War Merit Cross (Italy)
| War Merit Cross | |
|---|---|
|
War Merit Cross | |
Awarded by  Italy | |
| Eligibility | Members of the Italian armed forces |
| Awarded for |
One year of service in combat operations Being wounded in combat |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 19 January 1918 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | War Cross for Military Valor[1] |
| Next (lower) | Army Merit Cross[1] |
 Ribbon bar of the cross  Ribbon bar of the cross for two awards | |
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The Italian War Merit Cross (Italian: Croce al Merito di Guerra) was instituted by King Victor Emanuel III on 19 January 1918.[2]
From its institution until 30 May 1927, 1,034,924 Crosses were issued.[3]
Eligibility
The Italian War Merit Cross was awarded to members of the armed forces with a minimum of one year's service in contact with an enemy who received the Medal of the Wounded, or to those who, when mentioned for war merit, received a promotion. Also, if an act of valour was deemed insufficient for the Medal of Military Valour, the War Merit Cross could be awarded instead; from 1922 onwards a bronze sword on the ribbon showed this class of award.
Design
The War Merit Cross was in bronze, 38mm wide (1-1/2 inches), with a blue ribbon. A second award was indicated by a bronze star on the ribbon.[2] The reverse side bears a 5-pointed star on a background of rays. The obverse has the royal cypher ("VE III" under a crown) in the upper arm, "MERITO DI GVERRA" (War Merit) on the horizontal arms and a Roman sword point upwards, on oak leaves, in the lower arm. During World War II, the War Merit Cross underwent a number of significant changes.[3]
In 1941, by decree, the War Merit Cross was replaced by the Medal of Military Valour.
Notable recipients
- Guido Natoli, Captain, Italian Army
- Gino Polli, Lieutenant, Italian Army
- Robert L. Blackwell, Private, US Army, MoH
- Tasker H. Bliss, General, US Army
- Evans Carlson, Brigadier General, US Marines, leader of Carlson's Raiders
- William J. Donovan, Major General, US Army, MoH
- Edouard Izac, Lieutenant, US Navy, MoH
- Clayton P. Kerr, United States Army Major General and member of Allied Mission to Italian Army in World War II
- Frank Luke, Jr., Second Lieutenant, US Army Air Service, MoH
- Douglas MacArthur, General, US Army, MoH
- Alvin York, Sergeant, US Army, MoH
- Richmond H. Hilton, Sergeant, US Army, MoH
- Carioti Quinto, Private, Italian Army
- Giuseppe Cirrincione, Maresciallo Dell'aeronautica
- William Alexander Cunningham, Captain 321st Battalion US Army, Awarded January 19, 1918, n205
References
- 1 2 "Esercito Italiano- Nastrini delle decorazioni in uso" (in Italian). Esercito.difesa.it. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
- 1 2 "Italian Army Awards and Medals WW1". diggerhistory. 11 Nov 2002. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- 1 2 Shackelford, Micheal (1998). "Medals of Italy". Retrieved 17 October 2010.