The War Cross with Sword (

Norwegian Bokmål Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

: ''Krigskorset med sverd, ''

Norwegian Nynorsk Nynorsk () () is one of the two written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. From 12 May 1885, it became the state-sanctioned version of Ivar Aasen's standard Norwegian language ( no, Landsmål) parallel to the Dano-Nor ...

: ''Krigskrossen med sverd'') is the highest ranking

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

gallantry decoration. It is awarded for extraordinary brave actions or extraordinary leadership during combat. A recipient deemed worthy of additional citations will receive up to an additional two swords on the medal ribbon in addition to the "standard" single sword. Additional citations are rare: Gunnar Sønsteby is the only person to have received the War Cross with three swords (more appropriately known as "War Cross with sword and two swords").

History

The medal was established on 23 May 1941 by royal resolution of

King Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VI ...

, who was in London with the

government in exile A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile ...

due to the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

. At that time, "royal" awards were made (to members of the British Royal family for example) and awards could be made for meritorious activities not associated with combat (extraordinary achievements or contributions for Norway's cause and war effort): these were made without the sword. The statutes were amended on 18 May 1945, restricting awards to the actions of military personnel in combat situations, thus all subsequent decorations would to be "with sword". At the same time, Haakon VII's Freedom Cross was established to replace the War Cross for civilian achievements. Awards of the War Cross ceased in 1949, but on 26 June 2009 the statutes were again revised to permit awards for actions after 1945. In 2022 the Norwegian Armed Forces commissioned Marcus Paus to write a major work to tell the stories of the War Cross recipients. The Armed Forces said the idea is that the work will be a major "identity-building and unifying" work for the armed forces.

Recipients

Since its inception, the War Cross has been awarded to 126 non-Norwegians. These awards were mostly for actions during the Norwegian Campaign of 1940. The number of recipients from various nations: *66 France (mostly

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

and

Chasseurs Alpins The ''chasseurs alpins'' ( en, Alpine Rangers) are the elite mountain infantry force of the French Army. They are trained to operate in mountainous terrain and in urban warfare. History France created its own mountain corps in the late 19th ...

). *42 UK (including a gracious award to their Majesties, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, King Haakon's host and hostess "for the duration"). *13 Poland (the

Polish Independent Highland Brigade The Polish Independent Highland Brigade () was a Polish military unit created in France in 1939, after the fall of Poland, as part of the Polish Army in France. It had approximately 5,000 soldiers trained in mountain warfare and was commanded ...

). * 2 US. * 1 Denmark (but serving with the

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...

). * 1 Greece (a "courtesy award" to his kinsman

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

King of the Hellenes The Kingdom of Greece was ruled by the House of Wittelsbach between 1832 and 1862 and by the House of Glücksburg from 1863 to 1924, temporarily abolished during the Second Hellenic Republic, and from 1935 to 1973, when it was once more abolish ...

). * 1 Canada (serving with the Royal Engineers).

Canadian recipient

Gazetted 11 August 1942 while serving with the British Army: List of most

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 ...

recipients, granting them permission to wear the decoration (referred to as the Norwegian Military Cross), on their British uniforms * Lt (temp Capt) Harry FitzGibbon Boswell, Royal Engineers (RE) (later Col & OBE)

Norwegian recipients

* Gunnar Sønsteby (with three swords) for his work as a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II. *

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Max Manus Maximo Guillermo "Max" Manus DSO, MC & Bar (9 December 1914 – 20 September 1996) was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II, specialising in sabotage in occupied Norway. After the war he wrote several books about his adventu ...

(with two swords) for his work as a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II. *

Leif Larsen Leif Andreas Larsen DSO, DSC, CGM, DSM and Bar (9 January 1906 – 12 October 1990), popularly known as "Shetlands Larsen", was a highly decorated Norwegian sailor. He was arguably the most famous of the men who operated the Shetland bus es ...

(with two swords). *

Oluf Reed-Olsen Oluf Bernhard Reed-Olsen (8 July 1918 – 14 October 2002) was a Norwegian resistance member and pilot during World War II. As a resistance member he is best known for the Lysaker Bridge sabotage as well as operating illegal radio transmitters. ...

for his work as a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II. *

Erik Gjems-Onstad Erik-Ørn Gjems-Onstad, MBE (22 February 1922 – 18 November 2011) was a Norwegian resistance member, officer, lawyer, sports official, politician, author and anti-immigration activist. Gjems-Onstad joined the Norwegian resistance movement a ...

for his work as a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II. * Hugo Munthe-Kaas for his efforts in Operation Upsilon III during World War II. *

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Birger Eriksen Birger Kristian Eriksen (17 November 1875 – 16 July 1958) was a Norwegian officer (with the rank of Oberst) who was instrumental in stopping the first wave of ''Gruppe 5'' of the German invasion force outside Oslo. Eriksen was the comman ...

for his command of the

Oscarsborg Fortress Oscarsborg Fortress ( no, Oscarsborg festning) is a coastal fortress in the Oslofjord, close to the small town of Drøbak in Viken county, Norway. The best known part is situated on two small islets. The main artillery batteries are on the island ...

in the

Battle of Drøbak Sound The Battle of Drøbak Sound took place in Drøbak Sound, the northernmost part of the outer Oslofjord in southern Norway, on 9 April 1940. It marked the end of the " Phoney War" and the beginning of World War II in Western Europe. A German fle ...

. *Captain

Martin Linge Martin Jensen Linge, (11 December 1894 – 27 December 1941) was a Norwegian actor who, in World War II, became the commander of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1) (pronounced as ''Norisen'' by the Norwegians), formed in March 19 ...

(with one sword) for his command of the

Norwegian Independent Company 1 Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced ''Norisén'' (approx. "noor-ee-sehn") in Norwegian) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during ...

Boy Rist Boy Roald Rist (1 January 1912 – 16 November 1972) was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in World War II. He was an naval officer, and a member Norwegian Independent Company 1 a part of Specia ...

for outstanding efforts during the execution of special missions, as Leader for Polar Bear 1, Narvik. * Eiliv Austlid was awarded the citation on 2 October 2009, for actions in April 1940, settling a case that had been discussed in the press for some time. The new award raised the total number of persons awarded The War Cross to 275 and the total number of awards, which includes seven French military colours, to 282. It has been revealed that at least one soldier is being considered for the award after action with the

International Security Assistance Force ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

in the Afghanistan war. *

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

Trond André Bolle was awarded the War Cross with Sword (posthumously) on 21 January 2011. The decision was announced by the Minister of Defence,

Grete Faremo Grete Faremo (born 16 June 1955) is a Norwegian politician, lawyer and business leader. From August 2014 to May 2022, she held the post of Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). ...

, shortly after the cabinet session the same day. Lt. Cmdr. Bolle receives the award for his actions and behaviour during his command of the Norwegian Special Operations Force Task Group II in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan's

Helmand Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

province from October 2005 to February 2006. According to the Minister of Defence, Lt. Cmdr Bolle performed "above and beyond the call of duty" on numerous occasions during this period, his leadership was described as "exemplary". Lieutenant Commander Trond André Bolle was killed in action on 27 June 2010, in an IED incident in Afghanistan's Faryab province. Three other soldiers, Christian Lian, Simen Tokle and Andreas Eldjarn were also killed in the incident, which happened on the road between Khwaja Gawhar and Almar Bazar. The vehicle was the fourth vehicle in a row of four vehicles. This award marks the first award of the War Cross with Sword for actions performed after the end of

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 ...

. The award was presented on Veterans day (also

Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...

), 8 May 2011. *

Eirik Johan Kristoffersen was awarded the citation on 8 April 2011, for outstanding leadership and bravery during operations in Afghanistan. The award was presented on Veterans day (also

), 8 May 2011. * Captain Jørg Lian of Special Forces FSK was awarded the citation on 8 April 2011, for outstanding leadership and bravery during operations in Afghanistan. The award was presented on Veterans day (also

), 8 May 2011. *

Lars Kristian Lauritzen for bravery and courage in combat during international operations in Afghanistan (

ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

) in 2007.To nye krigskors tildelt
forsvaret.no, retrieved 5 April 2013 * Major Kristian Bergh Stang for particularly excellent courage and leadership in combat during international operations in Afghanistan (ISAF) in 2008. *''

Marinejegerkommandoen ''Marinejegerkommandoen'' (MJK) ( en, Naval Special Operations Command) is the maritime/naval special warfare unit of the Norwegian Armed Forces and was established in 1953. The MJK is under the command of the Norwegian Special Operations Com ...

'' operator Ken Andersen for "extraordinary courage" in two separate counter-terror operations in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

, Afghanistan, the first responding to the

2015 Park Palace guesthouse attack On 13 May 2015, three gunmen stormed the Park Palace guesthouse in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attack is believed to be part of the Taliban's annual spring offensive against NATO's presence in the country. Background Shortly before a concert was du ...

on 13 May 2015, the second in response to an attack on the Russian embassy on 6 October 2015. Recipients of the War Cross are ranked 33 in the national

Norwegian order of precedence {{precedence The Norwegian order of precedence is the hierarchy of officials in the Government of Norway used to direct seating and ranking on formal occasions, decided by the King, which came into effect from 1 July 1993. I. The President of the N ...

, after bearers of Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav with collar and before recipients of the Medal for Outstanding Civic Achievement.

Polish recipients

If not stated otherwise, all recipients were soldiers of the

(''Samodzielna Brygada Strzelcow Podhalanskich''), awarded 1942. *Gen

Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. Prior to the First World War, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause for Polish i ...

- Prime Minister and C-in-C of the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called ''Wojsko Polskie'' in Poland, abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of ...

(1943-posthumously) *Maj-Gen

Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko Zygmunt Piotr Bohusz-Szyszko (1893 in Chełm – 1982 in London) was a Polish general. During World War I he served in the Imperial Russian army. In 1940, he was Commanding Officer Polish Independent Highland Brigade (''Samodzielna Brygada Strz ...

- Commander of the Polish Independent Highland Brigade *Lt-Col Janusz Iliński *Lt-Col Wacław Kobyliński *Maj Andrzej Stańczyk *Capt Rudolf Marian Neuman *Lt Kazimierz Kędzierski *Lt Brunon Utnicki *2nd Lt Piotr Szewczyk *Cadet Leon Słupieński *Cpl Kazimierz Dziedzioch *Pte Wasyl Cykwas *Pte Jan Lasowski

UK recipients

All the awards were made in 1942, unless stated: Royal Family: * King George VI * Queen Elizabeth Royal Navy:

Gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

13 October 1942 List of most

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 ...

and Royal Marines recipients, granting them permission to wear the decoration (referred to as the Norwegian War Cross), on their British uniforms * Capt Bernard Armitage Warburton Warburton-Lee VC, ( 2nd Destroyer Flotilla). *Capt Louis Henry Keppel Hamilton. HMS ''Aurora''. (later Admiral & KCB) *Capt John Graham Hewitt DSO * Cdr Richard Been Stannard VC ( HMT ''Arab'') *Acting Skpr David George Spindler CGM * PO George Campbell Skene CGM Gazetted 23 March 1943: * Lt-Cdr Sir Alexander "Sandy" Glen, DSC*, CBE (1964), KBE (1967), Czechoslovak War Cross, Patron's medal of the Royal Geographical Society (1940), the silver Polar medal (1942), and the Bruce medal of the Royal Society of Edinburgh—whilst attached to the SOE Other *Lt-Cdr John W. Waterhouse Royal Marines: Gazetted 13 October 1942 * Cpl Roy David Page DSM Army: Gazetted 11 August 1942 *

Lt-Col Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the army, armies, most Marine (armed services), marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use t ...

(acting Col) Arthur Joseph Beveridge OBE MC, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) * Maj (temp Lt-Col, actg Brig) Millis Rowland Jefferis MC, Royal Engineers (RE) *Maj (temp Lt-Col) Andrew Daniel Clinch, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) *Maj Patrick George John Mary Davies Bulfin,

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

* Capt (temp Maj actg Lt-Col) Arthur Stuart Talbot Godfrey, RE *Capt (temp Maj) Charles Julian Deedes, KOYLI *Capt (acting Maj) Richard Oswald Spotswood Dimmock,

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment ...

*Capt William Millar Burgess, RAMC *Lt (acting Capt) Reginald George Coleman,

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

*Lt Charles Joseph Rowlinson, Leicestershire Regiment *

Sgt SGT may refer to * Sergeant, a rank in many uniformed organizations * Scotland's Great Trails * Singapore Standard Time Singapore Standard Time (SST), also known as Singapore Time (SGT), is used in Singapore and is 8 hours ahead of UTC (UTC+ ...

Clarence Peacock MM,

*Sgt William Alexander Liddell Wilkinson,

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

*Cpl Albert Neal, Leicestershire Regiment * Pte Ernest Monkman, KOYLI *Pte James Mountford, KOYLI *Roy Hughes Irish Guards Royal Air Force:

6 October 1942 *Acting Grp Cpt Kenneth Brian Boyd Cross DSO DFC 46 Squadron (later Air Chief Marshal & KCB,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

). *Acting Wg Cdr John Collins Mayhew *Acting Wg Cdr Francis Davies Stephen Scott-Malden (later

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

& DSO DFC*,

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

) *Acting Sqn Ldr William James Pond MM *Acting Flt Lt Herbert Horatio Kitchener DFM 263 Squadron (later W/C) * W/O George Wyndham Parker MM * W/O Anthony Paul Reen DFM * Flt Sgt Neville Willson Kemp *Sgt Thomas Laidlaw Humble *Cpl Reginald Bernard Coomber. Gazetted 18 December 1942: Lists the remainder of the RAF recipients, granting them permission to wear the decoration (referred to as the Norwegian War Cross), on their British uniforms *Grp Cpt.

Richard Atcherley Air Marshal Sir Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley, (12 January 1904 – 18 April 1970) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Pakistan Air Force from 1949 to 1951. Early life Richard Atcherley and ...

, OBE, AFC (later Air Marshal & KBE, CB, AFC*). *Acting Air Commodore

Whitney Straight Air Commodore Whitney Willard Straight, (6 November 1912 – 5 April 1979) was a Grand Prix motor racing driver, aviator, businessman, and a member of the prominent Whitney family of the United States. Early life Born in New York City, Whitn ...

DFC, MC (later Air Commodore &

, Legion of Merit). *Acting Wg Cdr Edward James Fawdry *Flt Lt Dennis Edward Healy DSO 1943 Additions: *1943: Lt-Col. Amherst Barrow Whatman MBE *1943: Wg Cdr. Patrick G. Jameson 46 Squadron

US recipients

*CAPT Alfred Carini. died 1945. Master of SS ''Henry Bacon''. *LTC Keith N. Allen.

References

External links

* * {{Highest Awards for gallantry *