The
Médaille militaire is a decoration of the French Republic which was first instituted in 1852.
History
The creator of the
médaille was the emperor Napoléon III, who may have taken his inspiration in a medal issued by his father,
Louis BonaparteLouis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
, King of Holland. The Military Medal is issued to any non-commissioned officer or enlisted personnel who distinguishes himself by acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. Commissioned officers are not eligible. An interesting feature of the
médaille is that it is also the supreme award for leadership, being awarded to
generalA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s and
admiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
s who had been commanders-in-chief. This particular
médaille is considered superior even to the grand cross of the
Légion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. After the
First World WarWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Military Medal was also issued for receiving wounds in combat.
Criteria
Like many French awards, the
médaille can be awarded for different criteria. It can be awarded to foreigners serving with the French military.
- To members of the military other than commissioned officers (including enlisted rank
An enlisted rank is, in most Militaries, any rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. The term can also be inclusive of non-commissioned officers...
s, non-comissioned officers and aspirantAspirant is a military rank in the Canadian Navy, French military, Brazilian military, Romanian Navy and Polish Police.-Canadian Navy:Similar to the French usage, the Canadian Navy uses the French-language rank of "Aspirant de marine" to denote a junior officer under training. The same rank in the...
s or Officer DesignateOfficer Designate OF is a term used in the NATO rank scale, and comes below OF-1.-NATO:Ranks designated as OF include:*Dokimos Efedros Axiomatikos in the Hellenic Army...
).
- As a valor medal, it is the second higher award, after the Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
- As an en route medal for enlisted members, NCO and O(D) awarded the Légion d'honneur for "actions of War". Nowadays mostly a posthumous decoration.
- As a service medal, for long-serving NCO.
- To general
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s and admiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
s who had been commanders-in-chief, as a supreme award for leadership. These general officers must already be awarded the grand cross of the Légion d'honneur.
Recipients
The Médaille militaire is one of the rarest French decorations to be bestowed upon foreigners. During the Second World War, the
Médaille reached its highest numbers of foreign bestowals, most often to members of the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
as well as to the United States military. The general's
médaille was awarded to
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and
Josip Broz TitoMarshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
, as supreme commanders of the UK, US and Yugoslav military forces, but to also effective military leaders, such as General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower, in 1952 or Admiral of the Fleet
Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of HyndhopeAdmiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope KT, GCB, OM, DSO and two Bars , was a British admiral of the Second World War. Cunningham was widely known by his nickname, "ABC"....
, in 1946
Unit award
In addition to the individual medal, the Médaille militaire is also authorized as a unit award to those military commands who display the same criteria of bravery as would be required for the individual medal. The
médaille is displayed on the flag of these units. It is one of the rarest unit awards in the French military.
This unit award should not be confused with the
fourragèreThe fourragère is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, that is shaped as a braided cord. The award has been firstly adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal.- History :...
de la médaille militaire, which is a cord suspended from the shoulder of a military uniform worn by members of units which had been mentioned in despatches. A
fourragère aux couleurs du ruban de la médaille militaire (
fourragère in the colours of the ribbon of the
médaille militaire) is worn by units which had been mentioned four times, a
fourragère aux couleurs de la légion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
et de la médaille militaire (
fourragère in the colours of the ribbons of the
légion d'honneur and the
médaille militaire) for units mentioned twelve times. Ten American units can wear the
fourragère de la médaille militaire.
Notable recipients
- John Alexander
-Arts and entertainment:* John Alexander , American stage and film actor* John Alexander II , Scottish film actor; see * John Alexander , British television director* John Alexander -Arts and entertainment:* John Alexander (actor) (1897–1982), American stage and film actor* John Alexander II...
(VC)
- Berty Albrecht
Berty Albrecht was a French Resistance Fighter, born Berthe Wild at Marseille, 15 February 1893. She died in 1943 at Fresnes.-Life:Born into a middle-class Protestant family, she married the Dutch banker Frédéric Albrecht in 1918...
- Francois Achille Bazaine
François Achille Bazaine was a French General and from 1864, a Marshal of France, who surrendered the last organized French army to the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian war. He was the first Marshal who had started as a legionnaire and like the great Marshals of the First Empire, he had risen...
Marshal of France 1864
- Arthur Bluethenthal
Arthur Bluethenthal, nicknamed "Bluey" , was an All American football player for Princeton University, who died in combat fighting for France in World War I.-Early life:...
- Eugene Jacques Bullard
- Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Louis-Ferdinand Céline was the pen name of French writer and physician Louis-Ferdinand Destouches . Céline was chosen after his grandmother's first name. He is considered one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century, developing a new style of writing that modernized both French and...
- Eugène Chavant
Eugène Chavant was the founder of the French resistance organisation France Combat in 1942 and a prominent member of the French resistance. His nom de guerre was Clement, hence the "dit Clement" on the memorial to him in Grenoble. He was a member of the CDLN for the département of Isère during the...
- Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
- Herman Davis
Herman Davis was born in Manila, Arkansas. He was a United States Infantry Private Company I, 113th Infantry Regiment, 29th division during World War I....
- Sam Dreben
Samuel "Sam" Dreben , sometimes misspelled "Drebben", and known as "The Fighting Jew", was a highly decorated soldier in the US Army and a mercenary who fought in a variety of wars and revolutions.-Early life:...
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
- Francois Faber
François Faber was a Luxembourgian/French racing cyclist. He was born in France. He was the first foreigner to win the Tour de France in 1909, and his record of winning 5 consecutive stages still stands...
- René Fonck
René Paul Fonck was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top Allied fighter ace, and when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of "all-time Allied Ace of Aces". He received confirmation for 75 victories ...
- Jean Gabin
-Biography:Born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, he grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise département, about 22 mi north of Paris. The son of cabaret entertainers, he attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly...
- Louis Lépine
Louis Jean-Baptiste Lépine was an eminent lawyer, politician and inventor who was Prefect of Police for Paris from 1893 to 1897 and again from 1899 to 1913. He earned the nickname of ‘’The Little Man with the Big Stick’’ for his skill in handling large Parisian crowds. He was responsible for the...
- Georges Madon
Georges Felix Madon was the fourth ranked French ace pilot of the First World War. His lengthy career and wide variety of aviation experiences were remarkable.-Early years:...
- Paul de Montgolfier
Paul-Joseph de Montgolfier was born in Saint-Marcel on 28 April 1913. He flew in the French Air Force, flying Curtiss 75 Hawks with the GC II/5 fighter group when World War II began....
- Olav V of Norway
Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...
- James Patterson
James B. Patterson is an American author of thriller novels, largely known for his series about American psychologist Alex Cross...
- Pierre Roques
Pierre Auguste Roques was a French general and creator of the French air force.-Biography:...
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
- Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
- Pierre-Auguste Sarrus
Pierre-Auguste Sarrus was a French musician and inventor.* He joined the army at the age of 23....
- Pierre Schoendoerffer
Pierre Schoendoerffer is a French film director, a screenwriter, a writer, a war reporter, a war cameraman, a renowned First Indochina War veteran, a cinema academician and since 2001 the President of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.-Family:...
- William Shockley
William Bradford Shockley Jr. was an American physicist and inventor. Along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, Shockley co-invented the transistor, for which all three were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.Shockley's attempts to commercialize a new transistor design in the 1950s...
- Ratu
Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...
Sir Lala SukunaRatu Sir Lala Sukuna, KCMG, KBE was a Fijian chief, scholar, soldier, and statesman. He is regarded as the forerunner of the post-independence leadership of Fiji...
- Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
See also
- Ribbons of the French military and civil awards
This is a list of the ribbons of the French military and civil awards.-French National Orders:-French Ministerial Orders:-The principal French military awards:-The French commemorative awards:- Medals of Honor :-The other awards:...