The Partisan Cross () was a Polish military decoration awarded to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

partisans (part of resistance movement fighting in the countryside). It was introduced by the Council of Ministers on October 26, 1945. It was awarded from 1945 until 1999. It was awarded to organizers, commanders and members of partisan units who fought against Germans on a Polish territory, or to Poles who fought in partisan units in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

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 ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, or to foreigners, who fought in partisan units on a Polish territory. It could be given also to cities or villages, that distinguished themselves in supporting the partisan movement. It was awarded first by the Ministry of Defence, from 1952 by the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

, from 1989 by the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

. It ceased to be awarded in 1999. About 55,000 Partisan Crosses were awarded.

Description

The Cross is a gold-plated

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

with thin arms, 38 x 38 mm. Obverse shows the

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

in the centre (the Polish coat-of-arms) and an inscription: "ZA – POLSKĘ – WOLNOŚĆ – i LUD" (For Poland, Liberty and People) on arms. The reverse bears the horizontal inscription "PARTYZANTOM" (to partisans), and the date "1939" on an upper vertical arm and "1945" on a lower arm. A ribbon is dark green, 35 mm wide, with black strips 7 mm wide, near both edges. In an order of precedency, the Partisan Cross was worn after Cross of Valour.

Number awarded

According to the data of the State Decorations Bureau of the State Council Chancellery and the Decorations Bureau of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, 75,374 crosses were awarded until 1987, and then additionally 18,651 crosses; in total - 94,025 crosses.Wojciech Stela: ''Polish orders and decorations (Vol. I)'' . Warsaw: 2008, p. 20.

References

Military awards and decorations of Poland Awards established in 1952 Awards disestablished in 1999 {{Orders-medals-stub

Description

Number awarded

See also

References