Médaille militaire
The Médaille militaire (English: Military Medal) is a military decoration of the
During World War I, 230,000 médailles were awarded,[1] when 1,400,000 French Army soldiers were killed and 3,000,000 wounded. For comparison, the UK Military Medal was awarded on 115,000 occasions in World War I, when 673,375 British Army soldiers were killed and 1,643,469 wounded. There were 628 awards to 627 recipients of the Victoria Cross, the United Kingdom's highest military decoration.
The award was first established in 1852 by the first
After the First World War, the Military Medal was also temporarily awarded for wounds received in combat.[2]
Statute
Like many other French awards, the médaille can be awarded for different reasons. It can be awarded to foreign nationals serving with or alongside the French armed forces.[2]
- To members of the military other than commissioned officers (including Officer Designate).[2]
- As an award for valour, it is the second highest award ranking immediately after the Legion of Honour.
- As an in between medal for enlisted members, NCO and O(D) awarded the Legion of Honour for "combat actions", nowadays mostly done posthumously.
- As a service medal, for long-serving NCOs.
- To generals and admirals who have been commanders-in-chief, as a supreme award for leadership. These general officers must already have been awarded the grand cross of the Legion of Honour.[2]
Award description
The Médaille militaire is a silver laurel wreath, 28 mm (1.1 in) in diameter, wrapped around a central gold medallion bearing the left profile of
The ribbon of the Médaille militaire is 37 mm (1.5 in) wide, yellow in color with 6 mm-wide (0.24 in) green stripes on each edge. This ribbon was borrowed from the
2nd Empire 1852–1870 |
3rd Republic 1870–1940 |
4th Republic 1946–1958 |
5th Republic 1958–present |
Reverse common to all variants |
---|---|---|---|---|
Recipients
The Médaille militaire was awarded in some number to British and allied forces (allies of the French Empire) during the Crimean War of 1854-56 and in reasonably large numbers to allied forces in the 1914-18 war. During the
Unit award
In addition to the individual medal, the Médaille militaire is also authorized as a unit award to those military commands who display the same criteria of bravery as would be required for the individual medal. The médaille is displayed on the flag of these units. It is one of the rarest unit awards in the French military.[2]
This unit award should not be confused with the
Notable French and foreign recipients (partial list)
The individuals listed below were recipients of the "Médaille Militaire:
- Private John Alexander VC United Kingdom
- Nurse and resistance fighter Berty Albrecht (posthumous)
- Marshal of France (1864) François Achille Bazaine
- World War 1 pilot Arthur Bluethenthal[3][4] United States (posthumous)
- World War 1 African American fighter pilot Eugene Jacques Bullard United States
- Sergeant Louis-Ferdinand Céline
- Sergeant Eugène Chavant
- Yvonne Chollet (posthumous)
- Marshal of France, Great Britain and Poland, Ferdinand Foch
- Prime Minister Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill United Kingdom
- USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly United States
- Private Herman Davis United States
- First sergeant Samuel "Sam" Dreben United States
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower United States
- Corporal François Faber (posthumous)
- Colonel René Paul Fonck
- Corporal Edward Foster VC United Kingdom
- Russian flying ace Viktor Georgiyevich Fyodorov Russia
- Jean Gabin
- Police prefect Louis Lépine
- General of the Army Douglas MacArthur United States
- Capitaine Georges Felix Madon
- World War 2 fighter ace Paul-Joseph de Montgolfier
- Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein United Kingdom
- Norwegian Crown Prince and Chief of Defence Olav V Norway
- Marshal and Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos Greece
- Marshal Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain
- Corporal Thomas A. Pope [note 1] United States
- Father of the French Air Force, General Pierre Auguste Roques
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt United States (posthumous)
- Master corporal Pierre-Auguste Sarrus
- Master corporal Pierre Schoendoerffer
- Partisan leader and Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito Yugoslavia
- Susan Travers French Foreign Legion
- Marthe Cohn
- Corporal Clarence Van Allen United States
Recent Recipients for Valour
Name | Unit | Rank | Date of effect | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adrien Moulard | Army, Armored Cavalry | Master Corporal (brigadier-chef) | November 20, 2013 | WIA |
Renan Thierry | Army, Armored Cavalry | Master Corporal (brigadier-chef) | November 20, 2013 | WIA |
Thomas Guillebaut | Air Force | Master Corporal (caporal chef) | December 13, 2013 | KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour |
John Conte | Army, Foreign Legion | Private First Class (soldat de première classe) | April 29, 2014[5] | WIA |
Geraldino Hoareaeu | Army, Foreign Legion | Private First Class (soldat de première classe) | April 29, 2014[5] | WIA |
Marcel Kalafut | Army, Foreign Legion | Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) | May 12, 2014 | KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour |
Dejvid Nikolic | Army, Foreign Legion | Master Warrant Officer (adjudant-chef) | July 17, 2014 | WIA Nikolic later died from his wounds and was created knight of the Legion of Honour |
Antoine Le Quinio | Army, Troupes de Marine |
Corporal (caporal) | July 19, 2014 | KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour |
Nicolas Vokaer | Army, Troupes de Marine | Corporal (caporal) | July 19, 2014 | KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour |
Teiva Li Hip | Army, Troupes de Marine | Corporal (brigadier) | July 28, 2014 | WIA |
Alex Tite | Army, Troupes de Marine | Master Corporal 1st class (caporal-chef de première classe) | July 28, 2014 | WIA |
Mickaël Galeran | Army, Artillery | Master Corporal (brigadier-chef) | October 2, 2014 | WIA |
Thomas Dupuy | Air Force | Warrant Officer (adjudant) | November 3, 2014 | KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour |
Samir Bajja | Armed Forces Fuel Service | Warrant Officer (agent technique en chef) | December 3, 2014[6] | KIA Also knight of the Legion of Honour |
François Fernandez | Army, Signal Corps | Warrant Officer (adjudant) | December 5, 2014[7] | WIA |
Rémy Boullé | Air Force | Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | January 16, 2015[8] | WIA |
Ludovic Sailly | Air Force | Warrant Officer (adjudant) | January 30, 2015[9] | WIA |
Damien Legrand | Air Force | Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) | January 30, 2015[9] | WIA |
Mathieu Paulet | Air Force | Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) | January 30, 2015[9] | WIA |
Franck Poirot | Air Force | Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | January 30, 2015[9] | WIA |
Yann Pollet | Army, Corps of Engineers | Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) | March 13, 2015[10] | WIA |
Aurélie Salel | Army, Corps of Engineers | Sergeant (sergent) | March 18, 2015[11] | WIA Later died from her wounds and made Knight of the Legion of Honour[12] |
Florian Dumont | Army, Corps of Engineers | Master Corporal (caporal-chef) | May 4, 2015[13] | WIA Later died from his wounds and made Knight of the Legion of Honour[14] |
Nicolas Caron | Army | Staff Sergeant (sergent-chef) | October 16, 2015[15] | WIA |
See also
Notes
- ^ Also awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor, the British Distinguished Conduct Medal, and the Croix de guerre for bravery displayed in Hamel, France.
References
- ^ historique de la société d'entraide des médaillés militaires (in French)
- ^ ISBN 2-7025-1030-2.
- ^ "Bluethenthal, Arthur "Bluey"". Jewsinsports.org. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ISBN 1-57488-284-8. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ a b Décret du 8 février 2016 portant concession de la Médaille militaire
- ^ Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant concession de la Médaille militaire
- ^ Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant concession de la Médaille militaire
- ^ Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant concession de la Médaille militaire
- ^ a b c d Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant concession de la Médaille militaire
- ^ Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant concession de la Médaille militaire
- ^ Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant concession de la Médaille militaire
- ^ Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant nomination
- ^ Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant concession de la Médaille militaire
- ^ Décret du 14 septembre 2015 portant nomination
- ^ Décret du 8 février 2016 portant concession de la Médaille militaire