Médaille militaire

Medaille Militaire
Insignia of the médaille militaire
Awarded by France
Type	Medal
Awarded for	Good military conduct
Status	Currently awarded
Statistics
Established	January 22, 1852
Precedence
Next (higher)	Ordre de la Libération
Next (lower)	Ordre national du Mérite
Ribbon bar of the Medal

The Médaille militaire (English: Military Medal) 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 Bonaparte, King of Holland. The Military Medal is issued to any non-commissioned officer or enlisted personnel who distinguish themselves 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 generals and admirals who had been commanders-in-chief. This particular médaille is considered superior even to the grand cross of the Légion d'honneur. After the First World War, 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 ranks, non-comissioned officers and aspirants or Officer Designate).
  • As a valor medal, it is the second higher award, after the Légion d'honneur.
  • 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 generals and admirals 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 Army as well as to the United States military. The general's médaille was awarded to Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Josip Broz Tito, 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 Hyndhope, 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 fourragère 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'honneur 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 (VC)
• Berty Albrecht
• Francois Achille Bazaine Marshal of France 1864
• Arthur Bluethenthal
• Eugene Jacques Bullard
• Louis-Ferdinand Céline
• Eugène Chavant
• Winston Churchill
• Daniel Daly
• Herman Davis
• Sam Dreben
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Francois Faber
• René Fonck
• Jean Gabin
• Louis Lépine
• Georges Madon
• Paul de Montgolfier
• Olav V of Norway
• James Patterson
• Pierre Roques
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Philippe Pétain
• Pierre-Auguste Sarrus
• Pierre Schoendoerffer
• William Shockley
• Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna
• Josip Broz Tito

See also

• Ribbons of the French military and civil awards