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The Escapees' Medal () is a military award bestowed by the government of
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
to individuals who were
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
and who successfully escaped internment or died as a result of their escape attempt. The "Escapees' Medal" was established by a 1926 law, intended to honour combatants not only of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, but also of the
Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
of 1870. Its statute was later amended to include combatants of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and later conflicts.


Award statute

The award criteria for the
Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
was established by law on 2 October 1926 and read as follows: * To French soldiers serving during the Franco-Prussian War, who successfully escaped their internment in Germany. The award criteria for the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
were established by decree on 7 April 1927 and read as follows: * To French soldiers serving during the First World War, who were taken prisoner during combat either in Europe or in an external theatre of operations, and who successfully escaped, regardless of the length of their internment; * To citizens of Alsace-Lorraine, who, between 2 August 1914 and 1 November 1918, deserted from the German army. * To civilians interned in Germany, or living in territories occupied by the enemy, who crossed enemy lines with the intent of making themselves available to the French military authority. The award criteria for the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
were long in coming. A decree of 7 February 1959 allowed for award of the medal, followed by an Order on 20 May 1959 and detailed instructions on 10 July 1959. The medal was bestowed to persons able to prove a successful escape: * From a prisoner of war camp; * From a place of internment where they were being held for acts related to the resistance; * From enemy held or controlled territory, an escape including the clandestine crossing of a front line or customs checkpoint; To persons able to prove: * Two escape attempts followed by disciplinary measures; * A single escape attempt resulting in a transfer to a punitive establishment or by deportation measures recognised for the award of the Croix du combattant volontaire de la Résistance; * To citizens of Alsace-Lorraine forcibly incorporated into the German armed forces, who deserted in order to serve in the resistance or in the allied armies; * To citizens of Alsace-Lorraine who escaped from their provinces in order to fight the enemy; These actions are only considered for bestowal of the medal if they occurred between 2 September 1939 and 15 August 1945. The medal can be awarded to both French citizens and foreign nationals serving in the ranks of the French armed forces. Civilians and members of the military killed, or who have died as a result of wounds received during an escape attempt, are automatically awarded the medal. A decree of 28 December 1981 states that "any person eligible for the "Escapees' Medal" is asked to put forward a request". There is only one military unit that has been awarded the medal, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment, which received it in 1945, after the entire regiment decided to escape the German occupation of Vichy France (
Case Anton Case Anton () was the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally independent state and the disbanding of its army (the severely-limited '' Armisti ...
) in November 1942. Some members of the regiment went into the resistance, and others joined the Free French in Africa; one officer eventually reached Algiers still carrying the regimental standard. A survivor of the
Vel' d'Hiv Roundup The Vel' d'Hiv' Roundup ( ; from , an abbreviation of ) was a mass arrest of Jews in Paris on 16–17 July 1942 by Vichy French police at the behest of the German occupational authorities. Occurring during World War II, Jews arrested during ...
, Joseph Weismann, was awarded the Escapees' Medal in 2014 even though he did not meet the criteria set out in the 1959 decree. At the age of 11, Weismann had escaped from Beaune-la-Rolande transit camp, where the French authorities interned Jews who were to be sent to
Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...
. Weismann had been applying for the Escapees' Medal over a period of about 15 years before the French government finally awarded it to him.


Award description

The Escapees' Medal is a 30 mm in diameter circular medal struck from bronze. Its design is from the French engraver A. Dubois. Its
obverse The obverse and reverse are 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, ''obverse'' ...
bears the relief left profile bust of
Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed i ...
(representing the French Republic) crowned with branches of oak, along the outer circumference, the relief inscription () "FRENCH REPUBLIC". On its reverse, at center, the relief inscription on three rows () (ESCAPEES' MEDAL) surrounded by a wreath of oak branches. The medal is suspended by a ring through the suspension loop to a 36 mm wide green silk moiré ribbon with a 7 mm wide central orange stripe and 2 mm wide longitudinal orange stripes located 2 mm from the ribbon's outer edges.


Notable recipients (partial list)

* General Charles de Gaulle * General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque * General Marie-Pierre Kœnig * Lieutenant General Marcel Bigeard * Lieutenant-Colonel Dimitri Amilakhvari * Journalist Michel Moine * Foreign Legion Sergeant Peter J. Ortiz * General Edgard de Larminat * General Paul Arnaud de Foïard * General Raoul Magrin-Vernerey * Warrant Officer Raymond Duc * Resistance leader Rene-Georges Laurin * General Pierre Billotte * General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny * Resistance fighter Émile Allegret * René Joyeuse * Yves Congar, later Cardinal


See also

*
Prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
*
Prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...
* List of prisoners of war


References


External links

*
France Phaléristique
{{DEFAULTSORT:Medaille Des Evades Military awards and decorations of France Prisoner-of-war medals Awards established in 1926 1926 establishments in France Escape