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.