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Category: Greece

The Inter Allied Victory Medal (Greece)

The Greek Victory Medal was instituted to commemorate the Allied victory in the First World War. It was designed by Henry-Eugène Nocq.

The Allied Victory Medal was recommended by an inter-allied committee in March 1919. Fourteen victorious countries finally awarded the medal after World War I, and each allied nation would design a ‘Victory Medal’ for award to their own nationals. Certain features were to be shared: a winged figure of Victory on the obverse and the same ribbon.

For most of the war, Greece was officially neutral. Finally in 1918 Greece sided with the allies, sending 230,000 troops to fight in Macedonia. The Greek Victory medal followed the proposal made by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, who was the supreme commander of the Allied Forces during the war. It was instituted on 22nd September 1920 and was awarded to military personnel who had served at least 3 months active service or had been wounded in action, died of wounds or had been killed in action and to sailors with service of at least a year between 14th June 1917 and 25th November 1918. Approximately 200,000 medals were issued.

The Greece Inter Allied Victory Medal Design

The Victory Medal measures 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in diameter and was designed by William McMillan. The design and ribbon was also adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA. Each allied nation would design a ‘Victory Medal’ for award to their own nationals, all issues having certain common features, including a winged figure of victory on the obverse and the same ribbon.

The obverse of the medal bears the winged, full-length figure of Victory designed by Henry-Eugène Nocq (1868–1944), a recognized French sculptor and medalist who lived in Paris, where the medal was also struck. The image of Victory was modeled after the 5th Century BCE statue of Nike by Paionios. The reverse bears “The Great War for Civilization” in Greek, and an infant Hercules wrestling with two snakes. The tablet in the center reads “Allies and Comrades” and lists the allied nations.

The 39 millimeters (1.5 in) wide watered ribbon has an iridescent color scheme, with the violet moving through to a central red stripe where both schemes meet. It attaches to the medal through a ring suspender. The recipient’s name, rank, service number and unit were impressed on the edge of the medal. The name of the regiment or corps was omitted on medals awarded to Army officers.

All the Inter-Allied Victory Medal Variations

Although each country designed its own version of the Inter-Allied Victory Medal, all of them shared some common elements, such as a winged victory figure on the obverse and a similar ribbon with rainbow colors symbolizing unity among the Allies. Here are the versions for all countries:

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The Medal for the War of 1941–1945

  • Time Period: WW2
  • Year of Institution: 2 March 1946
  • Country: Greece

The Medal for the War of 1941–1945 was established on 2 March 1946 and awarded to members of the Royal Hellenic Armed Forces who had seen action. It was created as a star for land operations.

The medal was bestowed upon Royal Hellenic Armed Forces personnel for operational services to the Army in North Africa, the South Aegean Sea and Italy. Several thousands of Army personnel, the majority of the Fleet and the remaining airplanes escaped to Turkey or were evacuated to Egypt after the capitulation of the Continental Greece and the battle of Crete respectively. At the British controlled Middle East the Hellenic Armed Forces were reorganized and reequipped (with British assistance) while more personnel either from Greece or from the existing Greek population in Egypt joined their ranks.

Soon the Hellenic Armed Forces of the Middle East were able to form 2 Brigades, a Special Forces Unit (Sacred Band or Sacred Company in Greek) attached to 1st SAS. The Hellenic Royal Navy with 44 ships and over 8,500 men, became the second-largest Allied Navy in the Mediterranean after the RN, accounting for 80% of all non-RN operations.

The Hellenic Royal Air Force formed 3 Squadrons (the 335 and 336 Fighter Squadrons – equipped with Hurricanes and later with Spitfires – and the 13th Naval Cooperation Squadron which operated with Blenheims and later with Batimores).

The Hellenic Armed Forces participated to the Battle of El Alamein, to the Operations for Liberation of several Greek islands of the Aegean Sea after the capitulation of Italy, to the operation in Sicily and South Italy while several ships of the Hellenic Royal Navy supported the landing in Normany.

The Medal for the War of 1941–1945 Design

The ribbon shows what appears to be water / storage damage.

The Medal for the War of 1940–1941

  • Time Period: WW2
  • Year of Institution: 19 August 1947
  • Country: Greece

The Medal for the War of 1940–1941 was instituted by Royal Decree of August 19th 1947 to recognize the actions of the Royal Greek Armed Forces who took part in the war efforts from the outbreak of the war in Greece in 1940 until the fall of Crete in 1941 (it covers the campaigns in Epirus, Albania, Macedonia, Thrace and Crete.)

The medal was also awarded to foreign forces that fought on Greek soil.

The Medal for the War of 1940–1941 Design

The medal can either be of bronze or of gilt. The riband is of a dark blue color with a pale blue center stripe and two narrow white edge stripes. Some variations have a more grey stripe in the center. Every recipient receives a certificate with the recipients name.

The obverse bears the head of King George II, surrounded with a laurel wreath. The wreath is at the top joined by a crown. In 1983 the obverse was changed because of the changing of Greece from a kingdom to a republic in 1974. From 1983 the obverse shows a headless winged female figure above the inscription “1940-41”. The figure is surrounded by a laurel wreath, at the top joined by the Greek word for “Greece”.

The reverse has original a Greek inscription meaning “1940-41 Eprius, Albania, Macedonia, Thrace, Crete” for Army medals and “1940-41 Aegean, Ionian, Myrtoum, Adriatic” for Navy medals. From 1983 the “1940-41” was removed but the rest remained.

The Medal for the National Resistance (Greece)

  • Time Period: WW2
  • Year of Institution: 22 December 1948
  • Country: Greece

The Medal for the National Resistance was instituted on 22 December 1948 to commemorate the Nation’s Resistance during the Second World War.

It was awarded in one class and bestowed upon those who had actively served in, or had been of assistance to Greek National Resistance Organizations in their struggle against occupying Italo-German forces between 1941 and 1945. 

Those who served with the British Special Operations Executive Military Mission to Greece are eligible for the award. As are escaped prisoners of war who joined Greek Resistance organizations.

The Medal for the National Resistance Design

The Medal is a bronze medallion, the obverse of which depicts an armed Greek Resistance Fighter planting the National Flag on a rock. The reverse bears the inscription ‘National Resistance, 1941 – 1945’ in Greek.

The medal is pendent on a riband of dark blue with a wide grey center stripe. Some examples include a small bronze bar bearing the year of service on the riband.

The Maritime War Cross (Greece)

  • Time Period: WW2
  • Year of Institution: 1943
  • Country: Greece

The Maritime War Cross was established in 1943 by the Greek Government in Exile in 3 classes: bronze, silver and gold. It was awarded to the Officers and Sailors of the Hellenic Merchant Navy with at least 6 months of service aboard a merchant vessel.

It was also awarded to Officers of the Hellenic Royal Navy who commanded convoy escorts and also to Officers and Sailors of the Hellenic Royal Navy who served aboard merchant ships during the War.

The Maritime War Cross Design

The medal shows the motto: “Μέγα το της Θαλλάσης Κράτος” (in liberal translation: Powerful is the State that Controls the Sea). The phrase had been used for the first time by Thucydides and it is the motto of the Hellenic Navy.

Some versions of the medal were British made by Spink and Son Ltd, London (this is marked on the reverse of the crown).

The Royal Hellenic Navy Campaign Cross

  • Time Period: WW2
  • Year of Institution: 22 December 1943
  • Country: Greece

The Royal Hellenic Navy Campaign Cross was instituted by the Law of 22 December 1943 and awarded to officers and sailors of the Royal Hellenic Navy for a minimum of six months’ active service in World War II.

When Italy invaded Greece from Albania on 28 October 1940, the Greek Navy worked with the British Royal Navy to interrupt Italian shipments across the Adriatic. When Greece fell to German invasion in April 1941, much of the fleet steamed to Alexandria in Egypt and joined the British Mediterranean Fleet, continuing the fight against the Italians and Germans. Greek naval forces also escorted convoys in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and supported the Normandy landings in June 1944.

The Royal Hellenic Navy (RHN) was, after the British Royal Navy, the largest Allied Naval force in the Mediterranean. The RHN fought against the Italians and the Germans in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, participated in the defense of Malta, escorted convoys in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean and supported the landings in Sicily, Italy, Southern France and Normandy.

The Royal Hellenic Navy Campaign Cross Design

The medals were issued by Kelaidis of Athens in bronze gilt. They measured 32 mm x 58.5 mm inclusive of its crown suspension. It came in three grades:

  • Gold (gilt) for officers,
  • Silver (silvered) for petty officers and
  • Bronze for sailors.

The Medal for the Macedonian Struggle

The Medal for the Macedonian Struggle was instituted in 1931 by the Second Hellenic Republic (1924-1935) first by law and then by Presidential Decree a year later.

It was awarded to living Makedonomachoi (Macedonian fighters) veterans of the Macedonian Struggle 1903-1909. The Macedonian Struggle was a the Greek guerrilla warfare against the forces of the supporters of the Bulgarian Exarchate such as the IMRO (International Macedonian Revolutionary Organization) that were aiming to annex Macedonia to Bulgaria. The Greek efforts for Macedonia were coordinated by the Hellenic Macedonian Committee, formed in 1903.

Its fighting forces were mainly former Officers of the Hellenic Army, volunteers brought to Crete and the Peloponnese,m as well as Macedonian Greeks.

The success of their efforts bolstered Greek presence in the still Ottoman-ruled Macedonia, and prepared the annexation of the Greek major part of Macedonia, following the Balcan Wars.

The Medal for the Macedonian Struggle Design

There were only approximately 2000 medals awarded. The text “Hellenic Republic” circumscribes it. The ribbon is colored light blue, black and yellow.

The Commemorative Medal for the Greco-Bulgarian War of 1913

  • Time Period: Pre-WW1
  • Year of Institution: 17 February 1914
  • Country: Greece

The Commemorative Medal for the Greco-Bulgarian War of 1913 was instituted by Royal Decree on 17 February 1914 and awarded for participation in the war against Bulgaria the previous year.

An alliance of Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia threw the Ottoman Turks out of almost all their remaining European territories in 1912 and the First Balkan War ended with the Treaty of London on 30 May 1913. However, the victors fell out over the division of the spoils, with Serbia and Greece forming an alliance against Bulgaria and the Second Balkan War broke out at the end of June. After initial setbacks, Bulgarian military successes stabilized the front in Macedonia. The situation was transformed by the invasion of Bulgaria by Romania on 10 July, leaving the former in a hopeless position. An armistice was agreed on 31 July with Greece gaining significant additional territory at the expense of Bulgaria.

The sense of grievance thus created led to Bulgarian participation in the two subsequent world wars on the side of Germany and against Greece but the territorial settlement has endured. The Byzantine Emperor Basil II earned the epithet ‘Bulgar-slayer’ during his wars against the Bulgarian empire of Tsar Samuel which led to the incorporation of most Bulgarian lands into the Byzantine Empire.

The Commemorative Medal for the Greco-Bulgarian War of 1913 Design

The medal is struck in bronze and measures 30 mm.

The ribbon is pale blue with white edge stripes and a white-edged green central stripe.

The Medal for the Greco-Turkish War of 1912-13

  • Time Period: Pre-WW1
  • Year of Institution: 1914
  • Country: Greece

The Medal for the Greco-Turkish War of 1912-13 is a Greek medal instituted in 1914 and awarded to men of all armed forces who took part in battles or Naval battles or served in commandeering and auxiliary services on battle-sites, and also to civilians, either Greek or foreign subjects, who offered any kind of service to the Navy during the battles.

During the 1st Balkan War the alliance of Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Serbia liberated the remaining Christian populations of the European territories from the Ottoman Empire. The War ended with the Treaty of London in 1913 but soon the 2nd Balkan War started, this time against Bulgaria.

The Medal for the Proclamation of the Constitution of 1843

  • Time Period: Pre-WW1
  • Year of Institution: 1843
  • Country: Greece

The Medal for the Proclamation of the Constitution of 1843 was created on September 3, 1843 and it also known as the Cross of the Provinces.

On 3 September 1843, the military garrison of Athens, with the help of citizens, rebelled and demanded from King Otto the concession of a Constitution. The Constitution that was proclaimed in March 1844 came from the workings of the “Third of September National Assembly of the Hellenes in Athens” and was a Constitutional Pact, in other words a contract between the monarch and the Nation. This Constitution re-established the Constitutional Monarchy and was based on the French Constitution of 1830 and the Belgian Constitution of 1831.

Its main provisions were the following: It established the principle of monarchical sovereignty, as the monarch was the decisive power of the State; the legislative power was to be exercised by the King – who also had the right to ratify the laws – by the Parliament, and by the Senate. The members of the Parliament could be no less than 80 and they were elected for a three-year term by universal suffrage. The senators were appointed for life by the King and their number was set at 27, although that number could increase should the need arise and per the monarch’s will, but it could not exceed half the number of the members of Parliament.

The ministers’ responsibility for the King’s actions is established, who also appoints and removes them. Justice stems from the King and is dispensed in his name by the judges he himself appoints.

Lastly, this Assembly voted the electoral law of 18 March 1844, which was the first European law to provide, in essence, for universal suffrage (but only for men).

Despite the fact that Otto accepted the establishment of a Constitutional regime, he was not inclined to enforce it and by breaking both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution he tried to gather as much power as he possibly could. On the night of 10 October 1862 the rising wave of discontent led the people and the military to rebel and to decide Otto’s deposition.