Cross of Valour (Poland)
| Cross of Valour Krzyż Walecznych | |
|---|---|
  ThePeople's Republic of Polandversion of the medal and ribbon. | |
| Type | Single-grade medal. |
| Awarded for | Deeds of valour and courage on the field of battle. |
| Description | Obverse bears the words, "NA POLU CHWAŁY"(" ON THE FIELD OF GLORY "), while the reverse bears the word,"WALECZNYM"(" TO THE VALIANT "), and the date" 1920 "or" 1944, "depending on date of institution. |
| Country |  Poland |
| Presented by | thePresident of Poland |
| Clasps | denotes subsequent awards |
| Status | In the award system but a wartime decoration only |
| Established | 11 August 1920. |
 Polish-Soviet Warperiod medal | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. |
| Next (lower) | Military Cross. |
TheCross of Valour(Polish:Krzyż Walecznych) is a Polish military decoration. It was introduced by theCouncil of National Defenseon 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valour and courage on the field of battle." It may be awarded to the same person up to four times.[1]The medal is given only in wartime or shortly after.[2]
History
[edit]Polish-Soviet War
[edit]The medal was introduced in 1920 at the height of thePolish-Soviet War,shortly before the climacticBattle of Warsaw.Initially it had no Order Council and was awarded personally by the Commander-in-Chief of thePolish Army.Later the option was added of delegating the medal's granting to front and division commanders.
Through 29 May 1923, when the last medal for thePolish-Soviet Warwas awarded, the Cross of Valour had been granted to some 60,000 soldiers.
Apart from individuals who had participated in the Polish-Soviet War, the medal had also been awarded retroactively to some soldiers of thePolish Legions,of World War I military units, of theSilesian Uprisings,of theGreat Poland Uprising,and to members of thePolish Military Organization.It had been awarded, as well, to veterans of theJanuary 1863 Uprisingand to the city ofPłock.
World War II
[edit]In January 1940 the Polish Commander-in-Chief,Władysław Sikorski,issued an order reintroducing the Cross of Valour. On 20 September, thePresident of Polandagreed to award the medal to eligible individuals who had already been awarded it four times during thePolish-Soviet War.
People's Republic of Poland
[edit]In 1943, after theBattle of Lenino,GeneralZygmunt Berling,commander of the Soviet-backed Polish1st Corps,awarded the Cross of Valour to several soldiers. The medal itself was approved as a military decoration by order of the communist-ledState National Councilon 22 December 1944. Up to 1947, some 40,000 of the medals were awarded to Polish soldiers fighting alongside theRed Army.[citation needed]
| Ribbon bars of the Cross of Valour | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| original design | used in thePolish Armed Forces in the West since 20 September 1941 | |||
| 1st award | |
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| 2nd award |  |
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| 3rd award |  |
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| 4th award |  |
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Notes
[edit]- ^The only soldier ever to receive more than 4 Crosses of Valour wasStefan Grot-Rowecki,commander of the PolishHome Armyduring World War II, who had reached his quota of 4 crosses during World War I and thePolish-Soviet War,yet was awarded 4 more crosses on 1 May 1943. See:Łukasz Leszczyński (2005)."gen. dyw. Stefan Grot-Rowecki".Łukasz Leszczyński(in Polish).Retrieved11 June2007.
- ^Zdzislaw P. Wesolowski,Polish Orders, Medals, Badges and Insignia: Military and Civilian Decorations, 1705–1985,pp. 22–24, 41–42, 58.
References
[edit]- Zdzislaw P. Wesolowski,Polish Orders, Medals, Badges and Insignia: Military and Civilian Decorations, 1705–1985,Miami,1986.
