The Air Crew Europe Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by 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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in May 1945 for award to

British and Commonwealth British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

air crews who participated in operational flights over Europe from bases in the United Kingdom during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

.New Zealand Defence Force - British Commonwealth War And Campaign Medals Awarded To New Zealanders - The Air Crew Europe Star
(Access date 5 April 2015) Two clasps were instituted to be worn on the medal ribbon: Atlantic and France and Germany.

The Second World War Stars

On 8 July 1943, the Star (later named the Star) and the Africa Star became the first two campaign stars instituted, and by May 1945 a total of eight stars and nine clasps had been established to reward campaign service during the Second World War. One more campaign star, the Arctic Star, and one more clasp, the Bomber Command Clasp, were belatedly added on 26 February 2013, more than sixty-seven years after the end of the war.
(Access date 1 April 2015)War Service (Decorations) – Statement in the House of Commons by Winston Churchill on 3 August 1943 (HC Deb 03 August 1943 vol 391 cc2091-3)
(Access date 9 April 2015)
(Access date 1 April 2015) Including the Arctic Star and the Bomber Command clasp, no-one could be awarded more than six campaign stars, with five of the ten clasps awarded denoting service that would have qualified for a second star. Only one clasp could be worn on any one campaign star. The maximum of six possible stars are the following: * The

1939–1945 Star The 1939–1945 Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces for service in the Second World War. Two clasps were instituted to be worn on the medal ribbon, Batt ...

with, when awarded, either the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

or the Bomber Command clasp.New Zealand Defence Force – The 1939–45 Star Eligibility Rules
(Access date 12 April 2015) * Only one of the Atlantic Star, Air Crew Europe Star or France and Germany Star. Those earning more than one received the first qualified for, with the second denoted by the appropriate ribbon clasp.New Zealand Defence Force – The Atlantic Star Eligibility Rules
(Access date 4 April 2015)
(Access date 12 April 2015)
(Access date 12 April 2015) * The Arctic Star.New Zealand Defence Force – The Arctic Star
(Access date 12 April 2015) * The

Africa Star The Africa Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943 during the Second World War. Three clasp ...

with, if awarded, the first earned of clasps for North Africa 1942–43, 8th Army or 1st Army.New Zealand Defence Force – The Africa Star Eligibility Rules
(Access date 12 April 2015) * Either the Pacific Star or

Burma Star The Burma Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in the Burma Campaign from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War. One clasp, Pacific, was ...

. Those earning both received the first qualified for, with the appropriate clasp to represent the second.New Zealand Defence Force – The Pacific Star Eligibility Rules
(Access date 9 April 2015)
(Access date 12 April 2015) * The

Italy Star The Italy Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British Commonwealth forces who served in the Italian Campaign from 1943 to 1945, during the Second World War. The Second World War Stars On ...

.New Zealand Defence Force – The Italy Star Eligibility Rules
(Access date 12 April 2015) All recipients of campaign stars also received the War Medal. Since only the first of the Atlantic Star, Air Crew Europe Star or France and Germany Star to be earned could be awarded to any one individual, the possible Star and Clasp combinations for these three campaign stars are:Forces War Records - Medals - Air Crew Europe Star Medal
(Access date 5 April 2015) * The Atlantic Star with either the Air Crew Europe or France and Germany clasp. * The Air Crew Europe Star with either the France and Germany or Atlantic clasp. * The France and Germany Star with the Atlantic clasp.
As a result of the different date ranges involved, the earlier period Air Crew Europe clasp could not be added to the later period France and Germany Star.

Institution

The strategic bombing campaign against German industrial cities, military installations and a wide variety of other targets continued throughout World War Two and made a decisive contribution to Allied victory. Although the Royal Air Force suffered significant losses of both men and aircraft, the campaign severely curtailed German industrial production.GOV.UK - Defence and armed forces – guidance - Medals: campaigns, descriptions and eligibility - Air Crew Europe Star
(Access date 5 April 2015) The Air Crew Europe Star was instituted in May 1945 for award to air crew who flew operations from the United Kingdom over Europe. It was not awarded to supporting ground personnel. Two clasps were instituted to be worn on the Air Crew Europe Star's ribbon, 'Atlantic' and 'France and Germany'. British uniform regulations stipulated that no one person could be awarded more than one clasp to any one campaign star, and neither the Atlantic Star nor the France and Germany Star could be awarded to a recipient of the Air Crew Europe Star. Subsequent entitlement to either of these stars was denoted by the award of the appropriate clasp to the Air Crew Europe Star, with only the first clasp earned being worn.

Award criteria

Broad criteria

The Air Crew Europe Star was awarded for operational flying from bases in the United Kingdom over Europe from the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939 to 5 June 1944, the day before the D-Day Normandy Invasion, both dates inclusive. For air crew of the Royal Air Force, two months of operational flying was required in order to qualify for the award of the Air Crew Europe Star. Army personnel qualified for this star after they had served on air crew duties for four months, provided two months of this minimum four-month period had been operational flying over Europe with at least one operational sortie. The

1939-1945 Star 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

must already have been earned before commencing qualifying service for the Air Crew Europe Star. From D-Day on 6 June 1944, operational flying over Europe qualified air crew for the award of the France and Germany Star or, for holders of either the Atlantic Star or Air Crew Europe Star, the award of the France and Germany Clasp.Veterans Affairs Canada - Air Crew Europe Star
(Access date 5 April 2015)

Special criteria

The award of a gallantry medal or

Mention in Dispatches 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 ...

for action during operational flying over Europe, qualified the recipient for the immediate award of the Air Crew Europe Star, regardless of service duration. Personnel whose required qualifying service period was terminated prematurely by their death, disability or wounding due to service, were awarded the Star regardless of service duration.

Description

The set of nine campaign stars was designed by the Royal Mint engravers. The stars all have a ring suspender which passes through an eyelet formed above the uppermost point of the star. They are six–pointed stars, struck in yellow copper zinc alloy to fit into a 44 millimetres diameter circle, with a maximum width of 38 millimetres and 50 millimetres high from the bottom point of the star to the top of the eyelet.Extract from the Regulations: Air Crew Europe Star (Access date 8 October 2018)
/ref> ;Obverse The obverse has a central design of the Royal Cypher "GRI VI", surmounted by a crown. A circlet, the top of which is covered by the crown, surrounds the cypher and is inscribed "THE AIR CREW EUROPE STAR". ;Reverse The reverse is plain. ;Naming The British Honours Committee decided that Second World War campaign medals awarded to British forces would be issued unnamed, a policy applied by all but three British Commonwealth countries. The recipient's name was impressed on the reverse of the stars awarded to Indians, South Africans and, after a campaign led by veteran organisations, to Australians. In the case of South Africans, the naming comprised the recipient's force number, initials and surname in block capitals. ;Clasps Clasp - Air Crew Europe & Atlantic

Clasp - Air Crew Europe & France and Germany

Both clasps were struck in bronze and have a frame with an inside edge which resembles the perforated edge of a postage stamp. They are inscribed "ATLANTIC" and "FRANCE AND GERMANY" respectively and were designed to be sewn onto the medal's ribbon. Regulations only allow one clasp, the first earned, to be worn with the Star. When the ribbon is worn alone, a silver rosette is worn on the ribbon bar to denote the award of a clasp. ;Ribbon The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide, with a 4 millimetres wide black band and a 3 millimetres wide yellow band, repeated in reverse order and separated by an 18 millimetres wide blue band. The colours and layout symbolise the continuous service of the Royal Air Force by night and day. The sky is represented by the blue centre band and night flying by the black bands on the edges, while the yellow bands represent enemy searchlights. The ribbons for this medal and the Defence Medal as well as those of the other Second World War campaign stars, with the exception of the Arctic Star, were devised by King George VI.

Order of wear

The order of wear of the Second World War campaign stars was determined by their respective campaign start dates and by the campaign's duration. This is the order worn, even when a recipient qualified for them in a different order. The Defence Medal and War Medal are worn after the stars. The Canadian Volunteer Service Medal is worn after the Defence Medal and before the War Medal, with other Commonwealth war medals worn after the War Medal. * The

, from 3 September 1939 to 2 September 1945, the full duration of the

. * The Atlantic Star, from 3 September 1939 to 8 May 1945, the duration of the Battle of the Atlantic and the War in Europe. * The Arctic Star, from 3 September 1939 to 8 May 1945, the duration of the

Arctic Convoys The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...

and the War in Europe. * The Air Crew Europe Star, from 3 September 1939 to 5 June 1944, the period until D-Day minus one. * The

, from 10 June 1940 to 12 May 1943, the duration of the North African Campaign. * The Pacific Star, from 8 December 1941 to 2 September 1945, the duration of the Pacific War. * The

, from 11 December 1941 to 2 September 1945, the duration of the Burma Campaign. * The

, from 11 June 1943 to 8 May 1945, the duration of the Italian Campaign. * The France and Germany Star, from 6 June 1944 to 8 May 1945, the duration of the North-West Europe Campaign. * The Defence Medal, from 3 September 1939 to 8 May 1945 (2 September 1945 for those serving in the Far East and the Pacific), the duration of the Second World War.New Zealand Defence Force - The Defence Medal Eligibility Rules
(Access date 21 April 2015) * The War Medal, from 3 September 1939 to 2 September 1945, the full duration of the Second World War.New Zealand Defence Force - The War Medal 1939-45 Eligibility Rules
(Access date 22 April 2015) The Air Crew Europe Star is therefore worn as shown: Ribbon - Arctic Star

* Preceded by the Arctic Star. * Succeeded by the

External links

Air Crew Europe Star on the UK Parliament website

References

{{South African military decorations and medals British campaign medals Australian campaign medals New Zealand campaign medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa Military decorations and medals of South Africa pre-1952 Awards established in 1945 Military awards and decorations of World War II