Croix de guerre 1939–1945 | |
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1939–1945 War Cross with 2 gilt stars
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Awarded by France | |
Type | Bravery award |
Awarded for | Military duty during World War II mentioned in dispatches |
Status | No longer awarded |
Clasps | silver gilt palm silver palm bronze palm gilt star silver star bronze star |
Statistics | |
Established | September 26, 1939 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Croix de guerre 1914–1918 |
Next (lower) | Croix de guerre des TOE |
Ribbon bar & streamer of the French Croix de guerre 1939–1945 |
The Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (War Cross 1939–1945) is a French military decoration, a version of the Croix de guerre created on September 26, 1939, to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis forces at any time during World War II.
Due to the large extent of the war zone, recipients included various groups:
On every Croix de guerre, there is at least one ribbon device, either in the shape of a palm or of a star, and fashioned from either bronze, silver or gilded silver. The relative importance of the six possible combinations is detailed below. The total number of devices on a "Croix de guerre" is not limited.
The clasps are awarded for gallantry to any member of the French military or its allies and are, depending on the degree, roughly the equivalent for U.S. Bronze Star and Silver Star or UK Military Cross and Military Medal.