing in the middle of the obverse side, in a circle of narrow laurel leaves, the image of
For World War II awards, a bar with "1940" was placed on the ribbon to distinguish it from the earlier 1913 version.[14][16] Repeat awards were designated with 5-millimeter miniature silver crowns, although a maximum of three was allowed to be worn on the ribbon.[16]
The 1974 version was not finalized until the early 2000s, when a change in design was decided: the crown was replaced by the
Recipients of the Commander's Cross
Recipient | Date of award | Comments |
---|---|---|
King Constantine I | October 1914 | ex officio as head of the order
|
Vice Adm. Pavlos Kountouriotis | 15 October 1914 | |
2/39 Evzone Regiment | 19 June 1921[17] | |
5/42 Evzone Regiment | ||
1st Infantry Regiment | ||
2nd Infantry Regiment | ||
6th Infantry Regiment | ||
7th Infantry Regiment | ||
12th Infantry Regiment | ||
34th Infantry Regiment
|
||
1/38 Evzone Regiment
|
10 November 1921[18] | |
3/40 Evzone Regiment | ||
3rd Infantry Regiment | ||
4th Infantry Regiment | ||
5th Infantry Regiment | ||
8th Infantry Regiment | ||
11th Infantry Regiment | ||
14th Infantry Regiment | ||
16th Infantry Regiment | ||
17th Infantry Regiment | ||
22nd Infantry Regiment | ||
23rd Infantry Regiment | ||
25th Infantry Regiment | ||
26th Infantry Regiment | ||
27th Infantry Regiment | ||
28th Infantry Regiment | ||
30th Infantry Regiment | ||
33rd Infantry Regiment | ||
35th Infantry Regiment | ||
37th Infantry Regiment | ||
43rd Infantry Regiment | ||
44th Infantry Regiment | ||
45th Infantry Regiment | ||
46th Infantry Regiment | ||
Lt. Gen. Anastasios Papoulas | 12 November 1921[19] | |
9th Infantry Regiment | 3 December 1921[20] | In exchange for the 1916–1917 War Cross 1st Class |
19th Infantry Regiment | In exchange for the 1916–1917 War Cross 1st Class | |
20th Infantry Regiment | In exchange for the 1916–1917 War Cross 1st Class | |
21st Infantry Regiment | In exchange for the 1916–1917 War Cross 1st Class | |
35th Infantry Regiment | 10 June 1922[21] | |
41st Infantry Regiment | ||
2nd Infantry Regiment | Second award | |
3rd Infantry Regiment | Second award | |
14th Infantry Regiment | Second award | |
5/42 Evzone Regiment | Second award | |
6th Infantry Regiment | 28 May 1941[22] | Second award, awarded by the collaborationist government |
34th Infantry Regiment | Second award, awarded by the collaborationist government | |
1st Battalion, 3rd Mountain Brigade | 28 March 1945[23] | |
2nd Battalion, 3rd Mountain Brigade | ||
3rd Battalion, 3rd Mountain Brigade | ||
Sacred Band | 25 July 1945[24] | |
Hellenic Army Academy
|
18 December 1945[25] | |
King George II | 28 October 1946[26] | |
Gen. Alexandros Papagos | 31 December 1946[27] | |
Vice Adm. Alexandros Sakellariou (retired) | 1 July 1947[28] | |
Vice Adm. Epameinondas Kavvadias (retired) | ||
Vice Adm. Petros Voulgaris (retired) | ||
King Paul | 4 August 1947[29] | |
Hellenic Naval Academy | 22 February 1948[30] | |
Hellenic Air Force Academy | 3 September 1948[31] | |
Lt. Gen. Konstantinos Ventiris | 17 August 1951[32] | |
Greek Reinforced Battalion in Korea | 21 December 1953[33] |
Gallery
-
King Constantine I of Greece wearing the Commander's Cross of the Cross of Valour as Head of the Order
-
Colonel D. Ambelas, showing the usual way of wearing the Silver and Gold grades of the Cross of Valour on field uniforms, passed through the second buttonhole
-
Soldiers of the 53rd Infantry Regiment after the award of the Cross of Valour during the Asia Minor Campaign
References
- Old Style.
- ^ a b c Zotiadis (2003), p. 150
- ^ Zotiadis (2003), pp. 154, 156
- ^ Zotiadis (2003), p. 154
- ^ Zotiadis (2003), p. 156
- ^ Zotiadis (2003), p. 157
- ^ Zotiadis (2003), p. 158
- ^ a b c Zotiadis (2003), p. 161
- ^ Zotiadis (2003), p. 162
- ^ "Law 376/74 "On Military Medals"". National Printing Office.
- ^ a b Zotiadis (2003), p. 163
- ^ a b "Greece: Cross of Valour". 31 December 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- ^ a b Zotiadis (2003), p. 151
- ^ a b "CROSS OF VALOUR (Arisition Andrias)". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- ^ Zotiadis (2003), p. 153
- ^ a b Zotiadis (2003), p. 159
- ^ Royal Decree of 19 June 1921, published in ΦΕΚ Γ’ 163/17-7-1921
- ^ Royal Decree of 10 November 1921, published in ΦΕΚ Α’ 220/17-11-1921
- ^ Royal Decree of 12 November 1921, published in ΦΕΚ Γ’ 275/23-11-1921
- ^ Royal Decree of 3 December 1921, published in ΦΕΚ Α’/13-12-1921
- ^ Royal Decree of 10 June 1922, published in Army Ministry circular 841/13-8-1922
- ^ Decree of 28 May 1941, published in ΦΕΚ Γ’/4-6-1941
- ^ Royal Decree of 28 March 1945, published in ΦΕΚ Γ’ 78/6-4-1945
- ^ Royal Decree of 25 July 1945, published in ΦΕΚ Α’ 97/28-7-1945
- ^ Royal Decree of 18 December 1945, published in ΦΕΚ Α’ 25/31-1-1946
- ^ Ministerial Council Act 627/28-10-1946
- ^ Royal Decree of 31 December 1946, published in ΦΕΚ Γ’ 343/31-12-1946
- ^ Royal Decree of 1 July 1947, published in ΦΕΚ Γ’ 155/9-7-1947
- ^ Ministerial Council Act 615/4-8-1947
- ^ Royal Decree of 22 February 1948, published in ΦΕΚ Α’ 58/2-3-1948
- ^ Royal Decree of 3 September 1948, published in ΦΕΚ Α’ 226/11-9-1948
- ^ Royal Decree of 17 August 1951, published in ΦΕΚ Γ' 244/6-9-1951
- ^ Royal Decree of 21 December 1953, published in ΦΕΚ Α’ 8/14-1-1954
Sources
- Zotiadis, Orthodoxos (July–August 2003). Αριστείο Ανδρείας (PDF). Στρατιωτική Επιθεώρηση (in Greek). General Staff of National Defense: 148–163. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-09-27.
- George J. Beldecos, "Hellenic Orders, Decorations and Medals", pub. Hellenic War Museum, Athens 1991, ISBN 960-85054-0-2.