War Cross (Greece)
War Cross Polemikos Stavros Πολεμικός Σταυρός | |
---|---|
Military decoration | |
Awarded for | Acts of valor during war |
Country | Greece |
Eligibility | Greek and Allied military personnel |
Established | 28 February 1917 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Cross of Valour |
Next (lower) | Medal for Outstanding Acts |
The War Cross (
1917 version
Establishment and history
The first version was established by the
Design and awards
The medal was designed by the French sculptor André Rivaud, featuring a silver medal consisting of a vertical sword on a circular wreath, with a horizontal plaque, bearing the ancient Spartan motto "Η ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ" ("[return home] either with your shield, or upon it") underneath. The reverse bears the inscription "ΕΛΛΑΣ" ("Greece") and underneath the dates "1916–1917". The ribbon was black, edged with blue, and 35–37 mm wide. The cross was awarded in three classes, distinguished by the devices born on the ribbon: the 3rd class being plain, the 2nd class bearing a bronze five-pointed star, and the 1st class a bronze palm leaf. Subsequent awards were designated by the addition of silver five-pointed stars on the ribbon.
1940 version
Establishment and history
The Venizelist associations of the 1917 cross meant that, when Greece found itself at war again in October 1940 after the
Design and awards
The medal's design is essentially a modification of the French Croix de Guerre, featuring a bronze cross pattée with the royal monogram (two crossed gammas and a crown) of King George II, atop two crossed swords, and topped by a royal crown. The reverse bears the date "1940". The ribbon features three equal alternating bands of red, blue and red. The cross was awarded in three classes, distinguished by the colour of the crown: bronze for the 3rd class, silver for the 2nd, and gold for the 1st class. Until 1942, the first award could be in any class, but according to Compulsory Law 3120/1942, the first award had always to be made in the 3rd class. Up to three subsequent awards remained in the same class (denoted by the number of miniature crowns on the ribbon), but the fifth and eighth awards upgraded the medal to the 2nd and 1st classes respectively. Several variations exist because many manufacturers were used, some in Greece and others in the United Kingdom, with minor variations in the style of the crown and the cross, as well as design of the obverse side (in some versions, the date lies within a circle).
1974 version
In 1974, during the last months of the
Due to the fall of the junta and the
The design was finalized in Presidential Decree 159 of 17 March 2003. It retains the basic design of the 1940 and 1985 crosses, but the national emblem has been moved to the center of the cross, in bronze, silver and gold versions for the 3rd, 2nd and 1st classes respectively.
Sources
- Zotiadis, Orthodoxos (January 2001). Τιμητικές Διακρίσεις Πολεμικών Σημαιών [Honorary Decorations of War Flags] (PDF). Στρατιωτική Επιθεώρηση (in Greek). Hellenic General Staff of National Defence: 36–37.
- Zotiadis, Orthodoxos (March–April 2005). Πολεμικός Σταυρός [War Cross] (PDF). Στρατιωτική Επιθεώρηση (in Greek). Hellenic General Staff of National Defence: 46–63.
- George Stratoudakis (2001). Greek Medals. Athens. pp. 34–39, 72–77. ISBN 960-91397-2-8.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Beldecos G.J. (1991). Hellenic Orders, Decorations and Medals (in Greek). Athens: Hellenic War Museum. pp. 94, 104–105. ISBN 960-85054-0-2.
External links
- Awards of the 1940 War Cross to New Zealanders
- (in French) The 1940 War Cross, at Phaléristique européenne