Commemorative Medal for Loyalty to the Fatherland 1915 () or Commemorative Medal of the Great Serbian Retreat, better known as the Albanian Commemorative Medal () was a single-classed military medal awarded to all Serbian military personnel who participated in the
Great Serbian Retreat of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
History and criteria
The Commemorative Medal for Loyalty to the Fatherland 1915 was instituted on 5 April 1920 by decree of Crown Prince-Regent
Alexander I Karadjordjević in the newly established
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...
until 1929, then by the Kingdom of
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
.
At the end of 1915,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
was invaded by combined Austro-Hungarian, German and Bulgarian armies, the greatly outnumbered Serbian Army, under the command of King Peter and Prince Alexander, faced total destruction but refused to come to terms. The decision was taken to retreat through the mountains of Albania towards the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
coast to Corfu and Greece.
During the journey across the mountains around 70,000 soldiers and 140,000 civilians froze, starved to death, died of disease or were killed by hostile Albanian tribes.
The reorganised Serbian Army continued fighting the rest of the war on the
Macedonian front
The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...
liberating their country alongside French troops in 1918.
The Commemorative Medal was given on anniversaries and jubilees to all the participants of the event.
Appearance
The medal was gilt and silvered bronze in appearance, 32.5 mm x 50 mm. the
obverse
The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...
side depicts the profile of the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Army,
Prince-Regent Alexander I, surrounding it is the inscription TO MY COMRADES IN ARMS ALEKSANDAR ().
On the reverse is the inscription FOR LOYALTY TO THE FATHERLAND 1915 ().
The medal is worn on a light green bar with black stripes along the edge.
The medal was struck by
Arthus-Bertrand in Paris.
Notable recipients
*
Momčilo Gavrić
*
Sergej Ingr
*
Stanislav Krakov
*
Milutin Nedić
Milutin Đ. Nedić ( sr-Cyrl, Милутин Ђ. Недић; 26 October 1882 – 1945) was a Yugoslav '' Armijski đeneral'' (lieutenant general) and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army prior to the outbreak of World War ...
*
Milan Nedić
Milan Nedić ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Недић; 2 September 1878 – 4 February 1946) was a Yugoslav and Serbian army general and politician who served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army and minister of war in the ...
*
Draža Mihailović
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović ( sr-Cyrl, Драгољуб "Дража" Михаиловић; 27 April 1893 – 17 July 1946) was a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav Serb general during World War II. He was the leader of the Chetniks, Chetnik Detachments ...
*
Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin
Ilija Trifunović-Birčanin ( sr-cyr, Илија Трифуновић-Бирчанин; 1877 – 3 February 1943) was a Serbian Chetnik military commander (''vojvoda'', војвода). He took part in the Balkan Wars and World War I and af ...
See also
*
Great Retreat (Serbian)
Images
File:Zbirka odlikovanja, diploma i plaketa Narodnog muzeja u Leskovcu 02.jpg, front of the medal
File:Zbirka odlikovanja, diploma i plaketa Narodnog muzeja u Leskovcu 01.jpg, reverse of the medal
File:Albanska spomenica, inženjerski potporučnik Leon H. Lebl.jpg, Document issued to Leon Lebl.
File:Momčilo Gavrić Albanian Commemorative Medal.jpg, Document issued to Momčilo Gavrić.
File:Document issued to Radivoj A. Marinkovic.jpg, Document issued to Radivoj A. Marinkovic.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Commemorative Medal of the Great Serbian Retreat
Albanian Commemorative Medal
1920 establishments in Serbia
Orders, decorations, and medals of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Awards established in 1920
Military awards and decorations of World War I
Serbia in World War I