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Award
Czechoslovak War Cross 1939
?eskoslovensky vale?ny k?i? 1939
?eskoslovensky vojnovy kri? 1939
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The medals obverse (left) and reverse (right).
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Type
| Chest order
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Awarded for
| Awarded to all Czechoslovak citizens, units, and members of armies abroad, units and members of allied armies, that excelled in combat against fascism during
World War II
.
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Presented by
| Czechoslovakia
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Eligibility
| Military personnel
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Campaign(s)
| World War II
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Established
| December 20, 1940
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Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 Ribbon
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The
Czechoslovak War Cross 1939
(
?eskoslovensky vale?ny k?i? 1939
in
Czech
,
?eskoslovensky vojnovy kri? 1939
in
Slovak
) is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued for those who had provided great service to the
Czechoslovak state (in exile)
during the years of
World War II
.
Description
[
edit
]
On December 20, 1940, the
Czechoslovak government in exile
in London ordered the creation of a second version of the Czechoslovak War Cross. It was created and issued not as a general service medal, but as a meritorious decoration for those had provided great service to the Czechoslovak state during the years of World War II. The award was mainly intended for persons who had helped liberate Czechoslovakia from the rule of
Nazi Germany
. Several American officers received the award, such as
Dwight D. Eisenhower
or
George S. Patton
, and the decoration was also bestowed to national heroes, such as the men who had assassinated
Reinhard Heydrich
in
operation Anthropoid
.
The second Czechoslovak War Cross was known as the
Czechoslovak War Cross 1939
and a common phrase for the decoration was also the
Czechoslovak Croix de Guerre
. In cases where an individual had received both the World War I and World War II versions, both medals could be worn simultaneously.
The validity of the War Cross was confirmed after the end of
World War II
, in January 1946.
There were no further versions of the Czechoslovak War Cross after 1945 and the medal became obsolete with the division of the Czechoslovak state in 1992.
Design
[
edit
]
The medal was dye-struck and high in detail, with a bronze finish. On the obverse of the cross there was the small state symbol of Czechoslovakia, on the reverse ? symbols of the lands in circles: symbol of
Bohemia
in the middle,
Slovakia
above,
Moravia
on the left,
Silesia
on the right, and
Carpatho-Ukraine
below. In the spaces around the middle circle, the year 1939 is spread. The medal was suspended from a white ribbon with red and blue stripes.
Notable recipients
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]
See also
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]
External links
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edit
]