The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the

French Committee of National Liberation The French Committee of National Liberation (french: Comité français de Libération nationale) was a provisional government of Free France formed by the French generals Henri Giraud and Charles de Gaulle to provide united leadership, organ ...

, based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

, during World War II. It was established by a

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

of General

Charles 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 ...

on 9 February 1943 "to recognize the remarkable acts of faith and of courage that, in France, in the

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

and abroad, have contributed to the resistance of the French people against the enemy and against its accomplices since 18 June 1940". The Resistance medal was awarded to approximately 38,288 living persons and 24,463 posthumously. These awards were both for membership in 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 ...

and for participation in the metropolitan clandestine Resistance during the

German occupation of France in World War II 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 z ...

. Higher deeds were rewarded with the ''

Ordre 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 Hono ...

''. Proposals for the medal ceased to be accepted on 31 March 1947. For acts that occurred in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, however, that date was moved back to 31 December 1947. The medal was also awarded to 18 communities and territories, 21 military units, and to 15 other organizations including convents, high schools, and hospitals that particularly distinguished themselves.

Award statute

Insigne régimentaire de la 13e Demi-brigade de Légion étrangère

The Resistance medal is awarded by the Chief of a Fighting France to French individuals and communities: * who took an especially active part since 18 June 1940 in the resistance against

Axis forces The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its p ...

and their accomplices on French soil or in a territory under French sovereignty; * who took an effective and important part in the rallying of French territories to Fighting France or rendered services in the war effort of those territories that were confirmed and logged; * who played an eminent role in the actions of organizations of Fighting France abroad or in propaganda destined at regrouping and supporting the forces of the resistance; * who rallied troops, ships or aircraft in exceptionally difficult or dangerous conditions; * who joined the Free French Forces in particularly dangerous and meritorious conditions. The Resistance medal may be revoked by decree following any act contrary to honour or integrity, whether committed prior to or after bestowal of the medal.

Award description

The Resistance medal is a 37mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze. Its slightly

concave Concave or concavity may refer to: Science and technology * Concave lens * Concave mirror Mathematics * Concave function, the negative of a convex function * Concave polygon A simple polygon that is not convex is called concave, non-convex or ...

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, '' ...

bears at center a vertical

Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine (french: Croix de Lorraine, link=no), known as the Cross of Anjou in the 16th century, is a heraldic two-barred cross, consisting of a vertical line crossed by two shorter horizontal bars. In most renditions, the horizon ...

with the relief semi circular inscription of the date of General de Gaulle's appeal of 18 June 1940 in

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

"XVIII.VI.MCMXL" (18.06.1940) bisected by the lower part of the cross. The reverse bears the relief image of an unfurling ribbon bearing the relief inscription in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"''PATRIA NON IMMEMOR''" translating into "THE NATION DOES NOT FORGET". The suspension is cast as an integral part of the medal. The medal hangs from a 36mm wide black silk moiré ribbon with six vertical red stripes of varying widths, 3mm wide edge stripes, two 1mm wide central stripes 2mm apart, and two 1mm wide stripes 6mm from the central stripes. A 28mm in diameter rosette is on the ribbon of the ''Officer of the Resistance'' medal.

Notable recipients (partial list)

*Resistance leader Jean Pierre-Bloch *Resistance member

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 ...

*Resistance leader and air force pilot Claudius Billon *Resistance member Albert Haar *Resistance member Andrzej Kuśniewicz *Resistance member Georges Caussanel *Resistance member Jane Vialle *Resistance member lieutenant Henry Andraud *Resistance member Marcel Dufriche *Resistance member Édouard Le Jeune, former Senator *Resistance leader Colonel

Émile Coulaudon Émile Coulaudon (29 December 1907 - 1 June 1977), known as Colonel Gaspard, was one of the principal leaders of the French Resistance in Auvergne during the Second World War. Life prior to the Resistance Coulaudon was born on 29 December 190 ...

*Resistance leader Capitaine Adrien Pommier *

SOE SOE may refer to: Organizations * State-owned enterprise * Special Operations Executive, a British World War II clandestine sabotage and resistance organisation ** Special Operations Executive in the Netherlands, or Englandspiel * Society of Ope ...

Operative and

First Aid Nursing Yeomanry The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) (FANY (PRVC)) is a British independent all-female registered charity formed in 1907 and active in both nursing and intelligence work during the World Wars. Its members wear a mili ...

member

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 b ...

*Admiral Philippe Auboyneau *Resistance movement founder, army lieutenant, businessman and politician Antoine Avinin *Lieutenant General

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 and the Algerian War. He was one of the commanders in the B ...

* Foreign Legion general

Bernard Saint-Hillier Bernard Saint-Hillier (29 December 1911 – 28 July 2004) was a French general. Saint-Hillier graduated from Saint-Cyr in 1933 and was affected to the 11th Chasseurs alpins Battalion. In 1938, he joined the French Foreign Legion with the rank ...

* Foreign Legion Lieutenant Colonel

Pierre Jeanpierre Pierre Paul Jeanpierre (14 March 1912 – 29 May 1958) was a senior officer of the Foreign Legion. He initially served in the French Army and fought during World War II, the First Indochina War, the Suez Crisis and the Algerian War, where he ...

* French paratrooper André Zirnheld ( The Paratrooper's Prayer) *Writer, statesman, resistance member

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed by P ...

*Resistance member, union leader,

operative and politician Yvon Morandat *Writer, statesman, resistance member

Paul Rassinier Paul Rassinier (18 March 1906 – 28 July 1967) was a political activist and writer who is viewed as "the father of Holocaust denial". Totten, Samuel; Bartrop, Paul Robert; Jacobs, Steven L. "Rassinier, Paul", ''Dictionary of Genocide'', Vo ...

*Irish playwright, director, novelist

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and Tragicomedy, tr ...

*Irish language teacher and resistance worker Janie McCarthy *Resistance leader Pierre Kahn-Farelle *Politician, resistance member general Pierre de Bénouville *Resistance member doctor Charles Cliquet *Resistance member Jeanne L'Herminier *Resistance member sous-liutenant Marina Vega (Base Espagne) *Free French soldier general François Binoche *Resistance Leader Camille Nicolas *Free French Forces and

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all bran ...

Captain René Joyeuse *Diplomat Louis Alexis Étienne Bonvin *Resistance member Émile Bollaert *Resistance leader Edmond Proust *Free French soldier warrant officer Walter Grand *Resistance leader Joseph Dubar *Free French navy admiral

Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu, in religion Father Louis of the Trinity, O.C.D. (7 August 1889 – 7 September 1964), was a Discalced Carmelite friar and priest, who was also a diplomat and French Navy officer and admiral; he became one of the ...

*Resistance member, captain in the French military, French art historian and "Monuments Men" member

Rose Valland Rose Antonia Maria Valland (1 November 1898 – 18 September 1980) was a French art historian, member of the French Resistance, captain in the French military, and one of the most decorated women in French history. She secretly recorded details of ...

*Resistance leader and general practitioner, André Vansteenberghe *Resistance member, general practitioner, torture victim of and prosecution witness against

Klaus Barbie Nikolaus "Klaus" Barbie (25 October 1913 – 25 September 1991) was a German operative of the Schutzstaffel, SS and Sicherheitsdienst, SD who worked in Vichy France during World War II. He became known as the "Butcher of Lyon" for having persona ...

, Alice Vansteenberghe *Resistance proeminent organiser in Marseille, Jacques Baumel

Notable posthumous recipients (partial list)

*Grenoble resistance member Jean Pain *Free French aviator lieutenant Gérard Claron *Free French aviator captain Louis Flury-Hérard *Resistance leader general Aubert Frère *Captain, doctor, mayor of Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey, Michel Temporal *Resistance member Pierre Guillou *Free French aviator Pierre Brisdoux Galloni d'Istria *Resistance leader Fernand Zalkinow *Resistance member colonel Émile Bonotaux *Resistance member brigadier general

Georges Journois Georges Henri Journois (13 November 1896 – 26 September 1944) was a French resistance fighter and Brigadier General who died in a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Early life Journois was born on 13 No ...

*Abbot René Bonpain *Resistance leader

Pierre Brossolette Pierre Brossolette (25 June 1903 – 22 March 1944) was a French journalist, left-wing politician and major hero of the French Resistance in World War II. He ran an intelligence hub of Parisian resistance at the Rue de la Pompe, before servin ...

*Resistance leader Pierre Kaan *Resistance member Léger Fouris *Resistance member Gabriel Plançon *Resistance member rabbi Samuel Klein *Resistance member Laurent Matheron *Resistance leader Marc Haguenau *Resistance member Georges Lamarque *Resistance leader rear admiral Jacques Trolley de Prévaux *Resistance member Jean Chaffanjon *Resistance member Pierre Chaffanjon *Resistance member Yvonne Chollet *Resistance member Robert Duterque *Resistance member Henri Fertet (1926-1943) *Resistance member, chemist France Bloch-Sérazin (1913 – 1943) *Resistance member Agnès de La Barre de Nanteuil (1922–1944)

Recipient communities and organizations (partial list)

* Oyonnax commune *

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ...

* Montceau-les-Mines commune *Lalande de Bourg-en-Bresse high school * 6th Engineers Regiment *Preparatory Military School of Autun * Marsoulas commune * Caniac-du-Causse commune * Miribel commune * Béthincourt commune * Meximieux commune * 1st Line Infantry Regiment * Terrou commune * Nantua commune *Notre-Dame de Timadeuc abbey * * *

13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion ) and veteran foreign regiments (french: Anciens régiment étranger, link=no) of the Legion, in case of the CEPs, BEPs & REPs, the context reference is referring to the paratrooper veterans (french: Anciens legionnaires parachutistes, link=no) ...

*1st Marines Regiment * City of Brest * Caen commune

References

External links

La Commission nationale de la Médaille de la Résistance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Resistance Medal Civil awards and decorations of France French campaign medals French Resistance Awards established in 1943 Military awards and decorations of World War II