The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a
military decoration of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded
during World War I, again in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, and in other conflicts; the ''
croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures'' ("cross of war for external theatres of operations") was established in 1921 for these. The Croix de Guerre was also commonly bestowed on foreign military forces allied to France.
The Croix de Guerre may be awarded either as an individual award or as a unit award to those soldiers who distinguish themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with the enemy. The medal is awarded to those who have been "
mentioned in dispatches", meaning a heroic deed or deeds were performed meriting a citation from an individual's headquarters unit. The unit award of the Croix de Guerre with palm was issued to military units whose members performed heroic deeds in combat and were subsequently recognized by headquarters.
Appearance
The ''Croix de Guerre'' medal varies depending on which country is bestowing the award and for what conflict. Separate French medals exist for the First and Second World War.
For the unit decoration of the Croix de Guerre, a ''
fourragère
The ''fourragère'' () is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, in the form of a braided cord. The award was first adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and Luxembourg. Fou ...
'' (which takes the form of a braided cord) is awarded; this is suspended from the shoulder of an individual's uniform.
As the ''Croix de Guerre'' is issued as several medals, and as a unit decoration, situations typically arose where an individual was awarded the decoration several times, for different actions, and from different sources. Regulations also permitted the wearing of multiple Croix de Guerre, meaning that such medals were differentiated in service records by specifying ''French Croix de Guerre'', ''French Croix de Guerre (WWI)'', etc.
French Croix de Guerre
![CG TOE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/CG_TOE.jpg)
There are three distinct ''Croix de Guerre'' medals in the French system of honours:
Furthermore, the French
collaborationist government created two ''croix'' during World War II. These ''croix'' are now illegal under French law and wearing them is outlawed:
The ''Croix'' was created by a law of April 2, 1915, proposed by French deputy Émile Briant. The Croix reinstated and modified an older system of mentions in dispatches, which were only administrative honours with no medal accompanying them. The sculptor Paul-André Bartholomé created the medal, a bronze cross with swords, showing the effigy of the republic.
The French Croix represents a mention in dispatches awarded by a commanding officer, at least a regimental commander. Depending on the officer who issued the mention, the ribbon of the Croix is marked with extra pins.
*
Mentioned in Dispatches:
** a bronze star for those who had been mentioned at the
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
or
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
B ...
level.
** a silver star, for those who had been mentioned at the
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
level.
** a
silver-gilt (gold) star for those who had been mentioned at the
corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
level.
** a bronze palm for those who had been mentioned at the army level.
** a silver palm stands for five bronze ones.
** a silver-gilt (gold) palm for those who had been mentioned at the
Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...
level (World War II only).
The French Croix de guerre des TOE was created in 1921 for wars fought in theatres of operation outside France. It was awarded during the
Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
,
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, and various wars in the decades that followed. It is the only version of the Croix de Guerre still considered active, though it has not been presented since the
Kosovo War
The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...
in 1999.
When World War II broke out in 1939, a new Croix de Guerre was created by
Édouard Daladier
Édouard Daladier (; 18 June 1884 – 10 October 1970) was a French Radical-Socialist (centre-left) politician, and the Prime Minister of France who signed the Munich Agreement before the outbreak of World War II.
Daladier was born in Carpe ...
. It was abolished by
Vichy Government
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
in 1941, which created a new Croix de Guerre. In 1943
General Giraud in
Algiers created another Croix de Guerre. Both the Vichy and Giraud Croix were abolished by
General de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
in 1944, who reinstated the 1939 Croix.
The Croix de Guerre takes precedence between the
Ordre national du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's estab ...
and the
Croix de la Valeur Militaire
The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...
, the World War I Croix being senior to the World War II one, itself senior to the TOE Croix.
Unit award
![Wapen van Leuven](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Wapen_van_Leuven.svg)
The Croix can be awarded to military units, as a manifestation of a collective
Mention in Despatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
. It is then displayed on the unit's flag. A unit, usually a
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
or a
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...
, is always mentioned at the army level. The Croix is then a Croix de Guerre with palm. Other communities, such as cities or companies can be also awarded the Croix.
When a unit is mentioned twice, it is awarded the ''
fourragère
The ''fourragère'' () is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, in the form of a braided cord. The award was first adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and Luxembourg. Fou ...
'' of the ''Croix de Guerre''. This ''fourragère'' is worn by all men in the unit, but it can be worn on a personal basis: those permanently assigned to a unit, at the time of the mentions, were entitled to wear the fourragère for the remainder of service in the military.
Temporary personnel, or those who had joined a unit after the actions which had been mentioned, were authorized to wear the award while a member of the unit but would surrender the decoration upon transfer. This temporary wearing of the fourragère only applied to the French version of the Croix de Guerre.
The 2nd Battalion
Devonshire Regiment
The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...
of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
along with 5 Battery RA were awarded the French Croix de Guerre with palm for its gallant defence of
Bois des Buttes on 27 May 1918, the first day of the
Third Battle of the Aisne
The Third Battle of the Aisne (french: 3e Bataille de l'Aisne) was a battle of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in ...
. The Croix de Guerre with palm was also awarded to 2nd Battalion
Kings Shropshire Light Infantry for Gallantry near Bligny, part of the
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by s ...
. Several other British Army battalions would receive the award before the end of the war.
United States acceptance
In the United States military, the Croix de Guerre was accepted as a foreign decoration. It remains one of the more difficult foreign awards to verify entitlement. The Croix de Guerre unit and individual award were often presented with original orders only and rarely entered into a permanent service record. The
1973 National Archives Fire destroyed most of the World War II personnel records which are needed to verify a veteran's entitlement to the Croix de Guerre award. However, foreign unit award entitlements can be checked and verified through official unit history records. Veterans must provide proof of service in the unit cited at the time of action in order to be entitled to the award. Individual foreign awards can be checked through foreign government (France) military records.
Regarding the United States in WWI, on April 10, 12, and 13, 1918, the lines being held by the troops of the 104th Infantry Regiment, of the 26th "Yankee" Division, in Bois Brûlé, near Apremont in the Ardennes, were heavily bombarded and attacked by the Germans. At first the Germans secured a foothold in some advanced trenches which were not strongly held but, thereafter, sturdy counterattacks by the 104th Infantry - at the point of the bayonet - succeeded in driving the enemy out with serious losses, entirely re-establishing the American line. For its gallantry the 104th Infantry was cited in a general order of the French 32nd Army Corps on April 26, 1918. In an impressive ceremony occurring in a field near Boucq on April 28, 1918, the 104th Infantry's regimental flag was decorated with the Croix de Guerre by French General Fenelon F.G. Passaga. "I am proud to decorate the flag of a regiment which has shown such fortitude and courage," he said. "I am proud to decorate the flag of a nation which has come to aid in the fight for liberty." Thus, the 104th Infantry became the very first American unit to be honored by a foreign country for exceptional bravery in combat. In addition, 117 members of the 104th Infantry received the award, including its commander, Colonel George H. Shelton.
In World War II, the
320th Bombardment Group
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
received the Croix de Guerre avec Palme for action in preparation for and in support of Allied offensive operations in central Italy, April–June 1944. It was the first American unit in this war to be awarded the citation. Members of the 440th AAA AW Battalion (Anti-Aircraft Artillery - Automatic Weapons) of the U.S. Army also received the Croix de Guerre avec Palme (unit award) for stopping the German Ardennes counter-offensive in holding the town of Gouvy, Belgium for 4 days at the beginning of the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
on December 16, 1944. Gouvy is midway between St. Vith and Bastogne. Commanding Officer of the 440th, Lt. Col. Robert O. Stone, and Pfc. Joseph P. Regis, also received an individual award of the Croix de Guerre avec Palme. On June 21, 1945, French General De Gaulle presented the following citation to the
34th United States Infantry Division: "A 'division d'elite', whose loyal and efficient cooperation with French divisions, begun in
TUNISIA
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, was gloriously continued throughout the
Italian campaign, in particular during the operations of
BELVEDERE Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
Africa
* Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco
*Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...
when the 34th Division, despite the difficulties of the moment, displayed most courageous efforts in support of the operations of the 3rd Algerian Division. This citation bears with it the award of Croix de Guerre with Palm." Soldiers of the US Army
509th Parachute Infantry Regiment "Geronimos" were awarded the Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, For Service in the Southern France campaign. The 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters by the Germans they killed, were as a unit awarded this medal. 171 members were personally awarded the medal along with the nations highest award, the Legion of Honor. The 509th Unit colors bear the Streamer embroidered "MUY EN PROVENCE".
On March 30, 1951, the President of the French Republic,
Vincent Auriol
Vincent Jules Auriol (; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954.
Early life and politics
Auriol was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Aurio ...
, pinned not only the Croix de Guerre with Palm but also the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
on the flag of the Brigade of
Midshipmen of the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
in recognition of historic contributions of the Naval Academy, particularly the contributions of alumni to victory in World War II. The flag of the Brigade of Midshipmen does not display streamers for either award, nor do Midshipmen wear the fourragère, despite apparent entitlement to do both.
Today, members of several US Army and Marine Corps units that received the fourragère for combat service during World Wars I and/or II are authorized to wear the award while assigned to the unit. Upon transfer from the unit the individual is no longer authorized to wear the fourragère. Wearing of the decoration is considered ceremonial only and it is not entered as an official military individual or unit award in the service member's permanent service records.
Units currently authorized to wear the French fourragère are:
*US Army
**
2nd Infantry Division "Indianhead" – For service during WW I with the I Corps, US First Army, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
**
3rd Infantry Division "Marne Division" – For service during WW I with the III Corps, US First Army, AEF & in WW II with VI Corps, US Seventh Army, Sixth US Army Group, AEF
**
4th Cavalry Regiment
The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage is traced back to the mid-19th century. It was one of the most effective units of the Army against American Indians on the Texas frontier. Today, the regiment exis ...
"Raiders" – For service during WW II as the 4th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) VII Corps, US First Army, Twelfth US Army Group, AEF
**
28th Infantry Regiment "Lions of Cantigny" – For service during WW I in the 2d Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, I Corps, US First Army, AEF (Regiment deactivated as of 9 April 2015)
**
369th Infantry Regiment "Harlem Hellfighters" – For service during WW I in the French 16th and 161st Divisions (Regiment reorganized and re-designated as of 20 July 2007 as the
369th Sustainment Brigade, 53d Troop Command, New York Army National Guard)
**
371st Infantry Regiment (United States) "Red Hand Division" / "Buffalo Soldiers" - was a
segregated African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
, nominally a part of the
93rd Division, that served in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
under
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...
command. The 371st was awarded the French Croix de Guerre as a unit award. Following a review of Medal of Honor recommendations, one enlisted man,
Freddie Stowers, received the Congressional
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
in 1991 for actions in the assault on Côte 188. During the war, one officer received the French
Légion d'Honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
, 22 officers and men received the
Distinguished Service Cross (United States), and 123 officers and men received the French Croix de Guerre.
106th Cavalry Regiment - For service during WW II - 121st CRS: Fourragère; 121st CRS: French Croix de Guerre with Palm; 106th Group: French Croix de Guerre with Palm
*US Marine Corps
**
5th Marine Regiment "The Fighting Fifth"
**
6th Marine Regiment "The Fighting Sixth"
**
6th Machine Gun Battalion (Deactivated 13 August 1919)
***Note: Only members of the above named USMC units, including attached Navy personnel, are authorized to wear the French Fourragère for their unit's service during WW I as the 4th Marine Brigade, of the US Army 2d Infantry Division, I Corps, US First Army, AEF:
Notable recipients
Individuals in World War I
* Albert J Perron (World War I) 5724, private, Awarded French Croix de Guerre with palm, order no. 11.722 "D" dated November 19, 1918, General Headquarters, French Armies of the North and Northeast, with the following citation: "He displayed great courage during the night of October 4, 1918. With the aid of a comrade he carried the wounded from the first-aid station to the ambulance a distance of 500 meters under a violent bombardment."
* Anthony Funicella (World War I) 101462, private, company B, 5th Machine Gun Battalion, 2nd Division. French Croix de Guerre with bronze star, under Order No. 13.296 "D", dated February 7, 1919, General Headquarters, French armies of the East with the following citation: "On October 4, 1918 near Somme-Py, he carried messages under a violent bombardment with the greatest contempt for danger and a bravery which was worthy of all praise rendering valuable service to his battallion commander." Residence at enlistment 619 Wardell Ave, Clairton, Pa
* Sgt.
Henry Johnson served with the
369th Infantry Regiment, better known as the Harlem Hellfighters or the Black Rattlers, the regiment consisted entirely of African Americans excepting their officers. Henry Johnson was the first American alongside Needham Roberts to receive the Croix de Guerre. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre with special citation and a golden palm for bravery in fighting off a German raiding party. Also posthumously awarded the
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
(1996), the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
(2002), and the U.S. Army
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
(2015) for his actions in the battle.
* James Henry Legg, Jr was awarded Croix de Guerre with a Bronze Star for his contributions at Blanc Mont in October 1918.
* Corporal
Freddie Stowers was also awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
in 1991 for actions in the assault on Côte 188.
*
Millicent Sylvia Armstrong was awarded the Croix de Guerre for bravery in rescuing wounded soldiers while under fire.
* Lt.-Gen. Sir
James Melville Babington
Lieutenant General Sir James Melville Babington (31 July 1854 – 15 June 1936) was a British Army officer and a renowned leader of cavalry, making a name for himself for his actions in the Second Boer War. He was Commander of the New Zealand De ...
, Commander of the
23rd Division (United Kingdom)
* Lt.
Fred Becker, the University of Iowa's first All-American left school to enlist prior to his senior season. Commissioned in the Army and assigned to a Marine platoon. KIA at Soissons, July 1918. Awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
,
Silver Star, and France awarded him the Croix de Guerre.
*
Thomas Ricketts - Private, Royal Newfoundland Regiment - awarded the Croix de Guerre with Golden Star in 1919 for heroism on October 14, 1918.
*
David Stuart Gaselee Burton, Flying Officer RAF.
*
Hobey Baker
Hobart Amory Hare "Hobey" Baker (January 15, 1892 – December 21, 1918) was an American amateur athlete of the early twentieth century. Considered the first American star in ice hockey by the Hockey Hall of Fame, he was also an accomplished Am ...
, an American fighter pilot.
*
Marc Bloch
Marc Léopold Benjamin Bloch (; ; 6 July 1886 – 16 June 1944) was a French historian. He was a founding member of the Annales School of French social history. Bloch specialised in medieval history and published widely on Medieval France ov ...
, French
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
, joined the war as an infantry sergeant and ended it as a captain.
*
Arthur Bluethenthal, All American football player and decorated World War I pilot.
*
Solon Hannibal de la Mothe Borglum, for work with the Les Foyers du Soldat. American Sculptor.
*
Annie Brewer was awarded the
Légion d'Honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
and the Croix de Guerre, which makes her one of the most highly decorated nurses of any country in WW1
*
Bl. Daniel Brottier, ''
beatus'' in the Roman Catholic Church; acted as a military chaplain during the war.
*
Stanley Melbourne Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, (15 April 1883 – 25 August 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Australia from 1923 to 1929, as leader of the Nationalist Party.
Born ...
, 1st Viscount Melbourne and later Prime Minister of Australia, in 1917.
*
Eugene Bullard
Eugene Jacques Bullard (born Eugene James Bullard; October 9, 1895 – October 12, 1961) was one of the first black American military pilots, although Bullard flew for France, not the United States. Bullard was one of the few black combat pilo ...
, wounded in the 1916 battles around Verdun, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his heroism. Served with the
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757 ...
Flying Corps as the first African-American combat aviator.
*
Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier (; 12 January 1894 – 28 October 1975) was a French boxer, actor and World War I pilot. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908 to 1926. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and ...
, Aviator during the war as well as a world champion boxer.
*
Vernon Castle
Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. Castle was a st ...
, Pilot in the
Royal Flying Corps. Flying over the Western Front, he completed 300 combat missions and shot down two aircraft.
*
Harry Cator, then a
Serjeant in the 7th Battalion of the
East Surrey Regiment of the British Army, awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
and the Croix de Guerre avec Palme for his heroism.
*
Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave DSO & Bar (August 28, 1890 – July 28, 1971) was the Canadian signatory to the Japanese Instrument of Surrender at the end of World War II.
* Father
John B. DeValles, a chaplain with the Yankee Division, he was known as the "Angel of the Trenches" for his valiant deeds in caring for both Allied and German soldiers on the battlefields of France. Fr. DeValles was injured in a mustard gas attack while attending to a fallen soldier and died two years later.
Cpl. George C. Doneworth, 84th Co., 3rd Bn., 6th Marines, USMC. Wounded four times in battle, including mustard gas, a bayonet through his thigh while jumping a German machine gun nest, a spinal injury (unbeknownst to him except for pain) from a broken piece of frozen ground hurled by a nearby artillery shell burst, and lastly a close-range rifle shot from a German soldier resulting in major head trauma at Belleau Wood on June 6, 1918; Col. Albertus Catlin had been shot that same day and place. That final head-wound in the eye socket, exiting at the temple near the ear, knocked him unconscious, and after being left for dead and waking later in the day near sunset, covered in blood, he walked back to U.S. lines and took two German prisoners while enroute. Upon arrival at the first friendly machine gun emplacement, he collapsed and was evacuated to a field hospital. Awarded the French Fourragère of the Order of the Legion of Honor for gallantry by a French General officer, an all-red in color rare award by the French. He was also awarded the Purple Heart and two wound stripes, and medals for Chateau Theirry COTE-204, the Ainse Defensive Sector (with 4 stars), and the 2nd Division Regulars, U.S. Army. Spent 3 years in hospital in France, Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. When recovered, he returned to his home in Harrison, OH and created the first American Legion Post where he became Commander. He lived to the age of 88.
*
William J. Donovan
William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the Bur ...
, legendary soldier and founder of the
Office of Strategic Services. Awarded U.S. Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross and Croix de Guerre with Palm and Silver Star.
*
Edward Terence Donnelly, brigadier general and the commanding general of the 164th Field Artillery Brigade of the
89th Infantry Division.
*
Otis B. Duncan, lieutenant-colonel in the
370th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 370th Infantry Regiment was the designation for one of the infantry regiments of the 93rd (Provisional) Infantry Division in World War I. Known as the "Black Devils", for their fierce fighting during the First World War and a segregated ...
and highest-ranking African-American officer to serve in World War I combat.
*
Lucius Loyd Durfee, brigadier general in the U.S. Army
*
Ernest Fawcus
Ernest Augustus Fawcus (10 November 1895 – 30 June 1966) was an English cricketer. Fawcus was a right-handed batsman who bowled with his right-arm, although his bowling style is unknown. He was born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, a ...
, officer in the
Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution ...
and
Royal Flying Corps, awarded the Croix de Guerre for leading successful bombing attacks.
*
Dorothie Feilding
Lady Dorothie Mary Evelyn Feilding-Moore, MM (6 October 1889 – 24 October 1935) was a British heiress who shunned her aristocratic background to become a highly decorated volunteer nurse and ambulance driver on the Western Front during Worl ...
, a British volunteer nurse awarded the Croix de Guerre for bravery in the field.
*
Maud Fitch, a volunteer ambulance driver from
Eureka
Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
, Utah, was awarded the Croix de Guerre with a gold star for her courage rescuing wounded soldiers under heavy fire.
*
George L. Fox, awarded the Croix de Guerre for his service on the Western Front. He was also one of the Four Chaplains who gave their lives when the troopships USAT Dorchester was hit by a torpedo and sank on February 3, 1943, during World War II.
*
Robert Gauthiot Robert Edmond Gauthiot (13 June 1876, Paris – 11 September 1916, Paris) was a French Orientalist, linguist and explorer. Born in Paris, he became, in 1909, a member of the Société Asiatique and met Paul Pelliot. Together, they translated the S ...
, French
Orientalist, linguist, and explorer, interrupted his exploration of the
Pamir Mountains in July 1914 to return home to serve as a captain in the infantry. He received the Croix de Guerre before he was mortally wounded at the
Second Battle of Artois
The Second Battle of Artois (french: Deuxième bataille de l'Artois, german: Lorettoschlacht) from 9 May to 18 June 1915, took place on the Western Front during the First World War. A German-held salient from Reims to Amiens had been formed in ...
in May 1916.
* Major Edwin L. Holton was awarded the Croix de Guerre for distinguished service as deputy commissioner of the American Red Cross in France in charge of re-education and rehabilitation of the disabled soldiers. He had a staff of 60 Red Cross Officials assisted by 15,000 workers. The staff he supervised helped 136,000 disabled soldiers of the 200,000 American wounded in WWI.
*
William F Howe, Commanding Officer of 102nd Field Artillery Regiment on the Western Front
*
Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Iremonger
* Bugler
James A. Irwin of Company H, 30th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division, awarded the Croix de Guerre with bronze star under order number 11.602 "D" dated November 15, 1918, General Headquarters, French Armies of the North and Northeast. Irwin "acted courageously in the engagements of June 7 and 8, 1918. As liaison agent with the battalion commander he displayed great courage and much presence of mind, succeeding under violent artillery and machine gun fire in carrying messages where others had been unable to go."
* Major General
Charles E. Kilbourne
Major General Charles Evans Kilbourne Jr. (December 23, 1872 – November 12, 1963) was the first American to earn the United States' three highest military decorations. As an officer in the United States Army he received the Medal of Honor for h ...
who was also the first American to win the United States' three highest medals for bravery.
* American poet
Joyce Kilmer
Alfred Joyce Kilmer (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection ''Trees and Other Poems'' in 1914. Though a prolific poet wh ...
(1886–1918), a sergeant and intelligence observer with the 69th Volunteer Infantry, 42nd Rainbow Division, was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre for service.
*
Henry Louis Larsen, an American Marine commanding the
3rd Battalion 5th Marines
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5, nicknamed Dark Horse) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and consists of approximately 1,000 Marines and Fleet Marine ...
during every major battle of the war in France involving the United States.
*
E. Brooke Lee American Major from Maryland.
*
Lily Lind, New Zealand nurse.
*
Henri de Lubac
Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac (; 20 February 1896 – 4 September 1991), better known as Henri de Lubac, was a French Jesuit priest and cardinal who is considered one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. His writin ...
, a Roman Catholic Jesuit novice serving in the Third Infantry Regiment, who was severely wounded in the head on 1 November 1917 while fighting near Verdun. He later became an influential Catholic theologian and
Cardinal.
*
Douglas MacArthur,
U.S. General of the Army and
Field Marshal of the Philippines, awarded two Croix de Guerre (one bronze palm and one silver-gilt star) for a
nighttime trench raid with French troops that led to the capture of many German prisoners-of-war as a colonel and for a nighttime reconnaissance mission into
no man's land to check if the enemy had withdrawn from their trenches or not as a brigadier general.
*
William March
William March (September 18, 1893 – May 15, 1954) was an American writer of psychological fiction and a highly decorated United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marine. The author of six novels and four short-story collections, March was praised by ...
, American writer, awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm.
*
George C. Marshall
George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...
, General of the Army and
Secretary of State, awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm.
*
Lawrence Dominic McCarthy, was also an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
*
Horace McCoy
Horace Stanley McCoy (April 14, 1897 – December 15, 1955) was an American writer whose mostly hardboiled stories took place during the Great Depression. His best-known novel is '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' (1935), which was made into ...
, American novelist and screenwriter.
*
Ruari McLean CBE (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve), awarded in 1942, served in the Free French Submarine ''Rubis''
*
John McNulty (U.S. Marine Corps)
* Gustave A. Michalka, with two of his men he captured a machine gun by assault and killed the crew. By his bravery and prompt action he avoided losses in his platoon.
*Sgt. Palmer O. Narveson, along with two other men, was separated from his company near
Bellicourt
Bellicourt () is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It lies on the N44 road between Cambrai and Saint-Quentin and over the principal tunnel of the St. Quentin Canal. It was the site of numerous inte ...
, France. He demolished a machine gun nest and reducing a second hostile position. He continued to advance, refusing to be evacuated, despite wounds and suffering the effects of gas.
*
Joseph Oklahombi
Joseph Oklahombi (May 1, 1895, Bokchito, Blue County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory - April 13, 1960) was an American soldier of the Choctaw nation. He was the most-decorated World War I soldier from Oklahoma. He served in Company D, First ...
, American soldier of the Choctaw nation who was a
Choctaw code talker
*
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...
, legendary American general.
*
Waldo Peirce
Waldo Peirce (December 17, 1884 – March 8, 1970) was an American painter, who for many years reveled in living the life of a bohemian expatriate.
Peirce was both a prominent painter and a well-known colorful figure in the world of the arts ...
, American
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...
volunteer (1918, for courage during the Vosges Hills Battle)
*
Isabel Weld Perkins
Isabel Anderson (March 29, 1876 – November 3, 1948), , was a Boston heiress, author, and society hostess who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums.
Life
Early life
Born at 284 Marlborough Street in Boston's B ...
, for
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...
volunteer work.
*
Thomas A. Pope 1918 Corporal, U.S. Army; also earned the U.S. Army Medal of Honor, the British Distinguished Conduct Medal, and the Médaille militaire, for bravery displayed in Hamel, France.
*
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.[94th Aero Squadron
The 94th Aero Squadron was the United States Army Air Service designation for the current 94th Fighter Squadron that fought on the Western Front during World War I..
The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of th ...]
,
United States Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...
, during World War I; also recipient of the U.S.
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
.
*
James E. Rieger, Major (later Colonel), led a key attack during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Also awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
*
Harold W. Roberts
Harold William Roberts (October 14, 1895 – October 6, 1918) was a United States Army corporal and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War I. Roberts, a tank driver, was m ...
was awarded the Croix de Guerre with bronze palm for his valor in the Battle of Meuse River-Argonne Forest, in which he died, near the town of Exermont, France. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor, the French Military Medal, and the Italian War Cross (all posthumously).
*
Needham Roberts
Needham Roberts (April 28, 1901 – April 18, 1949) was an American soldier in the Harlem Hellfighters and recipient of the Purple Heart and the Croix de Guerre for his valor during World War I.
Early life
Roberts was born in Trenton, New Jersey ...
served with the 369th Infantry Division, better known as the Harlem Hellfighters or the Black Rattlers, a regiment consisted entirely of African Americans excepting their commanding officers. Roberts was the first American alongside Henry Johnson to receive the Croix de Guerre.
*
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt. Battalion commander in France.
*
Milunka Savić
Milunka Savić CMG ( sr-cyr, Милунка Савић; 28 June 1892 or 10 August 1888 – 5 October 1973) was a Serbian war heroine who fought in the Balkan Wars and in World War I. She is the most-decorated female combatant in the recorded h ...
, Serbian female non-commissioned officer was awarded the French Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 with Palm. She is the only woman in the world awarded this medal for service in World War I.
*
James M. Sellers
Colonel James McBrayer Sellers (June 20, 1895 – September 3, 1990) was a highly decorated Marine in World War I, and served as commandant, superintendent and president of Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri, from 1920 to 1990.
Biog ...
, president of
Wentworth Military Academy and College
Wentworth Military Academy and College was a private two-year military college and high school in Lexington, Missouri. Wentworth was one of six total military junior colleges in the United States. The institution was founded in 1880 and closed in ...
and U.S. Marine. Awarded the Croix de Guerre for heroism at
Belleau Wood
*
Laurence Stallings
Laurence Tucker Stallings (November 25, 1894 – February 28, 1968) was an American playwright, screenwriter, lyricist, literary critic, journalist, novelist, and photographer. Best known for his collaboration with Maxwell Anderson on the 1924 pl ...
, American writer.
*
Donald Swartout, American Jackson, Michigan, intelligence pfc, Comp I,
128th Infantry, 32d Div. French Croix de Guerre with bronze palm," dated March 15, 1919, General Headquarters, French Armies of the East
Marshal Petain for carrying important messages between Juvigny and Terny Sorny while wounded.
*
Allen Melancthon Sumner
Allen Melancthon Sumner Jr. (October 1, 1882 – July 19, 1918) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps.
Biography
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he initially went to Harvard before securing a place in the Naval Academy. On March 17 ...
,
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, killed in France in 1918, awarded the Croix de Guerre with gilt star.
*
Stephen W. Thompson, aviator, was awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm. He is credited with the first aerial victory by the U.S. military.
*
John Tovey
Admiral of the Fleet John Cronyn Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, (7 March 1885 – 12 January 1971), sometimes known as Jack Tovey, was a Royal Navy officer. During the First World War he commanded the destroyer at the Battle of Jutland and then co ...
,
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
, later became a senior naval commander and an
Admiral of the Fleet.
*
Ludovicus Van Iersel, Dutch-American sergeant who won the Croix de Guerre twice while serving in France.
*
Blake R. Van Leer
Blake Ragsdale Van Leer (August 16, 1893 – January 23, 1956) was an engineer and university professor who served as the fifth president of Georgia Institute of Technology from 1944 until his death in 1956.
Early life and education
Van Leer was ...
, American engineer who was awarded the Croix de Guerre while serving as a Colonel for the
Corps of Engineers in France.
*
James Waddell was one of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
's most highly decorated soldiers of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Waddell was received in the French
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
and promoted twice. He was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre seven times during the war.
*
Herbert Ward, artist, sculptor and African explorer, awarded the Croix de Guerre while serving with the British Ambulance Committee in the
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
*
Edwin "Pa" Watson
Edwin Martin "Pa" Watson (December 10, 1883 – February 20, 1945) was a US Army Major general (United States), Major General and a friend and senior aide to President Franklin Roosevelt, serving both as a military advisor and Appointments Secret ...
, served in France. Earning the U.S. Army Silver Star and the Croix de Guerre from the French government.
*
William A. Wellman
William Augustus Wellman (February 29, 1896 – December 9, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and military pilot. He was known for his work in crime, adventure, and action genre films, often focusing on avi ...
, American fighter pilot in the Lafayette Flying Corps, awarded Croix de Guerre with two palm leaves, 1918
*
Samuel Woodfill
Samuel Woodfill (January 6, 1883 – August 10, 1951) was a major in the United States Army. He was a veteran of the Philippine–American War, World War I, and World War II. Woodfill was one of the most celebrated American soldiers of the early ...
, an American infantry lieutenant who disabled several German machine-gun nests and killed many enemy combatants with rifle, pistol and pickaxe. He was awarded the American
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
and the French Croix de Guerre.
*
Alvin C. York was awarded the Croix de Guerre with bronze palm for his valor in the
Battle of Meuse River-Argonne Forest near the town of
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
, France. Also awarded the American Medal of Honor.
*
Archibald James Fergusson Eden
Brigadier-General Archibald James Fergusson Eden (20 January 1872−8 May 1956) was a career officer in the British Army. He received his commission in 1892 and actively served until 23 March 1924, after which he remained a figure in military ci ...
, Brigadier General in the British Army.
*
Virginia Hall
Virginia Hall Goillot DSC, Croix de Guerre, (April 6, 1906 – July 8, 1982), code named Marie and Diane, was an American who worked with the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of St ...
Goillot
DSC DSC may refer to:
Academia
* Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)
* District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India
* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
Educational institutions
* Dalton State Col ...
, Croix de Guerre,
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
(April 6, 1906 – July 8, 1982), code named Marie and Diane, was an American who worked with the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in France during World War II. The objective of SOE and OSS was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers, especially Nazi Germany. (SOE)and (OSS) agents in France allied themselves with resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England. After World War II Hall worked for the
Special Activities Division
The Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the United States Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert and paramilitary operations. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2015. Within SAC there are two ...
of the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
(CIA).
Individuals in World War II
![369th 15th New York](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/369th_15th_New_York.jpg)
*
Jehan Alain
Jehan-Aristide Paul Alain (; 3 February 1911 – 20 June 1940) was a French organist, composer, and soldier. Born into a family of musicians, he learned the organ from his father and a host of other teachers, becoming a composer at 18, and compo ...
, French organist and composer. Engaged with enemy, single-handedly killing 16 with carbine before being killed himself.
*
Władysław Anders
)
, birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
, death_date =
, death_place = London, England, United Kingdom
, serviceyear ...
, Polish general, commander of the
2nd Polish Corps, 1943–46.
*
Vera Atkins
Vera May Atkins (15 June 1908 – 24 June 2000) was a Romanian-born British intelligence officer who worked in the France Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War.
Early life
Atkins wa ...
, assistant to head and intelligence officer of the French section of
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...
(SOE).
*
John Beech Austin, Squadron Leader in both the RAF and the
SOE.
*Ralph Chamberlain, returned on two separate occasions to an active mine field to rescue several badly injured soldiers. Awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm Leaf for bravery and services rendered to Belgium.
*
Maurice Bambier, French politician and former Mayor of Montataire, awarded the French Croix de Guerre for his services during the
Dunkirk evacuation.
*
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...
, American-born French dancer, singer and actress, for her work in the
French Resistance
The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
.
*
Samuel Beckett, awarded the Croix de Guerre by General
Charles de Gaulle in March 1945.
*
Marcel Bigeard
Marcel Bigeard (February 14, 1916 – June 18, 2010), personal radio call-sign "Bruno", was a French military officer and politician who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochi ...
, highly decorated French general and veteran of World War II, French Indochina and Algeria; received both the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 and the Croix de guerre TOE with a total of 25 citations, including 17 palms.
*
Mary E. Blanshard (Hall), British-born, saboteur, spy. Engaged in work with French Resistance.
*
Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné
Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné (9 February 1913 – 1 March 1948) was a French Army officer of the French Foreign Legion. He was born in Paris, and was killed in the line of duty close to Lagnia Bien Hoa (Viêt Nam).
Education
He went to the L ...
, French colonel who participated with the
Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...
to the
East African campaign (in
Eritrea and
Syria), the
Tunisia Campaign
The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...
, the
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...
, the
Operation Dragoon and the campaign of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
.
*
Phil H. Bucklew
Phil Hinkle Bucklew (December 18, 1914 – December 30, 1992) was a professional American football player who went on to become a United States Navy officer. He served in one of the Navy's first special warfare units during World War II. Whi ...
, US naval officer; "Father of American Naval Special Warfare".
*
Frederick Walker Castle
Frederick Walker Castle (October 14, 1908–December 24, 1944) was a general officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He was List of U.S. general officers and flag officers killed in Wor ...
, U.S. Army Air Forces general and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor
*
Peter Churchill
Peter Morland Churchill, (14 January 1909 – 1 May 1972) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) officer in France during the Second World War. His wartime operations, which resulted in his capture and imprisonment in German concentra ...
. Special Operations Executive officer in French section.
*
Jacques Cousteau, aqualung inventor, diver and underwater film maker.
*
Ève Curie
Ève Denise Curie Labouisse (; December 6, 1904 – October 22, 2007) was a French and American writer, journalist and pianist. Ève Curie was the younger daughter of Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. Her sister was Irène Joliot-Curie an ...
, Author, war correspondent, lieutenant in the
1st Armored Division, "First Lady of
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
"
*
Lionel Guy D'Artois, Canadian Army officer and
SOE agent; awarded the Croix de Guerre for service with the Interior French Forces in occupied France.
*
Philippe Daudy Philippe Daudy (17 June 1925 – 12 March 1994) was a member of the French Resistance, a journalist, a novelist, a publisher and a businessman. An Anglophile Frenchman, he moved to England and wrote a book about the English.
Origins
Daudy was born ...
, journalist and novelist.
*
Avery Dulles
Avery Robert Dulles (; 1918–2008) was an American Jesuit priest, theologian, and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Dulles served on the faculty of Woodstock College from 1960 to 1974, of the Catholic University of America from 1974 to 1988, a ...
,
S.J., awarded the Croix de Guerre for his liaison work with the French Navy.
*
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
, Supreme Allied Commander during the liberation of France.
*
Frantz Fanon
Frantz Omar Fanon (, ; ; 20 July 1925 – 6 December 1961), also known as Ibrahim Frantz Fanon, was a French West Indian psychiatrist, and political philosopher from the French colony of Martinique (today a French department). His works have b ...
, awarded the Croix de Guerre by
Raoul Salan
Raoul Albin Louis Salan (; 10 June 1899 – 3 July 1984) was a French Army general. He served as the fourth French commanding general during the First Indochina War. He was one of four retired generals who organized the 1961 Algiers Putsch op ...
for service in the French Free Forces in North Africa and
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
.
*
Carl Gustav Fleischer
Carl Gustav Fleischer KCB (28 December 1883 – 19 December 1942Fleischer 1947, p. 216) was a Norwegian general and the first land commander to win a major victory against the Germans in the Second World War. Having followed the Norwegian gov ...
, Norwegian general, who won the first major victory against the German Axis forces.
*
Stephen Galatti Stephen Galatti (August 6, 1888 — July 13, 1964) was for many years the Director General of the AFS, American Field Service. He transformed the AFS from a volunteer medical corps during World Wars I and II into an international educational excha ...
, Director of
AFS, American Field Service
*
Laure Gatet, French biochemist and a spy for the French Resistance.
*
Francis Grevemberg
Francis may refer to:
People
*Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
* Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
Places
* Rural ...
, United States lieutenant colonel, later superintendent of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
's state police.
*
William Grover-Williams
William Charles Frederick Grover-Williams (born William Charles Frederick Grover, 16 January 1903 – 18 March 1945 (or shortly thereafter)), also known as "W Williams", was a British Grand Prix motor racing driver and special agent who worked ...
, Grand Prix driver and network organiser in the French section of the
SOE
*
Thomas "Loel" Guinness
Group Captain Thomas Loel Evelyn Bulkeley Guinness, (9 June 1906 – 31 December 1988) was a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bath (1931–1945), business magnate and philanthropist. Guinness also financed the ...
,
Group Captain and pilot
*
Tony Halik Polish pilot in RAF; after being the only Polish/
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
pilot shot down over France, he joined the French resistance.
*
Virginia Hall
Virginia Hall Goillot DSC, Croix de Guerre, (April 6, 1906 – July 8, 1982), code named Marie and Diane, was an American who worked with the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of St ...
American spy who operated in occupied France. The Gestapo considered her "the most dangerous of all Allied spies". Awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palme.
*
Bob Hoover
Robert Anderson Hoover (January 24, 1922 – October 25, 2016) was an American fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and record-setting air show aviator.
Hoover flew Spitfires in the United States Army Air Forces during World W ...
, Army Air Corps pilot and USAF test pilot
*
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...
, awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1944 for his valor. When his ship struck a mine off the French coast, killing the captain, Howard took over command and fought valiantly to save his ship and crew, even jumping into the sea to rescue wounded sailors.
*
Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert (12 October 1894 – 19 September 1963) was an art historian, ethnographer and a member of the French Resistance during World War II. She has become well known through the publication of a translation of the diary of her experience ...
, art historian, was awarded the Croix de Guerre with silver gilt palm, for heroism in her work in the
French Resistance
The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
.
* Charles F. Irving, 2LT. 2nd Armored Division, U.S. Army, was awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1944 for heroism in action for the liberation of France.
*
Whitfield Jack, colonel under General
Matthew Ridgway
General Matthew Bunker Ridgway (March 3, 1895 – July 26, 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Altho ...
in
Ruhr Valley
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
campaign; major general later in
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
Since July 2020 ...
*
Olivia Jordan
Olivia Jordan Thomas (born September 28, 1988) is an American actress, model, television host, and beauty pageant titleholder, who was crowned Miss USA 2015. She represented the United States at Miss Universe 2015, where she placed as a second ...
, ambulance driver and interpreter/driver to
Charles de Gaulle 1940 - 1943
*
Maria Justeau, French Resistance heroine.
*
Noor Inayat Khan, a wireless operator in the French section of the
SOE. She was flown to occupied France in June 1944 and operated until mid. October. Captured and tortured, she was eventually executed at Dachau concentration camp on 13 September 1944; awarded the George Cross posthumously.
*
Bernard Knox
Bernard MacGregor Walker Knox (November 24, 1914 – July 22, 2010Wolfgang Saxon ''The New York Times'', August 16, 2010.) was an English classicist, author, and critic who became an American citizen. He was the first director of the Center ...
, English-born classicist and author, who served with the U.S. Army during WWII and was awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palme for his service with the French Resistance during
Operation Jedburgh
Operation Jedburgh was a clandestine operation during World War II in which three-man teams of operatives of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the Free French Bureau central de renseigne ...
.
*
Jan Kubiš
Jan Kubiš (24 June 1913 – 18 June 1942) was a Czech soldier, one of a team of Czechoslovak British-trained paratroopers sent to eliminate acting Reichsprotektor (Realm-Protector) of Bohemia and Moravia, SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydri ...
, Czechoslovak paratrooper and assassin of Reichsprotektor of
Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; cs, Protektorát Čechy a Morava; its territory was called by the Nazis ("the rest of Czechia"). was a partially annexed territory of Nazi Germany established on 16 March 1939 following the German occ ...
,
SS-
Obergruppenführer
' (, "senior group leader") was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissio ...
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( ; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust.
He was chief of the Reich Security Main Office (inclu ...
, in 1942 as part of
Operation Anthropoid
On 27 May 1942 in Prague, Reinhard Heydrichthe commander of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and a principal architect of the Holocaustwas attacked and wounded in an assassinati ...
.
*
James Harry Lacey
James Harry Lacey, (1 February 1917 – 30 May 1989), was one of the top scoring Royal Air Force fighter pilots of the Second World War and was the second-highest scoring RAF fighter pilot of the Battle of Britain, behind Pilot Officer Eric Lock ...
'Ginger'. R.A.F. Battle of Britain Ace - Awarded May 1940, but not presented until 1983.
*
Curtis E. LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was an American Air Force general who implemented a controversial strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II. He later served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air F ...
, awarded the French Croix de Guerre with palm.
* Major
Desmond Longe,
SOE agent and commander of Mission Eucalyptus. Awarded the French Croix de Guerre with palm.
*
Douglas MacArthur,
U.S. General of the Army and
Field Marshal of the Philippines, awarded the Croix de Guerre with bronze palm.
* Lt. Colonel Montie Magree M.D., 329th Medical Battalion. Born in Maywood, Illinois died Long Beach, California. Awarded the French Croix de Guerre
*
André Malraux
Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and Minister of Culture (France), minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Go ...
French novelist, art theorist and Minister for Cultural Affairs.
*
George C. Marshall
George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...
,
General of the Army and
Secretary of State, awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm.
*
Jean Mayer
Jean Mayer (19 April 1920 – 1 January 1993) was a French-American scientist best known for his research on the physiological bases of hunger and the metabolism of essential nutrients, and for his role in shaping policy on world hunger at bo ...
, future president of
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
, awarded for his courage and bravery.
*
Lt.Colonel Blair "Paddy" Mayne, British Special Air Service, Croix de Guerre with Palm. Awarded Légion d'honneur, awarded the Distinguished Service Order (UK) four times.
*
William A. McNulty
Colonel William Anderson McNulty (September 29, 1910 – January 25, 2005) was a decorated officer of the United States, United States of America during World War II.
Early years
McNulty was born on September 29, 1910, in Roanoke, Virginia, as ...
, a WWII U.S. Army field commander
* General
Dragoljub Mihailovic, Serbian officer and
Allied resistance leader of the
Royal Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav Army ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslovenska vojska, JV, Југословенска војска, ЈВ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Army, was the land warfare military service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (originally Kingdom of Serbs, ...
in Fatherland, awarded by
Charles de Gaulle.
*
Paul de Montgolfier
Paul-Joseph de Montgolfier (28 April 1913 – 8 November 1942) was a French fighter pilot, flying Curtiss 75 Hawks with the GC II/5 fighter group when World War II began.
De Montgolfier was born in Saint-Marcel-d'Ardèche, France. On 6 November ...
, fighter pilot for the
French Air Force.
*
Edmond J. Moran, led tug fleet on D-Day, one of the most influential figures in 20th-century U.S. shipping history.
*
Audie Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...
, American actor; most decorated U.S. Army soldier during the war, was awarded the French "Croix de Guerre avec Palme" three times and the Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm once, as well as the American
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
.
*
Leonard W. Murray, Canadian admiral, awarded the Croix de Guerre with bronze palm for his role in the
Battle of the Atlantic.
*
Eileen Nearne
Eileen Mary "Didi" Nearne MBE, Croix de Guerre (15 March 1921Obituary in ''The Times'' 15 September 2010 – 2 September 2010 (date body found)) was a member of the UK's Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during World War II. The pu ...
, member of the UK's
SOE. She served in
occupied France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
as a radio operator under the codename "Rose".
*
John B. Oakes, future editor of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''; awarded for his counter-espionage activities with the
Office of Strategic Services (OSS).
*
Marcel Oopa,
Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
n politician.
*
Peter J. Ortiz, Marine officer; member,
Office of Strategic Services (OSS).
*
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...
, U.S. Army general. Awarded for leading
U.S. Third Army
The United States Army Central, formerly the Third United States Army, commonly referred to as the Third Army and as ARCENT, is a military formation of the United States Army which saw service in World War I and World War II, in the 1991 Gulf Wa ...
during the
liberation of France
The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance.
Nazi Germany inv ...
.
*
Jean-Claude Pascal
Jean-Claude Villeminot (24 October 1927 – 5 May 1992), better known as Jean-Claude Pascal (), was a French comedian, actor, singer and writer.
Early life
He was born in Paris into a family of wealthy textile manufacturers. His mother, ...
(1927–1992), awarded the Croix de Guerre for his military valor.
*
Andrée Peel (1905–2010), French Resistance member.
* Col.
David E. Pergrin, awarded the Croix de Guerre for service during the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
.
*
Harry Peulevé, a wireless operator and organiser in the French Section of the
SOE.
*
Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
, awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1948 for service in the Royal Navy.
*
Abbé Pierre
Abbé Pierre, OFM Cap, (born Henri Marie Joseph Grouès; 5 August 191222 January 2007) was a French Catholic priest, member of the Resistance during World War II, and deputy of the Popular Republican Movement (MRP).
In 1949, he founded the Em ...
(1912–2007), French Roman Catholic cleric; founder of Emmaus.
*
Forrest Pogue
Forrest Carlisle Pogue Jr. (September 17, 1912 – October 6, 1996) was an official United States Army historian during World War II. He was a proponent of oral history techniques, and collected many oral histories from the war under the directi ...
, US Army combat historian.
*
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...
, decorated with the Croix de Guerre for service with the
Free French
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
army.
* Russell Roach, American corporal of A Company,
3rd US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)
The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is ' ...
, awarded the
Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 in 1944 for his bravery and valor during the Liberation of France during his campaign in Rhineland, Germany.
*
James N. Robertson
James Nelson Robertson (May 24, 1913 – October 3, 1990) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1949 to 1952.
Early life and education ...
, member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1949-1952),
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the
Pennsylvania National Guard
The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia.
With more than 18,000 pe ...
*
James E. Robinson Jr., American artillery officer who assumed command of a depleted infantry company and took the city of
Kressbach.
*
Robert Rosenthal of the
Eighth Air Force of the
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
.
*
Guy de Rothschild
Baron Guy Édouard Alphonse Paul de Rothschild (; 21 May 1909 – 12 June 2007) was a French banker and member of the Rothschild family. He owned the bank Rothschild Frères from 1967 to 1979, when it was nationalized by the French government, an ...
, awarded the Croix de Guerre for his military valor.
*
Philippe de Rothschild
Philippe, Baron de Rothschild (13 April 1902 – 20 January 1988) was a member of the Rothschild banking dynasty who became a Grand Prix motor racing driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer, a poet, and one ...
, awarded the Croix de Guerre for his service with the
Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...
.
*
Alexander Sachal, Russian artist who joined the French Resistance; awarded the Croix de Guerre.
*
Leo Genn
Leopold John Genn (9 August 190526 January 1978) was an English actor and barrister. Distinguished by his relaxed charm and smooth, "black velvet" voice, he had a lengthy career in theatre, film, television, and radio; often playing aristocr ...
,
Lt.Col. RA, awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1945.
![Jimmy Stewart getting medal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Jimmy_Stewart_getting_medal.jpg)
*
George Scales
George Louis Scales (August 16, 1900 - April 15, 1976), nicknamed "Tubby", was an American second baseman and manager in Negro league baseball, most notably with the New York Lincoln Giants and Baltimore Elite Giants. Born in Talladega, Alabama, ...
, British farmer/Commanding Officer LCT-7011 awarded the Croix de Guerre during D-Day. Presented to him in 2007 by French Attache Naval, Capitaine de Vaisseau Jean Nicolas Gauthier of the Ministere de la Defense.
*
Desmond J. Scott
Group Captain Desmond James Scott, (11 September 1918 – 8 October 1997) was a New Zealand fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War. He was credited with the destruction of at least five enemy aircraft.
Born in Ashburton, he learn ...
, New Zealand fighter pilot and
Group Captain who flew for the RAF. He was awarded both the Belgian and the French Croix de Guerre.
* Major Edward Cecil Scott, A Battery Commander, 5 Canadian Anti-Tank Regiment, for actions taken during the Battle of the Falaise Pocket
*
Jan Smuts
Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...
, South African Prime Minister.
*
Raymond Franklin Gibson, American Ambulance Corp. Macon, Georgia.
*
Mahmoud Harbi
Mahamoud Harbi Farah ( ar, محمود الحربي, so, Maxamuud Xarbi Faarax) (1921 – 29 September 1960) was a Djiboutian politician of Somali ethnicity. A pan-Somalist, he was the Vice President of the Government Council of French Somal ...
, Vice President of the Government Council of French Somaliland.
*
George Reginald Starr
George Reginald Starr (6 April 1904 – 2 September 1980), code name Hilaire, was a British mining engineer and an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) organisation in World War II. He was the organiser ...
,
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...
.
*
James Stewart, American actor awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm in 1944.
*
Violette Szabo
Violette Reine Elizabeth Szabo, GC ( née Bushell; 26 June 1921 – February 1945) was a British-French Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent during the Second World War and a posthumous recipient of the George Cross. On her second mission ...
, a British
SOE agent who was sent into occupied France. Her first mission was a success, but during her second mission she was captured and tortured. Eventually sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp, she was executed on 5 February 1945 (at age 23); awarded the George Cross posthumously.
*
Alfred Touny (1886–1944), a leader of the French Resistance, now buried in the
Mémorial de la France combattante
The Mémorial de la France combattante (Memorial to Fighting France) is the most important memorial to French fighters of World War II (1939–1945). It is situated below Fort Mont-Valérien in Suresnes, in the western suburbs of Paris. It commem ...
.
* James Tracey, 3191945 Private in the 6th (Border) Battalion -
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's O ...
; At Evrecy, in July 1944, he was with his CO (Lieutenant-Colonel J.G. Shillington) on a visit to a forward Convoy when a shell exploded nearby severely wounding the CO. Pte Tracey, though wounded himself by the blast, showed great presence of mind, tended to his CO's wounds and got him back to the Regimental Aid Post in his carrier then returned to Battalion HQ to report before going back himself. Awarded the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star.
*
Matt Urban
Matt Louis Urban (August 25, 1919 – March 4, 1995) was a United States Army lieutenant colonel and one of the most decorated American soldiers of World War II. Urban performed valiantly in combat on many occasions despite being wounded in ...
, highly decorated American combat soldier with awards including the Medal of Honor and 7 Purple Hearts
*
Nancy Wake
Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, (30 August 1912 – 7 August 2011), also known as Madame Fiocca and Nancy Fiocca, was a nurse and journalist who joined the French Resistance and later the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II, and ...
of the
SOE was the highest decorated Allied servicewoman of the war. Awarded the Croix de Guerre three times for service with the
French maquis
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
.
*
F.F.E. Yeo-Thomas, member of RF Section of the
SOE. A
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...
Liaison officer, he worked with the
Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action
The Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action (, Central Bureau of Intelligence and Operations), abbreviated BCRA, was the World War II-era forerunner of the SDECE, the French intelligence service. The BCRA was created by the Free French chief- ...
(BCRA) of the Free French forces organising and coordinating resistance in both Vichy and Occupied France.
*
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
Staff Sergeant Joseph R. Beyrle
* Major
Richard D. Winters
Richard Davis Winters (January 21, 1918January 2, 2011) was an American businessman and decorated war veteran who served as a U.S. Army officer during World War II. He is best known for having commanded Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th ...
, fought with Easy Company,
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 506th Infantry Regiment, originally designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (506th PIR) during World War II, is an airborne light infantry regiment of the United States Army. Currently a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regi ...
,
101st Airborne Division from the Normandy invasion to
Operation Market Garden to the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
. He was besieged at
Bastogne
Bastogne (; nl, Bastenaken, ; german: Bastnach/Bastenach; lb, Baaschtnech) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogn ...
and aided with taking of Hitler's
Eagle's Nest in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
*Jack M. Greener, Medic, K Company - 409th Regiment (103rd Infantry). In addition to the Croix de Guerre he received a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star with Silver Oakleaf Cluster
*Colonel
Donald J. Richardson earned Croix de Guerre with gold star. Commander of the 2nd battalion, 304th infantry of the 76th division, also receiving silver star, bronze star with oak leaf cluster, purple heart and Legion of Merit after his death in 1965. Served as Colonel in Korea, 8th Army, and later as senior military advisor in the Connecticut National Guard.
*First Sgt. Edward J. Stone of the US Army 40th General Hospital in Paris was awarded the Croix de Guerre with bronze star two times for his service during World War II.
*Glenn Wayne Ferguson an American while serving in the French Foreign Legion during Desert Storm was awarded the Croix du Guerre TOE etoile du bronze was mentioned in dispatches at Brigade level.
*
Howard Warren Clark, USMA 1941, XX Corps, Patton's 3rd Army, Corps of Engineers, awarded French Croix de Guerre with Palm for valorous actions during assaults
Other recipients
During World War I,
Cher Ami
Cher Ami (French for "dear friend", in the masculine) was a male homing pigeon who had been donated by the pigeon fanciers of Britain for use by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I and had been trained by American pigeoners. ...
, a
carrier pigeon with the 77th Division, helped save the lives of 194 American soldiers by carrying a message across enemy lines in the heat of battle. Cher Ami was shot in the chest and leg, losing most of the leg to which the message was attached, and blinded in one eye, but continued the 25-mile flight avoiding shrapnel and poison gas to get the message home. Cher Ami was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for heroic service. He later died from the wounds received in battle and was enshrined in the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
.
Aram Karamanoukian
Aram Karamanoukian ( hy, Արամ Գարամանուկեան; 1 May 1910 – 23 December 1996) was a Lieutenant General of the Syrian Army. He was also member of the Syrian Parliament. He is the author of several books. For his work as a scholar ...
, a lieutenant-general of the Syrian army of
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
descent, who participated in the
First Arab-Israeli war
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
, was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
See also
*
Croix de Guerre (Belgium)
*
Ribbons of the French military and civil awards This is a list of the ribbons of the French military and civil awards.
French national orders
French ministerial orders
French military decorations
Medals of Honor
French commemorative awards
Other awards
Order of precedence
Official ...
*
Croix-de-Feu
, logo = Croix de Feu.svg
, logo_size = 200px
, leader1_title = President
, leader1_name = François de La Rocque
, foundation = 11 November 1927
, dissolution = 10 January 1936
, successor = F ...
, a French
far right group in the Interwar period mainly comprising veterans decorated with the Croix de Guerre
*
Croix de Guerre recipients
*
Awards and decorations of the United States military
* French medals:
Croix de la Légion d'Honneur;
Croix de la Libération
The Order of Liberation (french: Ordre de la Libération) is a French Order which was awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is a very high honour, second only after the ''Légion d’Honneur'' (Legion of Honour ...
;
Croix de la Valeur Militaire
The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...
*
Vietnamese Gallantry Cross, a South Vietnamese military decoration closely based on the Croix de Guerre
Notes
References
External links
Belgian medal in WWIInfo about the French and Belgian medals, with pictures
{{italic title
Military awards and decorations of France
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)