decorations and orders. Besides issuing
campaign medals, every combatant nation awarded decorations for gallantry to the members of its armed services, and to civilians, especially resistance workers. These normally took the form of a cross or a circular medallion, suitably inscribed, which was suspended from a coloured ribbon. Each decoration had a ribbon with its own distinctive colour combination and pattern. Decorations always took precedence over campaign medals and when wearing undress uniform they were worn as strips of ribbon, usually on the left breast but sometimes on the right.
With the exception of Japan and the USSR, orders were normally awarded for distinguished services, not for gallantry. They mostly took the form of stars worn on the breast or suspended by neck ribbons. Sometimes an order also came with a sash.
It is only possible here to list the most common decorations and orders of the principal combatant powers, and the descriptions are not definitive. Although the descriptions of them are in the past tense most Allied ones are still awarded.
Belgium
Existing awards on the outbreak of war included the Order of Léopold, which had civil, maritime, and military divisions each with five classes, the Order of the Lion, and the Décoration Militaire, the last being awarded in two different versions, for bravery and for meritorious services. New ones introduced after the start of the war included the Croix de Guerre, which could be awarded to civilians as well as to all service personnel, was worn immediately after Belgian orders, and was almost identical to the one issued for the
First World War; and the Medal of the Armed Resistance.
France
Existing awards included France's highest, the Légion d'honneur, and the Médaille Militaire. New ones included the Free French Order of the Liberation for those giving exceptional service in the liberation of France. It was highly regarded and worn immediately after the Légion d'honneur. Other decorations included two variations of the Croix de Guerre, 1939–45—one for troops serving with
de Gaulle and the Free French, the other for those serving under
General Giraud—two resistance medals, and the Medal of Liberated France which was awarded to French or Allied personnel who made a notable contribution towards the liberation of France.
The
Vichy French government also awarded two types of Croix de Guerre, one of which was for those who fought in the
German–Soviet war against the USSR.
Germany
All existing military orders and decorations for bravery were abolished after the First World War. The Order of the Iron Cross, originally a Prussian decoration, was reinstated by Hitler on 1 September 1939 with four grades: Grand Cross, Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz), 1st Class, and 2nd Class. It was necessary to hold the Iron Cross, 2nd Class before being awarded the Iron Cross, 1st Class, but exceptionally they were awarded together. The Grand Cross was awarded only to
Göring. Later progressively higher grades of the Ritterkreuz, which was worn round the neck, were added. These were Oak Leaves; Oak Leaves and Swords; Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds; and Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, which was awarded only once.
Other new decorations included the War Merit Cross (KVK) and the German Cross (DK), the latter bridging the gap between the Iron Cross, 1st Class, and the
Ritterkreuz.
The KVK had five grades: the Gold Knight's Cross and Silver Knight's Cross—both of which were worn at the throat—1st and 2nd Class, and the War Merit Medal. All except the War Merit Medal, which was awarded only to civilians, could be with or without swords, those with swords being awarded to those showing outstanding merit or bravery, but not in action, while those without were awarded to civilians for a wide range of services.
The DK came in two classes, silver and gold. The gold was awarded to those who already held the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd Class; and the silver to those who already held the KVK, 1st and 2nd Class, and who continued to show distinction in military leadership, but not in the face of the enemy.
The Order of Merit of the German Eagle had seven classes and was awarded only to foreigners.
Italy
Existing decorations included the Medal for Military Valour, Maritime Valour, and Aeronautical Valour, in gold, silver, and bronze, and the Cross for War Merit, which became the 4th grade of the Medal for Military Valour. The Order of the Roman Eagle, instituted in March 1942, was awarded to foreigners only, and came in five classes: Grand Cross (gold and silver), Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, and Knight. There were also silver and bronze Medals of the Order.
Japan
Existing awards included the Order of the Chrysanthemum (seldom awarded to anyone outside the Royal Family and foreign heads of state), the Order of the Rising Sun, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, and the Order of the Golden Kite. The Order of the Rising Sun was awarded in eight classes to civilians and military personnel for distinguished services. Higher than any of the eight classes was the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers which was seldom awarded to anyone below the rank of admiral, general, or ambassador. The Order of the Sacred Treasure was also awarded in eight classes, to women as well as men and to foreigners, for rendering excellent services. The Order of the Golden Kite was conferred on military personnel of any rank in recognition of outstanding service of bravery. It was awarded in seven classes and carried with it a grant. With it was also awarded a medal which came in two classes: Shukun Ko (first class) and Shukan Otsu (second class). Shukun Ko came in seven grades, Shukun Otsu in six. The grades awarded depended on the rank of the recipient. Individuals and units were also awarded a citation (Kanjo) for bravery or distinguished services which was highly regarded.
Netherlands
Existing awards included Military Wilhelms Order, the highest Dutch honour for gallantry, and the Order of the Netherlands' Lion. New awards included the Bronze Lion, which ranked next to the Military Wilhelms Order and could be awarded to a civilians as well as military personnel, and to foreigners; the Bronze Cross, which ranked below the Bronze Lion; the Cross of Merit; the Flying Cross; War Commemorative Cross, to which was added bars for certain actions; Resistance Star, East Asia; and, high in the order of precedence; the Resistance Cross.
Norway
Existing awards included the Royal Order of St Olaf, St Olaf's Medal, with oak leaves for subsequent citations, and the Medal for Heroic Deeds. New ones included the War Cross, with swords for additional citations; the War Medal, with which were worn up to three stars for additional citations; and King Haakon VII's Freedom Cross and Freedom Medal.
Poland
Existing awards included the Order of the Polonia Restituta and the Order Virtuti Militari, both of which came in five grades, the highest grade of the Virtuti Militari being the equivalent of the British Victoria Cross or the US Congressional Medal of Honor; the Cross of Valour; and the Cross of Merit. New ones included the Order of the Grunwald Cross and the Partisans' Cross.
UK
Existing awards included Britain's highest for gallantry, the Victoria Cross (VC), which could be awarded to all service personnel. (During the Second World War only one man won it twice, Captain Charles Upham, one of three ever to have done so.) The British Empire Medal (BEM) could also be awarded to all service personnel, and to civilians, for ‘meritorious service’. Any officer, normally above the rank of major (or equivalent), could be awarded—or more correctly admitted to—the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), and its award to a more junior officer often indicated that the recipient had narrowly missed being awarded the VC. Less senior army officers and warrant officers were awarded the Military Cross (MC); less senior Royal Navy Officers and warrant officers the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC); and less senior RAF officers and warrant officers the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and Air Force Cross (AFC), the last for bravery not in the face of the enemy. The AFC could also be awarded to civilians.
Non-commissioned service personnel from any of the services could be awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), though those of the navy and air force could only be awarded it when under army command, and the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM). Naval other ranks were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM); army other ranks (and occasionally other ranks from the other two services, women as well as men) were awarded the Military Medal (MM); and RAF other ranks the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) and the Air Force Medal (AFM), the last being for bravery not in the face of the enemy. The AFM could also be awarded to civilians.
A Mention in Dispatches was recognized by an oak leaf on the ribbon of the 1939–45 War Medal, or on the ribbon of the campaign star relating to action for which the recognition was won.
New awards included the George Cross (GC), which took precedence over all other decorations apart from the VC, and the George Medal (GM). Both were primarily for civilians, or, as in the case of
Malta, civilian populations, for great acts of bravery. British Commonwealth and colonial forces, and those controlled by the various
governments-in-exile fighting alongside the British, were awarded the same decorations.
Further awards of the same decoration were shown by a bar on the ribbon of the cross or medal. Hence the phrase ‘he received a bar to his DSO’, meaning he had been awarded it for the second time. Members of the Merchant Navy were also awarded certain decorations awarded to personnel of the Royal Navy.
The British also awarded different grades of various orders to service personnel and to civilians for distinguished and meritorious service, but not normally for gallantry in action. The most commonly awarded were those of the military and civilian divisions of the Order of the British Empire, which were awarded to Allied troops and civilians as well as to British citizens. This came in five grades: Knights (or Dames) Grand Cross (GBE), Knights (or Dames) Commander (K or DBE), Commanders (CBE), Officers (OBE), and Members (MBE). Other Orders often awarded during the war included the Order of the Bath and the Order of St Michael and St George, both of which came in three grades.
USA
Existing awards included America's highest, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Next in rank came the Army and Navy Distinguished Service Cross, then the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal; the Silver Star; the Distinguished Flying Cross; and the Purple Heart which was awarded to anyone wounded in battle or to the next of kin of a person killed or who subsequently died of wounds. Second or subsequent awards of the Purple Heart were denoted by a gold star (navy and marines) or oak-leaf cluster (army and air force). The Soldier's Medal was awarded to army, navy, National Guard, and reservist personnel for ‘heroism not involving actual conflict with an armed enemy’.
New awards included the Legion of Merit, awarded, like an order, in four degrees, Chief Commander, Commander, Officer, and Legionnaire. It could be awarded to anyone, US or foreign, distinguished in performing outstanding services to the USA, but American personnel only wore the badge of the Legionnaire which took precedence immediately after the Silver Star. Other new awards included the Medal for Merit, a civilian decoration presented to US and foreign civilians for the performance of outstanding services to the USA; the Bronze Star Medal (not awarded for aerial combat); and the Medal of Freedom, which was awarded to any person, apart from US service personnel, for meritorious services outside the USA. It came in four grades: gold palm, silver palm, bronze palm, and without palm, the last being awarded only to US citizens.
Awards for units were also introduced during the war, the highest being the Presidential Unit Citation. Units not qualifying for this could be awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (army), the Navy's Unit Commendation (navy), or the Outstanding Unit Award (air force). These awards, a ribbon framed in metal, were worn by the personnel of the unit over the right breast pocket, though the personnel of those awarded to British units wore the emblem on the left shoulder.
USSR
Decorations were divided into three categories: Highest Titles of Distinction, Orders of the USSR, Medals of the USSR. The custom of awarding two or more identical medals, both, or all, of which were worn by the recipient, made Soviet citizens among the most decorated in the world.
The Highest Title of Distinction was Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded for a personal deed of heroism. Recipients were also given the Gold Star Medal, only awarded to a Hero of the Soviet Union, and the highest decoration in the USSR, the Order of Lenin, which could also be awarded on its own for outstanding service over a stipulated period of time. The title Hero of the Soviet Union, and the decorations, could be awarded up to three times to a single recipient.
Other existing awards included the Order of the Red Banner for outstanding courage on active service, though from 1944 it could also be awarded for long service to officers and NCOs, and also collectively to units and schools; and the Order of the Red Star, awarded individually to any rank and collectively to units for outstanding services in defence of the USSR, in both peace and war.
New orders included the country's highest military order, the Order of Victory, awarded to members of the High Command for successful operations involving one or more
fronts (i.e. army groups); the Order of Ushakov and the Order of Nachimov, both orders in two classes for naval officers; the Order of Glory, in three classes, for junior officers and other ranks in the army and air force; the Order of Suvorov, awarded to commanders at all levels for outstanding leadership resulting in victory; the Order of Kutuzov, awarded to commanders of army groups and independent
formations for successful operations which caused heavy losses to the enemy; and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitski. The last three orders all came in three classes, the first class being awarded to the most senior officers, the second to less senior, and the third to those at regimental level and below, though the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitski was also awarded to those in the partisan forces and the third class could be awarded to other ranks as well as junior officers.
Existing medals for bravery included the Medal for Valour and the Medal for Battle Merit, both for all ranks, the latter being also awarded to officers and NCOs for long service. New ones included the Ushakov Medal and Nachimov Medal, both of which were awarded to naval ratings and petty officers; and the Partisan Medals, 1st and 2nd class.
Bibliography
Purves, A. , The Medals, Decorations, and Orders of World War Two (Polstead, Suffolk, 1986).
