Volunteer Combatant's Cross

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Award

Volunteer combatant's cross
Volunteer combatant's cross (obverse)
Type	Medal
Awarded for	Volunteers for the war 1939–1945
Presented by	France
Established	4 February 1953

Ribbon of the Volunteer combatant's cross

Precedence
Next (higher)	Volunteer combatant's cross 1914–1918
Next (lower)	Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant

The Volunteer combatant's cross (French: "Croix du combattant volontaire") was a French decoration that originally recognized those who volunteered to serve in a combat unit during World War II. It is the equivalent of the "1914–1918 Volunteer combatant's cross" (French: "Croix du Combattant Volontaire 1914–1918").

History

This decoration is equivalent to that awarded to the soldiers of the First World War. At the request of the associations of veterans the state fixed by Act of 4 February 1953, accompanied by a decree of 19 November 1955, the award Croix du Combattant Volontaire 1939–1945, designated for those who volunteered to serve. In 1983 the original act establishing this award as the "1939-1945 Volunteer combatant's cross" (French: "Croix du combattant volontaire 1939-1945") was abolished and replaced by an act that added clasps to the medal, specifying the specific areas of combat, and renaming it more simply to "Volunteer combatant's cross" . Additional revisions of the act establishing this award in 1995 and 2007 have added a total of five clasps:

Guerre 1939–1945
Indochine
Corée
Afrique du Nord
Missions extérieures

Description of the medal

A cross with four arms in bronze, 36 mm wide. Engraved by Frédéric-Charles-Victor de Vernon.

On the obverse: a round central medallion with the legend surrounding REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE:

Effigy of a helmeted Poilu (World War I infantryman), on a sword drawn vertically on the arms of the cross which is covered with laurel leaves and oak leaves in relief.

On the reverse: inside the central medallion, a branch of laurel is surrounded by the inscription: COMBATTANT VOLONTAIRE 1939–1945. The reverse of the 1983 version has no date. The cross arms are covered with leaves of laurel and oak forming relief.

Eligibility

The Volunteer combatant's cross was created to honor those who voluntarily participated in an armed conflict, during which they put their lives at risk.

In this spirit, the candidate for this distinction must provide proof from what he has done is a voluntary act of serving in a combat unit, so that because of his age or his circumstances, he was compelled to any "service obligation" (read "no obligation such "). From what he has in fact been present in a unit recognized fighter, during a specified time.

The Volunteer combatant's cross is considered a war decoration during the review of applications for Légion d'honneur, la Médaille militaire and l'Ordre national du Mérite.

References

Orders, decorations, and medals of France

Orders

National	Order of the Legion of Honour Order of Liberation Order of Merit
Ministerial	Order of Academic Palms Order of Agricultural Merit Order of Maritime Merit Order of Arts and Letters
Territorial	Order of Tahiti Nui

Decorations and medals

Civilian

Military

Commemorative medals

1852 – 1871: Second Empire	Saint Helena Medal Commemorative medal of the 1859 Italian Campaign Commemorative medal of the 1860 China Expedition Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition
1871–1914: Belle Époque	Commemorative medal of the 1870–1871 War Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal (1885) Dahomey Expedition commemorative medal (1892) Madagascar Expeditions commemorative medal Colonial Medal China Expedition commemorative medal (1901) Morocco commemorative medal (1909)
1914–1918: World War I	1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal Dardanelles campaign medal Orient campaign medal Commemorative medal of the 1914–1918 War Medal of French Gratitude Medal for Victims of the Invasion Medal for civilian prisoners, deportees and hostages of the 1914-1918 Great War
1918–1939: Interwar	Syria-Cilicia commemorative medal
1939–1945: World War II	Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France Italian Campaign medal Medal for deportation and internment for acts of resistance Political deportation and internment medal Commemorative medal of the 1939–1945 War Medal of a liberated France Recusant's insignia
1945–1964: Decolonisation	United Nations operations in Korea commemorative medal Indochina Campaign commemorative medal Middle East operations commemorative medal North Africa Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal
Since 1964	Medal of the Nation's Gratitude North Africa medal United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon medal French commemorative medal Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory

Defunct orders

Royal & Imperial	Order of Saint Michael Order of the Holy Spirit Order of Saint Louis Order of Military Merit Order of the Iron Crown Order of the Three-Golden Fleeces Order of the Reunion Decoration of The Lily Decoration of the Bordeaux Armband Decoration of the Fidelity Medal of the wounded Order of the Cross of July
Ministerial	Order of Merit for Veterans Order of Military Merit Order of Civil Merit Order of Social Merit Order of Labour Merit Order of Touristic Merit Order of the National Economy Order of Commercial and Industrial Merit Order of Artisan Merit Order of Public Health Order of Postal Merit Order of Sport Merit
Colonial	Order of Indochinese Merit Order of Saharan Merit Order of the Black Star Order of the Star of Anjouan Order of Nichan el Anouar Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam Royal Order of Cambodia Order of Merit of Madagascar and dependencies Order of Merit of Cameroon

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